James Lankford

Republican senior Senator of Oklahoma

Representative
Oklahoma, district 5
January 5, 2011 - January 3, 2013
Representative
Oklahoma, district 5
January 3, 2013 - January 3, 2015
Senator
Oklahoma
January 6, 2015 - January 3, 2017
Senator
Oklahoma
January 3, 2017 - January 3, 2023
Senator
Oklahoma
January 3, 2023 - January 3, 2029

202-224-5754

@SenatorLankford

lankford.senate.gov

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Congresses Served

House Terms

Senate Terms

January 1, 1968 (56 years old)

Birthday

Served as the senior United States senator from Oklahoma since 2015
Previously represented Oklahoma’s 5th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2015
Was president of the Falls Creek Baptist Conference Center from 1996 to 2009
Ordained Southern Baptist minister
Won the 2010 election for Oklahoma’s 5th congressional district and was reelected in 2012
Became chair of the House Republican Policy Committee shortly after his 2012 reelection
Ran for the U.S. Senate in the 2014 special election to succeed Senator Tom Coburn and won
Reelected to the Senate in 2016 and 2022
Became Oklahoma’s senior senator in 2023
Introduced the Secure Elections Act in 2017 to update voting technology
Lead Senate Republican negotiator on a bipartisan bill addressing the Mexico–United States border crisis
Committee assignments include Appropriations, Finance, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Indian Affairs, and the Select Committee on Ethics
Supports budget austerity, lowering taxes, and reducing government spending
Opposes the Affordable Care Act and federally funded health insurance
Opposes abortion and supports recognizing life at the moment of fertilization
Opposes same-sex marriage and has made statements against expanding hate crime legislation to include sexual orientation
Criticized for questioning the validity of the 2020 presidential election results, later apologized for casting doubt on Black votes
Voted against creating the January 6 commission and opposed bringing back earmarks to the Senate
Praised the Supreme Court decision in Groff v. DeJoy for supporting religious freedom in the workplace
Married with two daughters and attends Quail Springs Baptist Church in Oklahoma City