Mary Fallin

Mary Fallin

Republican Party

Prior offices

Oklahoma House of Representatives

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Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma

Successor: Jari Askins

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U.S. House Oklahoma District 5

Successor: James Lankford

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Governor of Oklahoma

Successor: Kevin Stitt

Predecessor: Brad Henry

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Bildung

High school

Tecumseh High School

Bachelor's

Oklahoma State University, 1977

Other

Oklahoma Baptist University

Personal

Religion

Christian

Mary Fallin (born December 9, 1954, in Warrensburg, Missouri) was the 27th goveror of Oklahoma from 2011 to 2019. A Republican, Fallin was the first woman to hold the office. She first won election in 2010 and won re-election in 2014.

Fallin previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Oklahoma's 5th Congressional District, which included most of Oklahoma City. She was the second woman elected to the United States Congress from Oklahoma and the first since 1921 when Alice Mary Robertson was elected and served for one term from 1921 to 1923.

Fallin began her political career in 1990 when she was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives. During her two terms, she was recognized by the American Legislative Exchange Council as Legislator of the Year and named Guardian of Small Business by the National Federation of Independent Business. She was elected lieutenant governor in 1994, becoming the first Republican and first woman to hold the office.

Biography

Fallin's mother and father both served terms as mayor of Tecumseh, Oklahoma, where she was raised. She graduated from Tecumseh High School and attended Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Fallin also obtained a degree from Oklahoma State University.

Elections

2018

See also: Oklahoma gubernatorial election, 2018

Mary Fallin was not able to file for re-election due to term limits.

2014

See also: Oklahoma gubernatorial election, 2014

Fallin ran for re-election as Governor of Oklahoma in 2014. Fallin won re-nomination in the Republican primary on June 24. The general election took place on November 4, 2014.

Results

Primary election

Governor of Oklahoma, Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Mary Fallin	75.5%	200,035
Chad Moody	15.4%	40,839
Dax Ewbank	9.1%	24,020
Total Votes		264,894
Election results via Oklahoma State Election Board.

General election

Governor of Oklahoma, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Mary Fallin Incumbent	55.8%	460,298
	Democratic	Joe Dorman	41%	338,239
	Independent	Kimberly Willis	2.1%	17,169
	Independent	Richard Prawdzienski	1.1%	9,125
Total Votes				824,831
Election results via Oklahoma State Election Board

2010

Fallin was elected Governor of Oklahoma in 2010

See also: Oklahoma gubernatorial election, 2010

Congresswoman Fallin ran for Governor of Oklahoma in 2010. She won the July 27, 2010 primary with 54.79 percent of the vote and the November general election by a 20.99 percent margin. In 2008, Republicans made gains in the state legislature and took control of both the Oklahoma House of Representatives and the Oklahoma State Senate for the first time in Oklahoma history. Sitting Governor Brad Henry (D) was unable to seek re-election because of the two-term limit.

Governor of Oklahoma, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Mary Fallin	60.4%	625,506
	Democratic	Jari Askins	39.6%	409,261
Total Votes				1,034,767
Election results via Oklahoma State Election Board

Endorsements

On June 17th, 2010, Sarah Palin gave her official endorsement for Mary Fallin's campaign for governor.

2008

Fallin won re-election to the U.S. Congress 5th Congressional District seat in 2008.

2006

Fallin did not seek re-election in 2006 as lieutenant governor, but ran for the 5th Congressional District seat being vacated by Ernest Istook, who ran for governor. In the July 25 GOP primary, she was the top vote-getter, receiving 35 percent of the vote. On August 22, 2006, she faced the second-place finisher of the July primary, Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett, in the GOP candidate runoff election, and won with 63 percent of the vote.

Fallin was elected on November 7, defeating Democrat Paul David Hunter.

2002

On November 5, 2002, Mary Fallin won re-election to the office of Oklahoma Lieutenant Governor. She defeated Laura Boyd (D), Billy Maguire (I) and Elmer Zen (E.Z.) Million (I) in the general election.

Oklahoma Lieutenant Governor, 2002
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Mary Fallin Incumbent	56.9%	584,990
	Democratic	Laura Boyd	38.9%	400,511
	Independent	Billy Maguire	3%	31,053
	Independent	Elmer Zen (E.Z.) Million	1.1%	11,802
Total Votes				1,028,356
Election results via U.S. Election Atlas.

Presidential preference

2016 presidential endorsement

✓ Fallin endorsed Donald Trump for the Republican primary in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

See also: Endorsements for Donald Trump

Possible 2016 Republican vice presidential candidate

See also: Possible vice presidential picks, 2016

Fallin was mentioned in 2016 as a possible Republican vice presidential candidate. Click here for the full list of those who were floated by politicians and news outlets as possible running mates.

2012

See also: Endorsements by state officials of presidential candidates in the 2012 election

Mary Fallin endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Mary Fallin campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2014	Oklahoma Governor	Won	$5,690,189	N/A**
2010	Oklahoma Governor	Won	$4,206,616	N/A**
2002	Oklahoma Lieutenant Governor	Won	$683,487	N/A**
Grand total			$10,580,292	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only availabale data.

Noteworthy events

2016 abortion bill veto

On May 19, 2016, the Oklahoma State Senate passed SB 1522, a bill that would have criminalized abortion as a felony punishable by one to three years' imprisonment and that would have revoked the licenses of physicians who perform them. Gov. Fallin vetoed the bill the next day and stated in her veto message that she had signed "no less than 18 bills supporting pro-life and pro-family values," but criticized the language of the legislation as not being specific regarding what constituted a punishable offense. Republican Sen. Nathan Dahm expressed disappointment at Fallin's decision.

Response to Syria policy

Main article: U.S. governors and their responses to Syrian refugees

After the attacks in Paris, France, on November 13, 2015, many U.S. governors declared their support or opposition to Syrian refugee resettlement in their states. Fallin expressed conditional opposition to the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the state of Oklahoma. She said:

"	The Obama administration needs to assure the public that the background checks they are doing are rigorous, and that American lives will not be endangered in the process. Until then, I call on the Obama administration to suspend any Syrian refugees into the United States. During these uncertain times, the Obama administration needs to make sure those entering the United States are not terrorists. ... Oklahomans have welcomed refugees escaping religious persecution for many years and will continue to do so.	”
—Gov. Mary Fallin

2014 Common Core bill

See also: Common Core State Standards Initiative

On June 5, 2014, Gov. Fallin signed a bill repealing Oklahoma's Common Core Standards and ordering the state board of education to design a replacement. Fallin released a statement explaining why she signed the bill, a portion of which is provided below:

"	Unfortunately, federal overreach has tainted Common Core. President Obama and Washington bureaucrats have usurped Common Core in an attempt to influence state education standards. The results are predictable. What should have been a bipartisan policy is now widely regarded as the president's plan to establish federal control of curricula, testing and teaching strategies. We cannot ignore the widespread concern of citizens, parents, educators and legislators who have expressed fear that adopting Common Core gives up local control of Oklahoma's public schools. The words ‘Common Core' in Oklahoma are now so divisive that they have become a distraction that interferes with our mission of providing the best education possible for our children. If we are going to improve our standards in the classroom, now is the time to get to work. For that reason I am signing HB 3399 to repeal and replace Common Core with Oklahoma designed and implemented education standards. I am committed, now more than ever, to ensuring these standards are rigorous. They must raise the bar – beyond what Common Core offers – on what we expect of our students. Above all, they must be developed with the goal of teaching children to think critically and creatively and to complete high school with the knowledge they need to succeed in college and in the workforce. I also ‘get it' that Oklahoma standards must be exceptional, so when businesses and military families move to Oklahoma they can rest assured knowing their children will get a great education.	”
—Mary Fallin, Oklahoma NewsOn6

Benefits for same-sex military couples

In September 2013, Fallin instructed the state's National Guard to stop processing benefit requests for same-sex couples, saying it was in violation of the state ban on gay marriage that was passed by voters in 2004. The National Guard units in Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana also said they would not process benefits for same-sex couples. This was in opposition to a directive from the Pentagon.

Referencing the state ban, Fallin spokesman Alex Weintz explained the governor's position, saying “Because of that prohibition, Gov. Fallin’s general counsel has advised the National Guard not to process requests for benefits of same-sex couples. Gay couples that have been legally married in other states will be advised they can apply for those benefits on federal facilities, such as Tinker Air Force Base, rather than state run facilities.”

Stephen Peters, president of the American Military Partner Association, criticized her decision and said, “Since the governor of Oklahoma has decided to join Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana in playing politics with our military families, we need immediate and decisive action from the administration and the defense department in affirming that all military spouses, regardless of sexual orientation, will be treated equally.”

2013 job creation ranking

A June 2013 analysis by The Business Journals ranked 45 governors based on the annual private sector growth rate in all 50 states using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Fallin was ranked number 21. The five governors omitted from the analysis all assumed office in 2013.

U.S. Congress committee assignments

During the 111th Congress, Fallin was a member of the following committees:

• United States House Committee on Armed Services
  • United States House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness
  • United States House Armed Services Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces
  • United States House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel
• United States House Committee on Small Business
  • United States House Small Business Subcommittee on Contracting and Technology
  • United States House Small Business Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight (Ranking Member)
• United States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • United States House Transportation Subcommittee on Aviation
  • United States House Transportation Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management
  • United States House Transportation Subcommittee on Highways and Transit

See also

• Governor of Oklahoma
• Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma
• Oklahoma gubernatorial election, 2014
• Oklahoma gubernatorial election, 2010

External links

Suggest a link

• Mary Fallin's website

• Social media:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
• Biographies:
  • NNDB
  • Project Vote Smart
  • Wikipedia
• Executive actions:
  • Project Vote Smart
• Interest group ratings:
  • Project Vote Smart
• Issue positions:
  • On The Issues
  • Project Vote Smart
• Public statements:
  • Project Vote Smart
• Works by or about:
  • WorldCat
• Media appearances:
  • C-SPAN
  • IMDb

U.S. Congress

• Biographies:
  • U.S. Congress
• Political profiles:
  • GovTrack
• Financial (federal level):
  • FEC contributions
  • OpenSecrets.org
  • LegiStorm.com
• Voting record:
  • Washington Post

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• Mary Fallin – Women of the Oklahoma Legislature Oral History Project

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Brad Henry (D)	Governor of Oklahoma 2011 - 2019	Succeeded by Kevin Stitt (R)
Preceded by '	Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma 1995 - 2007	Succeeded by Jari Askins