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George E. Young

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George E. Young
Member of the Oklahoma Senate
from the 48th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
2019
Preceded byAnastasia Pittman
Member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives
from the 99th district
In office
2015–2019
Preceded byAnastasia Pittman
Succeeded byAjay Pittman
Personal details
BornMemphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationOklahoma Christian University (MA; MBA)
Phillips Theological Seminary (MDIV)
Signature

George E. Young Sr. is an American pastor and politician who has served in the Oklahoma Senate from the 48th district as a member of the Democratic Party since 2019. Prior to his tenure in the state senate he served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from the 99th district between 2015 and 2019.

Early life and education

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George E. Young Sr. was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He graduated from Lambuth University, Oklahoma Christian University with a master of business administration and Master of Arts degrees, and Phillips Theological Seminary with a master of divinity degree. He received a Doctorate of Ministry in 2010 from Phillips Theological Seminary.[1] He worked as the senior pastor at Holy Temple Baptist Church.[2]

Young served as a member of the Oklahoma Commission for Human Services and he criticized Governor Mary Fallin for not appointing a black or Hispanic person to succeed him on the commission.[3][4] He served as a delegate to the 2008 and 2012 Democratic National Conventions.[5]

Career

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Oklahoma House of Representatives

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Representative Anastasia Pittman did not seek reelection to the Oklahoma House of Representatives from the 99th district in the 2014 election.[6] He defeated Eleanor Darden Thompson and Steve Davis in the initial Democratic primary, won in the runoff against Thompson, and defeated Republican nominee Willard Linzy in the general election.[7][8][9] He won reelection in the 2014 election against independent candidate Marina Mangiaracina.[10] Ajay Pittman was elected to succeed him in the 2018 election.[11]

Young was selected to serve as vice-chair of the Democratic caucus in the state house in 2017, and also served as chair of the Black Caucus of the state legislature.[12][13]

Oklahoma Senate

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Young ran for a seat in the Oklahoma Senate from the 48th district in the 2018 election.[14] He defeated Christine Byrd in the Democratic primary and Republican nominee Linzy in the general election.[15][16] Young introduced unsuccessful legislation in 2020 that would have increased Oklahoma's minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $10.50 per hour.[17]

He faced a primary challenge in 2022 from Rico Smith and won reelection.[14][18] In February 2024 he announced he was resigning in November, triggering a special election for his successor.[19]

Opposition to state prison rodeo

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Young was against the reinstatement of the Oklahoma State Penitentiary Rodeo. In 2024, Jim Grego co-authored House bill 3749[20] and Senate bill 1427,[21] along with Senator Warren Hamilton to carve out 8.3 million dollars to bring back the Oklahoma State Penitentiary Rodeo, despite others, such as a representative of the Arnall Family Foundation, calling out the move as exploitative and dangerous toward the inmates and animals and a waste of funds that could be spent on reforms.[22] The Oklahoma Department of Corrections claims "the total cost of the renovations is $9.3 million, and after contributing $1 million, they're asking the legislature to help fund the remaining $8.3 million, but some lawmakers argue that money should be spent on other issues," such as Representative Andy Fugate.[23] As of 2024, Louisiana "is the only state that has a behind-the-walls prison rodeo."[24] ODOC Executive Director Steve Harpe claims that it would bring in revenue for the department and support functions like a call center, and that Netflix, ESPN, and PBR are eyeing Oklahoma because of it.[25] In 2023, George Young said that taxpayer dollars being used to revive the rodeo could be better spent on education programs for inmates or initiatives to improve prison health care.[26]

Electoral history

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George E. Young electoral history
2014 Oklahoma House of Representatives 99th district Democratic primary[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic George E. Young 1,074 43.10%
Democratic Eleanor Darden Thompson 779 31.26%
Democratic Steve Davis 639 25.64%
Total votes 2,492 100.00%
2014 Oklahoma House of Representatives 99th district Democratic primary runoff[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic George E. Young 1,129 59.33%
Democratic Eleanor Darden Thompson 774 40.67%
Total votes 1,903 100.00%
2014 Oklahoma House of Representatives 99th district election[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic George E. Young 5,720 82.29%
Republican Willard Linzy 1,231 17.71%
Total votes 6,951 100.00%
2016 Oklahoma House of Representatives 99th district election[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic George E. Young (incumbent) 9,421 81.77% −0.52%
Independent Marina Mangiaracina 2,100 18.23% +18.23%
Total votes 11,521 100.00%
2018 Oklahoma Senate 48th district Democratic primary[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic George E. Young 6,984 52.69%
Democratic Christine Byrd 6,271 47.31%
Total votes 13,255 100.00%
2018 Oklahoma Senate 48th district election[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic George E. Young 19,385 81.90%
Republican Willard Linzy 4,285 18.10%
Total votes 23,670 100.00%
2022 Oklahoma Senate 48th district Democratic primary[18]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Party George E. Young 5,887 73.88%
Democratic Party Rico Trayvon Smith 2,081 26.12%
Total Votes 7,968 100%

References

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  1. ^ "Senator George Young". Oklahoma Senate. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021.
  2. ^ "2012 Treasure for Tomorrow honorees named". The Oklahoman. March 4, 2012. p. 55. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Seniors Give Views At Capitol Gathering". The Oklahoman. March 1, 2011. p. 6. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Criticism off base". The Oklahoman. October 1, 2011. p. 12. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Obama's presidency has led to more visible racism, some black delegates say". The Oklahoman. July 28, 2016. p. 7. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "State House District 99". The Oklahoman. June 21, 2014. p. 14. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b "2014 Oklahoma primary results". Oklahoma Secretary of State. June 24, 2014. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021.
  8. ^ a b "2014 Oklahoma runoff primary results". Oklahoma Secretary of State. August 26, 2014. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021.
  9. ^ a b "2014 Oklahoma election results". Oklahoma Secretary of State. November 4, 2014. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021.
  10. ^ a b "2016 Oklahoma election results". Oklahoma Secretary of State. November 8, 2016. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021.
  11. ^ "2018 Oklahoma primary runoff election results". Oklahoma State Election Board. Archived from the original on May 30, 2021.
  12. ^ "Vice-chair". Okmulgee Daily Times. January 6, 2017. p. 3. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "The Indian Journal". Okmulgee Daily Times. August 24, 2017. p. 4. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ a b Felder, Ben (June 25, 2022). "Young faces challenger in NE OKC primary". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  15. ^ a b "2018 Oklahoma primary results". Oklahoma Secretary of State. June 26, 2018. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021.
  16. ^ a b "2018 Oklahoma election results". Oklahoma Secretary of State. November 6, 2018. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021.
  17. ^ "State senator files bill to increase Oklahoma's minimum wage". KOCO-TV. December 21, 2020. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021.
  18. ^ a b "June 28 2022 Official Results". okelections.us. Oklahoma State Election Board. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  19. ^ Smith, Jessie Christopher (February 8, 2024). "An Oklahoma City lawmaker announced he will step away in late 2024. What's next for him?". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  20. ^ "Bill Information". www.oklegislature.gov. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  21. ^ "Bill Information". www.oklegislature.gov. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  22. ^ Arnall, Sue Ann. "Oklahoma needs to focus on prison reforms, not exploiting inmates with rodeo". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  23. ^ Arata, Katie (2024-03-10). "Oklahoma House passes bill to bring back the nation's largest prison rodeo". KOKH. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  24. ^ "Grego Bill to Help Restore Prison Rodeo Passes House". Oklahoma House of Representatives. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  25. ^ Suares, Wendy (2023-11-16). "Convict Cowboys: New details on the return of the Oklahoma Prison Rodeo". KOKH. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  26. ^ Forman, Carmen. "Could the McAlester state prison rodeo be returning? See inside a new effort to revive it". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
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