51 Facts About Ernest Istook

Ernest Istook held his congressional seat for 14 years, completing seven terms in the House.

Currently, Istook is a Distinguished Fellow at The Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC, and a talk radio host.

In 2010, Ernest Istook became a Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School leading a study on Propaganda in American Politics.

Ernest Istook was a member of the Appropriations and the Homeland Security committees.

Ernest Istook was the Republican gubernatorial nominee in 2006, running against incumbent Democratic governor Brad Henry.

Ernest Istook's grandparents immigrated to the US from Hungary through Ellis Island and spoke Hungarian at home.

Ernest Istook graduated from Castleberry High School in Fort Worth, Texas in 1967 and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Baylor University in Waco, Texas in 1971.

Ernest Istook eventually moved to Warr Acres, a suburb of Oklahoma City.

Ernest Istook worked full-time as a radio news reporter first at KOMA and then at WKY in Oklahoma City while attending law school, receiving a Juris Doctor degree from Oklahoma City University School of Law in 1976.

Ernest Istook never faced another contest nearly that close, and was reelected six more times from what has long been considered the most Republican district in Oklahoma.

Ernest Istook is anti-abortion and supports the position that abortion should be prohibited except when the mother's life is in danger.

Ernest Istook opposes gay marriage and the adoption of children into same-sex homes.

Ernest Istook has favored several constitutional amendments including an amendment banning same-sex marriage and an amendment to restrict burning the US flag.

Ernest Istook introduced the Religious Freedom Amendment, a Constitutional Amendment to permit school prayer, in 1995 and in 1997.

Ernest Istook reintroduced it in 1999, and again with different text in 2001, renamed the Religious Speech Amendment, and in 2003.

On economics, Ernest Istook opposed more federal funds for health coverage and supported welfare and Social Security reform, including the creation of personal accounts within Social Security.

Ernest Istook supported the Bush administration's tax cuts and wanted to make those permanent.

Ernest Istook wrote a bill to relieve the tax burden for married couples, which was passed in February 2000 as the Marriage Tax Penalty Relief Act of 2000.

Ernest Istook wants the US to withdraw from the World Trade Organization, wants the end of the estate tax, and supported Normal Trade Relations with the People's Republic of China to be made permanent.

In 2004 Ernest Istook travelled to Beijing to speak with Chinese leaders and expand trade between the US and China.

Ernest Istook voted to make the USA PATRIOT Act permanent and supports intelligence gathering by the military.

Ernest Istook endorsed the Bush administration and its handling of the War in Iraq and supports higher Defense Department funding.

Ernest Istook served on several congressional committees during his time in the House.

Ernest Istook was a member of the Appropriations Committee from the mid-1990s and chaired a number of its subcommittees including Treasury, Transportation, and Special Agencies.

Ernest Istook served on the Homeland Security Committee and was a founder of the re-established Republican Study Committee.

Ernest Istook is against the current federal funding level for Amtrak.

In 2004, Ernest Istook denied special transportation funding requests for districts of 21 Republican House members because the other Republicans had written a letter supporting of funding of $1.8 billion for Amtrak.

Ernest Istook took the view that their request for major funding increases for Amtrak took precedence over their requests for their districts, and viewed those requests as trying to "double-dip" into the Treasury.

Ernest Istook lost the chairmanship in 2005, in large part because others in the Republican party were still upset over his handling of this issue.

Ernest Istook introduced language into an FY2004 federal spending bill that would cut funding for transit authorities that sponsored advertisements contradicting current government policies and laws regarding marijuana.

Ernest Istook received $29,000 in campaign contributions from Abramoff and some of his clients, and wrote letters urging the Bush administration to reject a casino proposal that Abramoff's clients opposed.

On January 9,2006, Ernest Istook announced he would give $23,000 in Abramoff-related money that was donated to his re-election campaign or his PAC to the Boy Scouts of America.

Ernest Istook is identified in documents filed in June 2008 against his former chief of staff, John Albaugh, as "Representative 4".

Ernest Istook asked Abramoff which projects his clients wanted in the upcoming transportation bill.

The government filing refers to an Abramoff e-mail saying Ernest Istook "had basically asked what we want in the transportation bill", and telling his colleagues at Greenberg Traurig to "make sure we load up our entire Christmas list".

On October 3,2005, Ernest Istook announced he would run for governor of Oklahoma against Democratic incumbent Brad Henry.

Ernest Istook was immediately the consensus frontrunner for the nomination, as a seven-term incumbent US representative whose district covered most of the Oklahoma City area, the state's largest media market.

Ernest Istook even lost his own congressional district, as well as a number of areas that normally vote Republican.

Ernest Istook only carried the three Panhandle counties of Beaver, Cimarron and Texas.

Ernest Istook's campaign was managed by campaign manager Chip Englander, a political operative from California.

Ernest Istook was a distinguished fellow at The Heritage Foundation and host of the conservative think tank's radio show, "Istook Live".

Ernest Istook contributed opinion columns to a variety of outlets including The Washington Times, Human Events The Huffington Post, and Newsmax.

Ernest Istook has appeared frequently on national radio programs as a guest host and has filled-in for a number of talk radio hosts including Mark Levin, Jerry Doyle and on "America's Morning News".

Ernest Istook has been a guest analyst on national television including appearances on most major news programs.

Ernest Istook became a Fellow for the Institute of Politics at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government in early 2010, during which he taught a study group on Propaganda in American Politics.

In 2014, Ernest Istook joined the Board of Advisors of the National Federation of Republican Assemblies.

Ernest Istook is a member of the Council for National Policy.

Ernest Istook now teaches History and Political Sciences classes at Utah Valley University in Orem, UT and practices law.

In 2008, Ernest Istook was appointed to the National Advisory Board for the national children's charity Operation Kids.

Ernest Istook is an active supporter of the Boy Scouts of America and served several years as a scoutmaster.

Ernest Istook, who comes from a Southern Baptist background, is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.