45 Facts About James Lankford

James Paul Lankford was born on March 4,1968 and is an American Baptist minister and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Oklahoma, a seat he has held since 2015.

From 1996 to 2009, Lankford was president of the Falls Creek Baptist Conference Center, a youth camp operated by the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma.

James Lankford was reelected in 2012; shortly thereafter, he was named chair of the House Republican Policy Committee.

In lieu of running for a third term in the House, James Lankford announced he would run in the 2014 US Senate special election following Senator Tom Coburn's planned resignation.

James Lankford became the state's senior senator in 2023, when Senator Jim Inhofe retired.

James Lankford's stepfather was a career employee of AC Delco, the parts division of General Motors.

James Lankford's parents divorced when he was four; he lived with his mother and older brother for a time in his grandparents' garage apartment.

James Lankford's mother remarried when he was twelve, and the family moved to Garland, Texas, with his stepfather.

James Lankford earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education at University of Texas at Austin in 1990, and a master's degree in Divinity at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1994.

James Lankford was president of the Falls Creek Baptist Conference Center, a youth camp operated by the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, from 1996 to 2009.

James Lankford stepped down from his position at Falls Creek in 2009 to run for Congress.

In January 2014, James Lankford announced he would run in the 2014 Senate special election to succeed retiring Republican Senator Tom Coburn.

James Lankford was sworn into office on January 6,2015, by Vice President Joe Biden.

On December 21,2017, James Lankford was one of six senators to introduce the Secure Elections Act, which would authorize block grants to states to update outdated voting technology.

James Lankford became the senior US senator from Oklahoma in 2023 upon the retirement of Senator Jim Inhofe.

James Lankford took the taxpayer protection pledge promising to support no new taxes.

In 2014, James Lankford was endorsed by the NRA Political Victory Fund and had an "A" rating from the group.

James Lankford opposes firearm microstamping, a controversial method of imprinting casings with a unique marking to match it with a specific firearm, and would allow veterans to register unlicensed firearms.

James Lankford has an "F" rating from the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws for his voting history regarding cannabis-related causes.

James Lankford opposed a 2018 ballot measure to legalize medical marijuana in Oklahoma, calling it "harmful to the social fabric of Oklahoma" and arguing that it would have a "dramatic effect on our families and our schools and our businesses and the future of our state".

In 2015, James Lankford introduced the Keeping out Illegal Drugs Act to block federal funds for Indian tribes that allow the cultivation or distribution of marijuana on their land.

James Lankford supports extending the Patriot Act and expanding roving wiretaps occurring in the US.

James Lankford supports expanding exploration of gas and oil both domestically and on the outer continental shelf.

James Lankford opposes the Environmental Protection Agency regulating emission standards as he believes it hinders economic growth.

James Lankford believes manure and other fertilizers should not be classified as pollutants or hazardous.

James Lankford has rejected the scientific consensus on climate change, calling it a "myth" in 2010.

James Lankford opposes the Affordable Care Act and has voted to repeal it.

James Lankford has stated his belief that federally funded health insurance is unconstitutional and that he will oppose any and all moves for a federal healthcare system.

James Lankford supported an initiative to allow Medicare choice and institute budget cuts.

James Lankford believes Congress should recognize life at the moment of fertilization.

James Lankford opposes any federally funded programs that allow for abortion, as well as Planned Parenthood and other similar groups.

James Lankford has defended businesses and individuals opposing LGBT rights, including Chick-fil-A in the wake of its denunciation over donations to groups opposing same-sex marriage, and Phil Robertson after he was suspended from Duck Dynasty in 2013 following comments regarded as anti-LGBT and racist.

In 2015, Lankford condemned the Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v Hodges, which held that same-sex marriage bans violated the constitution.

In 2022, James Lankford voted against the Respect for Marriage Act, which later passed, repealing the Defense of Marriage Act and requiring all US states and territories to recognize the validity of same-sex marriages.

James Lankford said the bill disrespected religious liberty and had the potential to cause even more division among Americans.

In June 2020, James Lankford criticized President Trump's decision to walk to the St John's Episcopal Church near the White House, calling it "confrontational".

In January 2021, after James Lankford questioned the validity of the 2020 presidential election, some Black Tulsa leaders called for him to resign from both the 1921 Race Massacre Centennial Committee and the Senate.

James Lankford later apologized for his role in casting doubt on Black votes.

James Lankford initially announced plans to object to the counting of some swing states' electoral votes as part of an attempt to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election, but he reversed course after the 2021 United States Capitol attack.

James Lankford later apologized for casting doubt on the validity of the presidential election results in several swing states.

James Lankford voted to acquit in the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump.

On May 28,2021, James Lankford voted against creating the January 6 commission.

In 2021, James Lankford opposed bringing back earmarks to the Senate.

James Lankford was among 31 Senate Republicans who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 to raise the debt ceiling.

James Lankford attends Quail Springs Baptist Church, a Southern Baptist church in Oklahoma City.