20 Facts About Wes Watkins

Wesley Wade Watkins was an American politician from the state of Oklahoma.

Wes Watkins was born in De Queen, Arkansas, on December 15,1938, but grew up in Bryan County.

Wes Watkins graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1960, receiving a Master's degree from that same school in 1961.

Wes Watkins was elected to the Oklahoma State Senate in 1974.

Wes Watkins faced a formidable opponent in Albert's popular longtime Chief of Staff and Administrative Assistant, Charles Ward.

However, Wes Watkins had closer local ties in the district, while Ward had spent decades in Washington.

Wes Watkins did not seek an eighth term in 1990, instead running for the Democratic nomination for governor to succeed Republican Henry Bellmon.

Wes Watkins raised nearly $3 million for his campaign, at one point outspending his opponents by nearly $1.4 million dollars in June 1990.

Wes Watkins was openly disappointed in the lack of support from the state Democratic hierarchy, and by 1994 began referring to the Oklahoma Democratic Party as an organization run by "arrogant political bosses".

Wes Watkins tallied over 233,000 votes, far more than Keating's 171,000-vote margin over Mildren.

Wes Watkins won by heavy margins in rural areas, particularly his former congressional district, winning many of the counties there by large margins.

In 1996, Brewster decided to retire from Congress as it became known that Wes Watkins wanted his seat back.

The Republican House leadership persuaded Wes Watkins to run as a Republican, seeing a chance to win a seat where they had never made a serious bid since Oklahoma joined the Union in 1907.

Wes Watkins initially planned to retire from office in 1998 after undergoing back surgery, but was persuaded to run again, shocking many Democratic insiders who had expected him to retire.

Wes Watkins was handily re-elected that year, defeating Walt Roberts.

Wes Watkins faced no major-party opposition when he ran for his third term in 2000.

The final map saw Wes Watkins's district dismantled, with its territory split between three nearby districts, creating initial uncertainty as to which Republican incumbents would run again.

Wes Watkins therefore announced he would retire, in hopes that this would help prevent his fellow Republican incumbents from having to run against each other.

Wes Watkins died from a cardiac arrest in Stillwater, Oklahoma, on March 26,2025, at the age of 86.

Wes Watkins founded a non-profit ministry, Matthew 24.40 Foundation, to provide scholarships for students to install hydroponics systems in diverse global locations to address issues of hunger.