James Lankford

James Lankford (born March 4, 1968, Dallas, Texas, U.S.) is an American politician who was elected as a Republican to the U.S. Senate in 2014 and began representing Oklahoma the following year. He previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives (2011–15).

Lankford grew up in Texas. He studied secondary education at the University of Texas (B.A., 1990) and then attended the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. During this time, Lankford married (1992), and he and his wife, Cindy, later had two children. After earning a master’s degree (1994) in divinity, he moved their family to Oklahoma, where he went to work for the Baptist General Convention, becoming director of both Student Ministries and Falls Creek Youth Camp, one of the largest religious youth camps in the United States. He served in those positions from 1995 to 2009.

Lankford entered electoral politics in 2010, running for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He won a heavily contested primary and then defeated his Democratic opponent. After taking office in 2011, he became known for his opposition to gun-control legislation, taxes, environmental regulation, and federally funded health insurance. He was reelected in 2012. Two years later, Lankford ran in a special Senate election to replace Tom Coburn, who was retiring. He easily defeated a Tea Party challenger in the primary and was victorious in the general election. He was reelected to full six-year terms in 2016 and 2022. As a senator, Lankford continued to advance conservative causes.