Oklahoma's Second Congressional District is one of five United States Congressional districts in Oklahoma

Oklahoma

Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...

 and covers approximately one-fourth of the state in the east. The district borders Arkansas

Arkansas

Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...

, Kansas

Kansas

Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...

, Missouri

Missouri

Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

, and Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

 and includes (in whole or in part) a total of 24 counties.

Historically, the district has supported conservative Democratic candidates to the United States Congress

United States Congress

The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....

. Urban voters represent a third of the district.

, the district is represented by Democrat Dan Boren

Dan Boren

Daniel David "Dan" Boren is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. The district includes most of the eastern part of the state outside of Tulsa...

, who will retire in 2012.

Geography

The district borders Kansas

Kansas

Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...

 to the north, Missouri

Missouri

Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

 and Arkansas

Arkansas

Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...

 to the east, and Texas (along the Red River

Red River (Mississippi watershed)

The Red River, or sometimes the Red River of the South, is a major tributary of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers in the southern United States of America. The river gains its name from the red-bed country of its watershed. It is one of several rivers with that name...

) to the south. The district includes the remainder of Rogers County (including the county seat of Claremore) that is not taken by District 1, and then, also, all of the following counties: Adair

Adair County, Oklahoma

Adair County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 22,638. Its county seat is Stilwell. Adair County was named after the Adair family of the Cherokee tribe.-History:...

, Nowata

Nowata County, Oklahoma

Nowata County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,573, a decline of 0.3 percent from 2000, when the population was 10,569...

, Craig

Craig County, Oklahoma

Craig County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2010, the population was 15,029, a gain of 0.5 percent from 14,950 in 2000. Its county seat is Vinita.Craig County was organized in 1907.-History:...

, Ottawa

Ottawa County, Oklahoma

Ottawa County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 33,194. Its county seat is Miami. It was named for the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma.Ottawa County was established in 1907.-Geography:...

, Mayes

Mayes County, Oklahoma

Mayes County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It was named for Samuel Houston Mayes, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation from 1895 to 1899. According to the 2010 census the population was 41,259, a 7.5 percent increase from 2000, when the population was 38,369...

, Delaware

Delaware County, Oklahoma

Delaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 37,077 and the newest population estimate is 45,000. Its county seat is Jay. The county was named for the Delaware Indians resettled in what was then Indian Territory in the 1830s. .Delaware County...

, Cherokee

Cherokee County, Oklahoma

Cherokee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 42,521. Its county seat is Tahlequah.Cherokee County was established in 1907.-Geography:...

, Okmulgee

Okmulgee County, Oklahoma

Okmulgee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 39,685. Its county seat is Okmulgee.-Geography:According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,819 km²...

, Muskogee

Muskogee County, Oklahoma

Muskogee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2010, the population was 70,990. Its county seat is Muskogee.-Government:...

, Sequoyah

Sequoyah County, Oklahoma

Sequoyah County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was 38,972. Its county seat is Sallisaw.-History:...

, Okfuskee

Okfuskee County, Oklahoma

Okfuskee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 11,814. Its county seat is Okemah.-Geography:...

, McIntosh

McIntosh County, Oklahoma

McIntosh County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 19,456. Its county seat is Eufaula.-Geography:...

, Haskell

Haskell County, Oklahoma

Haskell County is a county located in the southeast quadrant of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 11,792. Its county seat is Stigler. The county is named in honor of Charles N. Haskell, who was the first governor of Oklahoma....

, LeFlore, Hughes

Hughes County, Oklahoma

Hughes County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 14,154. Its county seat is Holdenville.-Geography:...

, Pittsburg

Pittsburg County, Oklahoma

Pittsburg County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 43,953. Its county seat is McAlester.-Geography:According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,569 km²...

, Latimer

Latimer County, Oklahoma

Latimer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 10,692. Its county seat is Wilburton.-Geography:According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water....

, Coal

Coal County, Oklahoma

Coal County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population is 6,031. Its county seat is Coalgate.-Geography:According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water....

, Atoka

Atoka County, Oklahoma

Atoka County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and was formed in 1907 from Choctaw Lands. As of 2000, the population is 13,879. Its county seat is Atoka.-Geography:...

, Pushmataha

Pushmataha County, Oklahoma

-Administrative History:* Ca. 1000-1500: Caddoan Mississippian civilization at Spiro Mounds* 1492-1718: Spain* 1718-1763: France* 1763-1800: Spain* 1800-1803: France* 1803–present: United States...

, McCurtain

McCurtain County, Oklahoma

McCurtain County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2010, the population was 33,151. Its county seat is Idabel.-Geography:...

, Choctaw

Choctaw County, Oklahoma

Choctaw County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 15,342. Its county seat is Hugo.-Geography:According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water....

, Bryan

Bryan County, Oklahoma

Bryan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 36,534 at the 2000 census. Its county seat is Durant. The county shares the same boundaries as the Durant Micropolitan Area. It is also home to the headquarters of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma located in Durant...

, and Johnston

Johnston County, Oklahoma

Johnston County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 10,513. Its county seat is Tishomingo.-Geography:...

.

Some of the principal cities in the district include Miami

Miami, Oklahoma

Miami is a city in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States. As of 2009, the population estimate was 12,910. It is the county seat of Ottawa County. The city is named after the Miami tribe...

, Claremore, Muskogee

Muskogee, Oklahoma

Muskogee is a city in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the county seat of Muskogee County, and home to Bacone College. The population was 38,310 at the 2000 census, making it the eleventh-largest city in Oklahoma....

, Tahlequah

Tahlequah, Oklahoma

Tahlequah is a city in Cherokee County, Oklahoma, United States located at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. It was founded as a capital of the original Cherokee Nation in 1838 to welcome those Cherokee forced west on the Trail of Tears. The city's population was 15,753 at the 2010 census. It...

, Okmulgee

Okmulgee, Oklahoma

Okmulgee is a city in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population at the 2010 census was 12,321 a loss of 5.4 percent since the 2000 census figure of 13,022. It has been the capital of the Muscogee Nation since the United States Civil War. Okmulgee means "boiling waters" in the Creek...

, McAlester

McAlester, Oklahoma

McAlester is a city in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 17,783 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Pittsburg County. It is currently the largest city in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, followed by Durant....

, and Durant

Durant, Oklahoma

Durant is a city in Bryan County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 15,877 at the 2010 census. Durant is the principal city of the Durant Micropolitan Statistical Area, which had a population of 42,416 in 2010...

.

The northern half of district 2 includes most of the area of Oklahoma referred to as Green Country, while the southern half of the district includes a part of Oklahoma often referred to as Little Dixie

Little Dixie (Oklahoma)

Little Dixie is the name given to the southeast region of Oklahoma, which is heavily influenced by southern "Dixie" culture, as it was settled chiefly by Southerners seeking a start in new lands following the American Civil War...

.

Demographics

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the district is 35.51 percent urban, 23.95 percent non-white, and has a population that is 2.40 percent Latino and 1.36 percent foreign-born.

Presidential races

Year	Results
2000 United States presidential election, 2000 The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Republican candidate George W. Bush, then-governor of Texas and son of former president George H. W. Bush , and Democratic candidate Al Gore, then-Vice President....	Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....  53% - 47%
2004 United States presidential election, 2004 The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...	Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....  59% - 41%
2008 United States presidential election, 2008 The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...	McCain John McCain John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....  66% - 34%

U.S. Representative, 2004

> >

Candidates		Party	Votes	%
Dan Boren	Democratic	179,579	65.89%
Wayland Smalley	Republican	92,963	34.11%

Source: 2004 Election Results, via OK.gov

U.S. Representative, 2006

> >

Candidates		Party	Votes	%
Dan Boren	Democratic	122,347	72.74%
Patrick K. Miller	Republican	45,861	27.26%

Source: 2006 Election Results, via OK.gov

U.S. Representative, 2008

> >

Candidates		Party	Votes	%
Dan Boren	Democratic	173,757	70.47%
Raymond Wickson	Republican	72,815	29.53%

Source: 2008 Election Results, via OK.gov

U.S. Representative, 2010

> >

Candidates		Party	Votes	%
Dan Boren	Democratic	108,203	56.52%
Charles Thompson	Republican	83,266	43.48%

Source: 2006 Election Results, via OK.gov

Politics

The district has heavily favored conservative Democratic candidates, with only three Republicans taking the district. The district shifted Republican most notably in electing Tom Coburn

Tom Coburn

Thomas Allen "Tom" Coburn, M.D. , is an American politician, medical doctor, and Southern Baptist deacon. A member of the Republican Party, he currently serves as the junior U.S. Senator from Oklahoma. In the Senate, he is known as "Dr. No" for his tendency to place holds on and vote against bills...

, who vacated the seat due to a self-imposed term limit pledge (He was elected to the United States Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 4 years later). It has since been held by Brad Carson

Brad Carson

Brad Rogers Carson is an American lawyer and politician from the state of Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2005.-Background:...

 and Dan Boren

Dan Boren

Daniel David "Dan" Boren is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. The district includes most of the eastern part of the state outside of Tulsa...

.

The district's Democratic leanings stem partly from historic migration patterns into the state. The Little Dixie

Little Dixie

-Communities:*Little Dixie, Arkansas, unincorporated community in Arkansas on the Woodruff-Prairie county line*Little Dixie, California, former community in Kern County*Little Dixie, Kentucky, also known as Dixiefield, in Henderson County, Kentucky...

 region of the district imported the people and culture of southern states such as Mississippi

Mississippi

Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...

 after Reconstruction. Voter registration in Little Dixie

Little Dixie

-Communities:*Little Dixie, Arkansas, unincorporated community in Arkansas on the Woodruff-Prairie county line*Little Dixie, California, former community in Kern County*Little Dixie, Kentucky, also known as Dixiefield, in Henderson County, Kentucky...

 runs as high as 90 percent Democratic.

Historically this is where Democratic presidential candidates perform best in the state. Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton

William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...

 easily carried the district in 1992 and 1996. However, the district has favored Republican presidential candidates recently. George W. Bush

George W. Bush

George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....

 received 59 percent of the vote in this district in 2004. John McCain

John McCain

John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....

 received 66 percent of the vote in this district in 2008.

Muskogee has produced six representatives, more than any other city in the district. Tahlequah has produced three reprentatives, the second most of any city in the district.

List of representatives

Name	Party	Years	Electoral history
Elmer L. Fulton Elmer L. Fulton Elmer Lincoln Fulton was a U.S. Representative from Oklahoma, brother of Charles William Fulton.Born in Magnolia, Iowa, Fulton moved to Nebraska in 1870 with his parents, who settled in Pawnee City....	Democratic	November 16, 1907 – March 4, 1909
Dick T. Morgan Dick Thompson Morgan Dick Thompson Morgan was a U.S. Representative from Oklahoma.-Early life and education:Born at Prairie Creek, Indiana, Morgan attended the country schools and the Prairie Creek High School. In 1876 he received a bachelor's degree and in 1878 a master's degree both from Union Christian College,...	Republican	March 4, 1909 – March 4, 1915
William W. Hastings William W. Hastings William Wirt Hastings was a U.S. Representative from Oklahoma.Born on a farm in Benton County, Arkansas, near the Indian Territory boundary, Hastings moved with his parents to a farm at Beatties Prairie, Delaware County , Oklahoma, and attended the Cherokee tribal school.He graduated from Cherokee...	Democratic	March 4, 1915 – March 4, 1921
Alice Robertson	Republican	March 4, 1921 – March 4, 1923
William W. Hastings William W. Hastings William Wirt Hastings was a U.S. Representative from Oklahoma.Born on a farm in Benton County, Arkansas, near the Indian Territory boundary, Hastings moved with his parents to a farm at Beatties Prairie, Delaware County , Oklahoma, and attended the Cherokee tribal school.He graduated from Cherokee...	Democratic	March 4, 1923 – January 3, 1935
John C. Nichols John Conover Nichols John Conover Nichols was a U.S. Representative from Oklahoma.-Biography:Born in Joplin, Missouri, Nichols attended the public schools in Joplin, Missouri, and Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the teachers college at Emporia, Kansas.He studied law in the office of his brother in Eufaula, Oklahoma.He...	Democratic	January 3, 1935 – July 3, 1943	Resigned
Vacant		July 3, 1943 – March 28, 1944
William G. Stigler William G. Stigler William Grady Stigler was a U.S. Representative from Oklahoma.-Biography:Stigler was of on-quter Choctaw descent.Born in Stigler, Haskell County, Indian Territory , Stigler attended the public schools...	Democratic	March 28, 1944 – August 21, 1952	Died
Vacant		August 21, 1952 – January 3, 1953
Ed Edmondson	Democratic	January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1973
Clem McSpadden Clem McSpadden Clem Rogers McSpadden was a Democratic politician and a U.S. Representative from Oklahoma's 2nd Congressional District who served from 1973 to 1975. He was also the grandnephew of Oklahoma comedian and actor Will Rogers....	Democratic	January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1975
Theodore M. Risenhoover Theodore Marshall Risenhoover Theodore Marshall "Ted" Risenhoover was a U.S. Representative from Oklahoma during the 1970s.Risenhoover was born in Haskell County, Oklahoma, in a town called East Liberty. He graduated from Stigler High School in Stigler, Oklahoma, then served in the United States Air Force beginning in 1955...	Democratic	January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1979
Mike Synar Mike Synar Michael Lynn "Mike" Synar was an American Democratic politician who represented Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district in Congress for eight terms.-Early life and career:...	Democratic	January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1995
Tom Coburn Tom Coburn Thomas Allen "Tom" Coburn, M.D. , is an American politician, medical doctor, and Southern Baptist deacon. A member of the Republican Party, he currently serves as the junior U.S. Senator from Oklahoma. In the Senate, he is known as "Dr. No" for his tendency to place holds on and vote against bills...	Republican	January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2001
Brad Carson Brad Carson Brad Rogers Carson is an American lawyer and politician from the state of Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2005.-Background:...	Democratic	January 3, 2001 – January 3, 2005	Retired to run for the U.S. Senate United States Senate election in Oklahoma, 2004 The 2004 United States Senate election in Oklahoma took place on November 2, 2004. The election was concurrent with elections to the United States House of Representatives and the presidential election. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Don Nickles decided to retire instead of seeking a fifth term...
Dan Boren Dan Boren Daniel David "Dan" Boren is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. The district includes most of the eastern part of the state outside of Tulsa...	Democratic	January 3, 2005 – Present	Incumbent