Chris Benge
33rd Secretary of State of Oklahoma
In office
November 8, 2013 – November 1, 2016
GovernorMary Fallin
Preceded byLarry Parman
Succeeded byMike Hunter
Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives
In office
2008–2011
Preceded byLance Cargill
Succeeded byKris Steele
Member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives
from the 68th district
In office
1999–2011
Preceded byShelby Satterfield
Succeeded byGlen Mulready
Personal details
Born (1962-09-09) September 9, 1962 (age 61)
Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseAllison
EducationOklahoma State University, Stillwater (BA 2007)

Chris Benge (born September 9, 1962) is an American Republican politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma, who served as the 33rd Oklahoma Secretary of State from 2013 to 2016. Benge was appointed to serve as Secretary of State by Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin on November 8, 2013.[1]

Benge served as the Oklahoma House of Representatives as the Speaker of the House, a position he took over after Lance Cargill resigned in January 2008.[2][3]

Benge was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1998. His term ended due to term limits in 2010.

Early life and career

Benge was born and raised in southwest Tulsa.[4] He graduated from Webster High School in 1980 and graduated from Oklahoma State University with a degree in business. Benge has managed a business, Benge Painting Company from 1981 to 1997.[5] Benge received his associate degree from Tulsa Community College.

Political career

Benge was first elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 1998, narrowly defeating Shelby Satterfield, an incumbent Democratic candidate.[6]

The first piece of legislation authored by the Tulsa lawmaker and signed into law was the "Prisoners Public Work Act".[7] The legislation allows public agencies to enter into a contract with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections to utilize offender labor.[8]

Prior to becoming Speaker of the House, Benge served as a House appropriations chairman and on one occasion criticized Gov. Brad Henry for proposing $18.8 million in bonds for common education ad valorem reimbursement.[9]

As Speaker of the House, Benge presided over the 52nd Oklahoma Legislature. During this time, he pushed for energy reform in Oklahoma, stressing the need for the U.S. to wean itself from foreign oil rather than any concern about climate change.[10]

Benge announced in January 2010 that his agenda for the upcoming session included reforming the workers' compensation system, promoting the use of natural gas as a vehicle fuel, modernizing state government through the use of more technology and creating a plan to deal with an expected shortfall.[11]

Benge authored six bills signed into law by Governor Brad Henry from the 2009 legislative session.

District

House District 68 encompassed southwest Tulsa and a portion of Tulsa County outside of the city. It also included a small portion of Creek County. The district is a mix of urban Tulsa neighborhoods and Tulsa suburbs.[12]

Election history

July 29, 2008, Primary election results for Oklahoma State Representative for District 68
Candidates Party Votes %
Chris Benge Republican Party 1,591 80%
Brian Jackson Republican Party 397 20%
Source:[13]
November 7, 2000, Election results for Oklahoma State Representative for District 68
Candidates Party Votes %
Chris Benge Republican Party 7,489 61.45%
Shelby Satterfield Democratic Party 4,699 38.55%
Source:[14]
November 3, 1998, Election results for Oklahoma State Representative for District 68
Candidates Party Votes %
Chris Benge Republican Party 4,422 55.36%
Shelby Satterfield Democratic Party 3,566 44.64%
Source:[15]

References

  1. ^ "Bio".
  2. ^ Hinton, Mick. "House Republicans choose Benge to become speaker designate", Tulsa World, February 4, 2008.
  3. ^ Hinton, Mick "House Speaker Lance Cargill steps down after not paying taxes", Tulsa World, January 28, 2008.
  4. ^ Rep. Chris Benge elected as Speaker Archived 2011-07-17 at the Wayback Machine, Tulsa Beacon, February 7, 2008. 1-22-2010
  5. ^ Chris Benge Complete Bio, VoteSmart.org. 10-14-2009
  6. ^ 2008 Election Results, Oklahoma State Election Board. (accessed February 3, 2010).
  7. ^ Bill Tracking Archived 2005-11-11 at the Wayback Machine Oklahoma House of Representatives (accessed February 3, 2010).
  8. ^ Frequently Asked Questions Archived 2010-04-03 at the Wayback Machine, Oklahoma Department of Corrections (accessed February 3, 2010).
  9. ^ Governor pushes more than $1 billion in new spending and debt, Oklahoma Political News Service, February 14, 2007. 1-22-2010
  10. ^ Vock, Daniel C. Okla. speaker stresses gas, wind energy, Stateline.org, September 24, 2008. 1-22-2010.
  11. ^ McNutt, Michael. "Oklahoma House Republicans announce agenda," NewsOK.com, January 20, 2010.
  12. ^ "House Districts, Congressional and Other Maps" Archived 2009-05-07 at the Wayback Machine, Oklahoma House of Representatives Archived 2013-06-22 at the Wayback Machine. 10-14-09
  13. ^ 2008 Election Results, Oklahoma State Election Board. 10-14-09
  14. ^ 2000 Election Results, Oklahoma State Election Board. 10-14-09
  15. ^ 1998 Election Results, Oklahoma State Election Board. 10-14-09
Political offices Preceded byLarry Parman Secretary of State of Oklahoma 2013–2016 Succeeded byMike Hunter
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