Greg McCortney (born May 30, 1974) is an American politician who served in the

Oklahoma Senate The Oklahoma Senate is the upper house of the two houses of the Legislature of Oklahoma, the other being the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The total number of senators is set at 48 by the Oklahoma Constitution.Ada, Oklahoma Ada is a city in and the county seat of Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 16,481 at the 2020 United States census. The city was named for Ada Reed, the daughter of an early settler, and was in ...

, McCortney was a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

minister and the owner of healthcare businesses before he was elected to the Ada City Council in 2011. In 2012 and 2013, he was elected mayor. He left the city council in September 2016 and joined the Oklahoma Senate that November. He was elected majority floor leader in 2021 and was elected by the Republican caucus to succeed

Greg Treat Greg Treat (born May 9, 1978) is an American Republican Party (United States), Republican politician from Oklahoma who served as the President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma Senate. He represented the 47th district from 2011 to 2024. Treat is an Ok ...

President pro tempore of the Oklahoma Senate The president ''pro tempore'' of the Oklahoma Senate is the second-highest-ranking official of the Oklahoma Senate and the highest-ranking state senator. The Oklahoma Constitution designates the Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma as the highest-rank ...

in 2024. He lost his reelection campaign later that June to

Jonathan Wingard Jonathan Wingard is an American politician who has served in the Oklahoma Senate representing the 13th district since 2024. Early life and career Jonathan Wingard was raised on his grandparents dairy farm and later served 19 years in the Oklaho ...

Early life

Greg McCortney was born and raised in

Ada, Oklahoma Ada is a city in and the county seat of Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 16,481 at the 2020 United States census. The city was named for Ada Reed, the daughter of an early settler, and was in ...

, where he graduated from Ada High School in 1992. He later earned a bachelor's degree from

Oklahoma City University Oklahoma City University (OCU) is a private university historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The university offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, graduate master's degrees and docto ...

and a master's of divinity from

Asbury Theological Seminary Asbury Theological Seminary is a Christian Wesleyan seminary in the historical Methodist tradition located in Wilmore, Kentucky. It is the largest seminary of the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. It is known for its advocacy of egalitarianism, giv ...

. After college, McCortney ministered in

Norman, Oklahoma Norman () is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, 3rd most populous city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, with a population of 128,026 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the most populous city and the county seat of Clevel ...

, and for Oklahoma City Hospice. In 2004, he founded McCortney Family Hospice and in 2008 he founded McCortney Family In-home Care.

Ada City Council and Mayor

McCortney ran against incumbent Ada City Councilor Roger Cupps in 2011. He defeated Cupps in the election with 73% of the vote. He was reelected in 2013 over challenger Don Rice with 68% of the vote. He was reelected to a third term in March 2015. He also served as mayor from 2012 to 2013. He officially resigned from the city council on September 20, 2016 to focus on his campaign for the

Oklahoma Senate The Oklahoma Senate is the upper house of the two houses of the Legislature of Oklahoma, the other being the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The total number of senators is set at 48 by the Oklahoma Constitution.Democratic state senator Susan Paddack in the 13th district. He faced Shawn Howard and Jet McCoy in the Republican primary. McCoy led in the primary and advanced to a runoff alongside McCortney. McCortney won the runoff with 52% of the vote. He defeated the Democratic candidate, Eric Hall, in the general election. In October 2021, McCortney was promoted to Majority Leader of the Oklahoma Senate because former Majority Leader

Kim David Kim David is an American politician and businesswoman who has served as a member of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission since 2023. She previously served in the Oklahoma Senate representing the 18th district from 2010 to 2022 and as the Oklahoma ...

was term limited from the Senate in 2022 and retiring from the position. He was succeeded as Majority Leader by

Julie Daniels Julie Daniels (born February 12, 1954) is an American politician who has served in the Oklahoma Senate from the 29th district since 2016. She was re-elected by default in 2020. Oklahoma Senate OK Domestic Violence Survivorship Act Represent ...

on November 12, 2024. In February 2023, it was reported McCortney accepted money from the Oklahoma Gamefowl Commission, a pro-cockfighting political action committee. Later that year in June, McCortney spoke in favor of compacts with tribal nations in Oklahoma. In February 2024, he was elected by his colleagues as the

designate for the following legislative secession, defeating senators

Casey Murdock Casey Murdock is an American politician and a Republican member of the Oklahoma Senate representing the 27th district since 2018. He previously served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 2014 to 2018. Murdock studied agricultural busi ...

and

David Bullard David Bullard (born 1952) is a British-born and South African naturalized columnist, author, TV presenter and celebrity public speaker known for his controversial satire and sharp wit. Early career Bullard studied English and Drama at Exeter ...

in the leadership election. That June he lost his primary election to

Electoral history

References

External links

Archived copy of Senate biography
from May 29, 2024. {{DEFAULTSORT:McCortney, Greg 1974 births 21st-century members of the Oklahoma Legislature Asbury Theological Seminary alumni Businesspeople from Oklahoma Living people Mayors of places in Oklahoma Oklahoma city council members Oklahoma City University alumni Politicians from Ada, Oklahoma Republican Party Oklahoma state senators