Al McAffrey (born June 6, 1948) is an American politician from

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

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.Oklahoma House of Representatives The Oklahoma House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Its members introduce and vote on bills and resolutions, provide legislative oversight for state agencies, and help to craft the state's ...

, representing District 88. McAffrey unsuccessfully ran for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

Early life, education and career

The son of a Baptist minister, McAffrey was raised in

Sulphur, Oklahoma Sulphur is a city in and county seat of Murray County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 5,065 at the 2020 census, a 2.8 percent gain over the figure of 4,929 in 2010. The area around Sulphur has been noted for its mineral springs, s ...

, graduating from Sulphur High School in 1966. After graduating from

Oklahoma State University Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...

in 1974, McAffrey enlisted in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

and served as a Navy Corpsman. Upon returning to Oklahoma, McAffrey joined the

Oklahoma City Police Department The Oklahoma City Police Department (OCPD), was established in 1889 following the Land Run. The OCPD is the largest law enforcement agency in the State of Oklahoma and has primary police jurisdiction within the corporate limits of the City of Ok ...

and later went on to own and operate several successful small businesses. He owns and operates OK Cremation & Mortuary Services.

Political career

After winning the Democratic party's three-way primary on July 25, 2006, McAffrey faced no Republican opposition and was sworn into the

Oklahoma House of Representatives The Oklahoma House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Its members introduce and vote on bills and resolutions, provide legislative oversight for state agencies, and help to craft the state's ...

on the State's Centennial birthday on November 16, 2006. McAffrey was unopposed in 2008 and re-elected to a third term in 2010, winning the general election after defeating Republican challenger Dominique DaMon Block, Sr. with 69.6% of the vote. During his last term in the

, McAffrey served on the Public Health, Administrative Rules and Government Oversight, Public Safety and Economic Development, Tourism & Financial Services committees. He also served as assistant minority floor leader. On October 18, 2011, Sen. Andrew Rice (D–Oklahoma City) announced that he would resign from the Oklahoma Senate effective January 2012. McAffrey announced his candidacy for Rice's seat and won the special election on February 14, 2012. McAfrey defeated Republican Jason Reese, taking nearly 70% of the vote, and was sworn into office on February 22, 2012. McAffrey was the Democratic nominee for the

in 2014 in

Oklahoma's 5th congressional district Oklahoma's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It borders all of the other congressional districts in the state except the Oklahoma's 1st congressional district, 1st district. It is densely popu ...

. He unsuccessfully ran again in 2016.

Community service

McAffrey is a strong supporter of AIDS awareness. He is a board member of the Regional AIDS Intercommunity Network-Oklahoma (RAIN) and is serving on the Advisory Council for the AIDS Walk in Oklahoma City. He is also an active member of the Diversity Business Association.

Personal

McAffrey, a gay man, was the first openly LGBT person elected to serve in the

Oklahoma Legislature The Legislature of the State of Oklahoma is the state legislative branch of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The Oklahoma House of Representatives and Oklahoma Senate are the two houses that make up the bicameral state legislature. There are 101 ...

. A father of three daughters and grandfather of eight grandchildren, McAffrey lives in Oklahoma City. He is a member of St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral in Oklahoma City and is active in the Mesta Park Neighborhood Association. McAffrey also serves as a voting member of the

Choctaw Nation The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (Choctaw: ''Chahta Okla'') is a Native American reservation occupying portions of southeastern Oklahoma in the United States. At roughly , it is the second-largest reservation in area after the Navajo, exceeding t ...

. He resides in downtown Oklahoma City.

Electoral history

References

External links

*
House of Representatives biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mcaffrey, Al 1948 births 21st-century Native American politicians American LGBTQ military personnel Candidates in the 2014 United States elections Candidates in the 2016 United States elections American funeral directors American gay politicians LGBTQ state legislators in Oklahoma Living people Democratic Party members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives 21st-century members of the Oklahoma Legislature Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma state legislators in Oklahoma Democratic Party Oklahoma state senators People from Konawa, Oklahoma People from Sulphur, Oklahoma Politicians from Oklahoma City United States Navy corpsmen Gay military personnel 20th-century Native American people 21st-century American LGBTQ people