Cyndi Munson (born May 24, 1985) is an American politician who has served as a member of 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 ...

from the 85th district since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, she has served as minority leader of the Oklahoma House of Representatives since 2022. In 2015, Munson won a special election to replace David Dank, securing over 54% of the vote and becoming the first

Asian American Asian Americans are Americans with ancestry from the continent of Asia (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of those immigrants). Although this term had historically been used fo ...

to serve in the

Oklahoma State 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 bicameralism, bicameral state legislature. The ...

. Prior to her election, the district, which includes parts of

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

, had been held by Republicans. She is a candidate for

governor of Oklahoma The governor of Oklahoma is the head of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor serves as the head of the Oklahoma Executive (government), executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma. The gover ...

in the 2026 election.

Early life and education

Munson was born in

Monterey, California Monterey ( ; ) is a city situated on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California. Located in Monterey County, California, Monterey County, the city occupies a land area of and recorded a popu ...

and raised in

Lawton, Oklahoma Lawton is a city in and the county seat of Comanche County, Oklahoma, Comanche County, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Located in western Oklahoma, approximately southwest of Oklahoma City, it is the principal city of the Lawton metropolitan ar ...

. Munson's father was a member of the military. Munson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the

University of Central Oklahoma The University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) is a public university in Edmond, Oklahoma, United States. It is the third largest university in Oklahoma, with almost 13,000 students and approximately 430 full-time and 400 adjunct faculty. Founded in ...

and Master of Science in leadership education from the

University of Nebraska–Lincoln The University of Nebraska–Lincoln (Nebraska, NU, or UNL) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. Chartered in 1869 by the Nebraska Legislature as part of the M ...

. As an undergraduate, Munson participated in a program in non-profit and voluntary services at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

Career

Prior to entering politics, Munson has worked as a non-profit executive. Munson first ran for the

in 2014, but lost to the incumbent. Munson was elected to the Oklahoma House in 2015, the first Asian-American 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 ...

. In 2019, Munson was selected to serve on the Oversight Committee for the Legislative Office for Fiscal Transparency. In 2022, Munson succeeded Emily Virgin as minority leader of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. She was the first

nominee for

Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives The Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives is the speaker (politics), presiding officer of the lower house of the Oklahoma Legislature, the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The speaker exercises administrative and procedural function ...

. In April 2025, Munson announced her candidacy for Governor of Oklahoma.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Munson, Cyndi 1985 births 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century members of the Oklahoma Legislature Asian American and Pacific Islander state legislators in Oklahoma Democratic Party members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives Georgetown University alumni Living people People from Lawton, Oklahoma People from Monterey, California University of Central Oklahoma alumni University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumni Women state legislators in Oklahoma