New Oklahoma GOP Chair wants to focus on local elections

A new chairman for the Oklahoma GOP was elected over the weekend that embodies the new direction of the Republican Party.

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – A new chairman for the Oklahoma GOP was elected over the weekend that embodies the new direction of the Republican Party.

Nathan Dahm won the election Saturday, beating out Sean Roberts and former chairman AJ Ferate.

Ferate served as Oklahoma GOP Chairman for a year.

He was elected last May after former chairman John Bennett resigned to run for office.

Dahm, along with being the new chairman, is also a state senator from Broken Arrow.

Serving since 2012, he’s authored influential pieces of legislation like Constitutional Carry in 2019 and the major abortion ban signed by Governor Stitt last year.

“The Republican party is here to stay and we still have a lot of battles ahead of us we’re willing to engage in and push back on this woke leftism that is trying to take over our country,” said Dahm, on Monday in an interview with KFOR.

The number of registered Republicans rose by 31,000 people from Jan. 2022 to Jan. 2023.

Dahm said Oklahomans highly favor the principles of his party.

“We agree on these things, whether that’s protecting life, whether that’s the right to self-defense, whether that’s limited government, lower spending, lower taxation, we all agree on those things,” said the new chairman.

Structurally, he wants to address local races.

City council and school board races are typically considered non-partisan, but Dahm said the party needs to provide resources for candidates with party experience.

“We will be looking at active candidate recruitment for those areas to find activists, those that have been involved in the Republican party those that understand the principles of limited government – even local government – and working as a party to help get them elected, even if it is a non-partisan race,” said Dahm.