The general election is over, and many in our area are celebrating the results.
Former President Donald Trump will be returning to the White House in January as the nation’s 47th president. It’s being called the greatest political comeback in the country’s history. Many anticipate the economy to rebound, inflation to drop, taxes to be lowered and the crisis at the southern border to be addressed quickly.
Republicans also will have the majority again in the U.S. Senate. Republicans are leading in U.S. House races, but several seats have yet to be decided.
Here in the state, the Oklahoma House of Representatives will have 17 new members, but we’ll have the same makeup as we do currently with 81 Republicans and 20 Democrats. The Senate so far has 39 Republicans and eight Democrats. One seat is vacant due to a resignation; it will need to be filled through a special election that has yet to be set. The Senate has 14 new members currently.
Newmembersinbothlegislative chambers are replacing ones that were term limited or who chose not to run for state office again. In a few cases, incumbents lost their seats. I was fortunate to not draw an opponent this election cycle, so I get to represent the great folks of House District 49 for another two years at the state Capitol.
Now that the election is over, new and returning representatives will be sworn into office Nov. 20. We’ll then begin requesting bills for the upcoming legislative session. Bills and joint resolutions must be filed by 4 p.m. Jan. 16 in order to be considered this coming year or the next.
One area that caught a lot of peoples’ attentionthisyearwasthevote over whether or not to retain three Supreme Court judges who have been labeled as left-leaning and accused of legislating from the bench. Our district voted overwhelmingly to oust all three judges, but two of them very narrowly retained their seats. Justice Yvonne Kauger, the longest-serving member of the nine-member court, lost her bid for retention. This just shows what can happen when people get fed up with the judiciary not staying in its proper lane and ruling according to the Constitution.
On a separate note, I want to recognize all of our veterans as we approach Veterans Day, Nov. 11. The sacrifices made to secure freedom and safety for all Americans can never be appreciated enough. Not only do veterans sign up to serve their country, knowing they might at any time lose their lives, but they willingly forgo so much time with their families and just getting to live the daily lives the rest of us get to live. Thank you to all who have served in our nation’s Armed Forces, and thank you to thosecurrentlyserving.Iappreciate so much everything you do.
If I can help you with anything, please do not hesitate to reach out: (405) 557-7383 or Josh.Cantrell@OKHouse.gov.
Rep.JoshCantrell,aRepublican, serves District 49 Oklahoma House of Representatives, which covers Carter, Love and Marshall counties.