Steve Russell (Republican Party) was a member of the U.S. House, representing Oklahoma's 5th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2015. He left office on January 3, 2019.
Russell (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Oklahoma's 5th Congressional District. He lost in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Russell previously served as a Republican member of the Oklahoma State Senate, representing District 45 from 2008 to 2012.
Russell earned his B.A. in public speaking from Ouachita Baptist University in 1985 and his M.A. in military history from the Command and General Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, in 1998. Russell served in the United States Army as a lieutenant colonel for 21 years. Russell received the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal with Valor Device and Oak Leaf Cluster, the Combat Infantryman's Badge and the Valorous Unit Award. He also holds Airborne and Ranger qualifications.
Below is an abbreviated outline of Russell's academic, professional, and political career:
Prior to entering politics, Russell was an author and small business owner.
Former Member, Armed Services Committee, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Education and the Workforce Committee, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Oversight and Government Reform Committee, United States House of Representatitves
Former Member, Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Subcommittee on Information Technology, United States House of Representatitves
Former Member, Subcommittee on Military Personnel, United States House of Representatives
Former Vice Chair, Subcommittee on National Security Agency and Cybersecurity, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Subcommittee on Readiness, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Subcommittee on the Interior, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Armed Services Committee, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Education and the Workforce Committee, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Oversight and Government Reform Committee, United States House of Representatitves
Former Member, Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Subcommittee on Information Technology, United States House of Representatitves
Former Member, Subcommittee on Military Personnel, United States House of Representatives
Former Vice Chair, Subcommittee on National Security Agency and Cybersecurity, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Subcommittee on Readiness, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Subcommittee on the Interior, United States House of Representatives
Former Member, Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, United States House of Representatives
— Awards:
— Publications:
Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
- Pro-life
1. In order to balance the budget, do you support an income tax increase on any tax bracket?
- No
2. In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing defense spending?
- No
Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
- Unknown Position
1. Do you support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- No
2. Do you support lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes
Do you support requiring states to adopt federal education standards?
- No
1. Do you support government funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)?
- No
2. Do you support the federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions?
- No
Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
- No
Do you support repealing the 2010 Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?
- Yes
1. Do you support the construction of a wall along the Mexican border?
- Unknown Position
2. Do you support requiring immigrants who are unlawfully present to return to their country of origin before they are eligible for citizenship?
- Yes
Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes?
- Unknown Position
1. Should the United States use military force in order to prevent governments hostile to the U.S. from possessing a nuclear weapon?
- Yes
2. Do you support increased American intervention in Middle Eastern conflicts beyond air support?
- Yes
Latest Action: House - 10/10/2018 Referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans.
Tracker:Latest Action: 12/21/2018 Became Public Law No: 115-383.
Tracker:Latest Action: 09/13/2018 On agreeing to the Russell amendment (A001) Agreed to without objection.
Kendra Horn defeated incumbent Steve Russell in the general election for U.S. House Oklahoma District 5 on November 6, 2018.
|
Kendra Horn (D) |
50.7%
|
121,149 Votes✔ |
|
Steve Russell (R) |
49.3%
|
117,811 Votes |
Total votes: 238,960
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Kendra Horn defeated Tom Guild in the Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Oklahoma District 5 on August 28, 2018.
|
Kendra Horn |
75.8%
|
22,067 Votes✔ |
|
Tom Guild |
24.2%
|
7,043 Votes |
Total votes: 29,110
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Oklahoma District 5 on June 26, 2018.
|
Kendra Horn |
44.2%
|
34,892 Votes✔ |
|
Tom Guild |
18.0%
|
14,251 Votes✔ |
|
Elysabeth Britt |
13.6%
|
10,752 Votes |
|
Eddie Porter |
9.9%
|
7,844 Votes |
|
Leona Kelley-Leonard |
8.5%
|
6,697 Votes |
|
Tyson Todd Meade |
5.7%
|
4,530 Votes |
Total votes: 78,966
Incumbent Steve Russell defeated Gregory Dunson and DeJuan Edwards in the Republican primary for U.S. House Oklahoma District 5 on June 26, 2018.
|
Steve Russell |
83.6%
|
66,030 Votes✔ |
|
Gregory Dunson |
9.7%
|
7,642 Votes |
|
DeJuan Edwards |
6.7%
|
5,290 Votes |
Total votes: 78,962
rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Steve Russell (R) defeated Al McAffrey (D) and Zachary Knight (L) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Russell defeated Frank Volpe in the Republican primary. McAffrey defeated Tom Guild in the Democratic primary runoff on August 23, 2016. Guild and McAffrey had previously defeated Leona Leonard in the Democratic primary. The primary elections took place on June 28, 2016.
U.S. House, Oklahoma District 5 General Election, 2016
Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
---|---|---|---|
Republican | Steve Russell Incumbent | 57.1% | 160,184 |
Democratic | Al McAffrey | 36.8% | 103,273 |
Libertarian | Zachary Knight | 6.1% | 17,113 |
Total Votes | 280,570 | ||
Source: Oklahoma State Election Board |
U.S. House, Oklahoma, District 5 Republican Primary, 2016
Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Steve Russell Incumbent | 80.3% | 27,436 | ||
Frank Volpe | 19.7% | 6,721 | ||
Total Votes | 34,157 | |||
Source: Oklahoma State Election Board |
U.S. House, Oklahoma, District 5 Democratic Primary, 2016
Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Al McAffrey | 36.8% | 10,013 | ||
Tom Guild | 36.8% | 10,000 | ||
Leona Leonard | 26.4% | 7,190 | ||
Total Votes | 27,203 | |||
Source: Oklahoma State Election Board |
U.S. House, Oklahoma, District 5 Democratic Runoff Primary, 2016
Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Al McAffrey | 50.1% | 8,032 | ||
Tom Guild | 49.9% | 7,988 | ||
Total Votes | 16,020 | |||
Source: Oklahoma State Election Board |
The following issues were listed on Russell's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, .
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—Steve Russell's campaign website, http://www.steverussellforcongress.com/home.html |
In 2014, Russell won election to the U.S. House to represent Oklahoma's 5th District. Russell and Patrice Douglas were the highest vote recipients in the Republican primary on June 24, 2014. They defeated Harvey Sparks, state Rep. Mike Turner, state Sen. Clark Jolley and Shane Jett. Russell then defeated Douglas in the August 26, 2014, Republican runoff. Russell defeated Al McAffrey (D) and independent candidates Buddy Ray, Tom Boggs and Robert Murphy in the general election. The general election took place on November 4, 2014.
U.S. House, Oklahoma District 5 General Election, 2014
Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
---|---|---|---|
Republican | Steve Russell | 60.1% | 95,632 |
Democratic | Al McAffrey | 36.3% | 57,790 |
Independent | Buddy Ray | 0.9% | 1,470 |
Independent | Tom Boggs | 1.3% | 2,065 |
Independent | Robert Murphy | 1.4% | 2,176 |
Total Votes | 159,133 | ||
Source: Oklahoma State Election Board |
U.S. House, Oklahoma District 5 Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Steve Russell | 26.6% | 14,597 | ||
Patrice Douglas | 24.5% | 13,440 | ||
Clark Jolley | 16.8% | 9,226 | ||
Mike Turner | 14.1% | 7,757 | ||
Shane Jett | 12.8% | 7,019 | ||
Harvey Sparks | 5.3% | 2,895 | ||
Total Votes | 54,934 | |||
Source: Results via Associated Press |
U.S. House, Oklahoma District 5 Runoff Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Steve Russell | 59.3% | 19,371 | ||
Patrice Douglas | 40.7% | 13,315 | ||
Total Votes | 32,686 | |||
Source: Results via Associated Press |
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Russell did not run for re-election in 2012.
Russell won election to the Oklahoma State Senate, District 45. He raised $173,769 for this campaign, in which he defeated four primary opponents and ran unopposed in the general election.
By Reps. Frank Lucas, Tom Cole, Jim Bridenstine, Markwayne Mullin, and Steve Russell Obamacare has failed Americans all across the nation. But Oklahoma in particular is a case study for its failure and the negative impact on insured individuals. As a state that saw 2017 premiums increase an average of 76 percent and as one of only five states with just one insurer participating in the federal exchange, you could argue that Oklahoma has been hit the hardest by Obama's failed health care policy. All five of our congressional districts have constituents who are adversely impacted by Obamacare. A small business owner in Oklahoma City believes that Obamacare is negatively impacting his business. Graciously, he has always paid for half of his employee's health insurance premiums. In three years under Obamacare, this employer's out of pocket expenses have more than doubled. Obamacare has given him two choices: drop the health insurance benefit and potentially lose quality employees, or go out of business. A mother of three was an accountant before quitting to raise her family and help her husband start his small business, so when Obamacare came along, she knew how to analyze their options. She made the rational decision to pay the fines, save the value of premiums and high deductibles, and effectively self-insure. Under Obamacare, she became uninsured, and she will be thousands of dollars ahead -- as long as she avoids catastrophic illness. After celebrating a successful harvest, a cotton farming family in southwest Oklahoma was shocked when they learned their health insurance premiums would nearly double under Obamacare. All of their concerns about issues like EPA's Waters of the U.S. rule or the continuation of certain Farm Bill provisions suddenly paled in comparison to Obamacare. They're now worried that the sudden spike in expenses for their family, not to mention a $6,000 deductible, threatens the future of their farming operation. One couple in rural Oklahoma was forced to sell their small business a few years ago due to the husband's sharp decline in health. When they signed up for Obamacare, the most affordable option was a $6,000 deductible and a $1,200 copay. Even worse, the prescriptions they need to fill are "Tier 4," the section that has the highest copay. All doctors and hospitals under their plan are far from their home and it is almost impossible to schedule a timely appointment with a doctor when they find themselves ill. A Southern Baptist pastor in eastern Oklahoma is well taken care of by his church, except they do not provide health insurance. His family's previous health care plan was cancelled in December, so he used Healthcare.gov, which failed to function properly, and was left with a plan that more than tripled their premium. A steadfast believer, the pastor is left with only the belief that God will provide for his pregnant wife, two year old son, and the baby on the way. Sadly, these stories represent only a sliver of the number of Oklahomans feeling the ill effects of Obamacare. More and more Oklahomans are grappling with the crippling consequences of a failed health care law that is anything but affordable. It doesn't take long to find a neighbor, a friend, or a community member who is suffering the ill effects of Obamacare. More than 4.7 million Americans were kicked off their health care plan after being promised that they could keep it. Sixty percent of Americans have seen an increase in their deductibles in addition to the average 22 percent increase in their 2017 premiums. The burden Obamacare placed on families, employers, and individuals never seems to end. Thankfully, House Republicans want to make sure the Obamacare buck stops here. Our goal is to bring the American people more choices and lower costs, without mandating your plan or your coverage. By opening a free market to encourage competing plans and options, Americans can return once again to a health care market that provides access to affordable and reliable health insurance for Americans everywhere, particularly in our home state of Oklahoma.