Republican state senators unanimously voted to designate Sen. Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, to be the next President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma State Senate. The President Pro Tem is the Senate’s top leader.“I am honored and humbled by the confidence my colleagues have shown by entrusting me with the leadership of our caucus,” stated Coffee.
“Senate Republicans have the issues on our side, and we are confident that Oklahomans will make history in 2008 by electing the first-ever Republican majority to the Senate. As Republicans have already shown while sharing power in the Senate the past two years, we are ready and able to lead the Senate in bringing positive and innovative changes to Oklahoma,” Coffee said.
Under the rules of the Senate Republican Caucus the remainder of the Senate GOP’s leadership team will be chosen following the general election this November.
Coffee currently serves as Co-President Pro Tempore under the power sharing agreement that governs the evenly divided State Senate. As part of the Senate’s power sharing arrangement, Coffee became the first Republican in history to serve as the Senate’s President Pro Tempore in July 2007.
The Senate has 24 Republicans and 24 Democrats, but a net gain of a single seat in 2008 would make the GOP the Senate’s majority party for the first time in Oklahoma history.
Republicans have had a net gain of at least two State Senate seats every in election since 2000, netting three seats in 2000; two seats in 2002; two seats in 2004; one seat in a May 2006 special election; and two more seats in the 2006 general elections. Conversely, it has been 18 years since Democrats last had a net gain of seats in the State Senate.
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