“Hopefully we’ll see, now that the election is over, some coming together and trying to actually govern again.”
Snapshot of Victory: Stephanie Bice defeated first term incumbent Democrat Rep. Kendra Horn by a vote of 52.1% to 47.9%. She is the first Iranian-American elected to serve in Congress.
Background: Congresswoman-elect Bice was born and raised in Oklahoma City. Her father was an Iranian immigrant who came to the United States at a young age to study computer science and her mother a third generation Oklahoman, making Bice a fourth generation Oklahoman. She attended Oklahoma State University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing with a minor in international business. Bice worked for her family’s technology company in a variety of areas including financial oversight, marketing, and business strategy. After eight years of working in the family business, she became the Vice President of Business Development of a boutique digital marketing agency.
In 2014, Bice was elected to represent the 22nd district of the Oklahoma State Senate. During her tenure in the Senate, she served on the General Government & Transportation; Appropriations; Finance; Public Safety; and Business, Commerce & Tourism Committees. In 2016, she was elected by her Republican Senate colleagues to serve as Assistant Majority Floor Leader.
Bice also played a lead role in working to modernize Oklahoma liquor laws. She wrote the bill that was the first major overhaul of liquor laws in Oklahoma since prohibition was repealed there in 1959. The passage of this legislation allowed grocery and convenience stores to sell wine and high-point beer and allowed liquor stores to sell refrigerated beer and non-alcohol items such as sodas and corkscrews. Additionally, it allowed breweries, wineries, and distilleries to sell their products onsite. This led to the creation of 5,000 jobs.
Legislative Goals for Congress: Bice has indicated that she will focus her efforts on jobs and the economy when she takes office in January. She hopes Congress can pass another coronavirus relief package, particularly for the travel, hotel, and restaurant industries which have been hit hard by the global pandemic. She earned a reputation in the Oklahoma Senate for her economic development initiatives and efforts to curb state spending and hopes to work on similar issues in Congress. Additionally, affordable healthcare and immigration issues will also be priorities for her.
Key Quote: “A lot of the things that I’ve championed have been bipartisan types of legislation, so I think there is room for negotiation, there is room for compromise. Hopefully we’ll see, now that the election is over, some coming together and trying to actually govern again. I’m going to listen, I’m going to take your suggestions or your input into consideration when I’m making decisions that are in the best interest of the community, the state, or this Congressional district. Certainly we may differ on how we get there, but I will continue to be an advocate for Oklahomans.” (Source: November 4th interview with The Oklahoman)