Lonnie Sims (born April 21, 1970) is an American politician who served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives representing the 68th district from 2018 to 2024. He is the Tulsa County Commissioner-elect for the 2nd district since November 2024.

Lonnie Sims
Tulsa County Commissioner-elect for the 2nd district
Assuming office
SucceedingKaren Keith
Member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives
from the 68th district
In office
November 15, 2018 – November 20, 2024
Preceded byGlen Mulready
Succeeded byMike Lay
Mayor of Jenks, Oklahoma
In office
2013–2015
Personal details
Born (1970-04-21) April 21, 1970 (age 54)
Political partyRepublican

Early life and Jenks politics

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Lonnie Sims is from Allen, Oklahoma, and graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1994 before moving to Jenks in 1999.[1][2] Sims was appointed to the Jenks Planning Commission in 2003 and served until he was elected to the Jenks City Council in 2010.[1] From 2013 to 2015, he served as the Mayor of Jenks elected by his fellow city councilors.[2]

House of Representatives

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Sims ran to represent the Oklahoma House of Representatives 68th district in 2018.[3] In 2023, Sims voted to pass anti-drag legislation, HB 2186, out of committee, though questioned the language of the bill.[4] Sims retired in 2024 to run for Tulsa County commissioner for the 2nd district.[5]

Tulsa County Commissioner

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Sims ran to succeed retiring Tulsa County commissioner Karen Keith in a Republican primary against Tulsa City Councilor Jeannie Cue and Melissa Meyers. He advanced to a runoff alongside Meyers.[2] Sims won the runoff election and defeated Democrat Sarah Gray in the general election.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b Loveless, Tristan (August 24, 2024). "Tulsa County District 2 Republican runoff: Rep. Lonnie Sims, Melissa Myers talk turnpike, juvenile center". NonDoc. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Loveless, Tristan (June 19, 2024). "Double runoffs for Tulsa County Commission District 2". NonDoc. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  3. ^ Randy Krehbiel (2018-05-27). "It's a nine-person race for House District 68, and four in the primary are teachers". Tulsaworld.com. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
  4. ^ May, Payton (2023-02-22). "LGBTQ+ community voices outage as bill restricting drag performances passes in committee". KOKH. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  5. ^ Loveless, Tristan (6 April 2024). "Tulsa County: 7 seek commissioner post, Don Newberry and Vic Regalado unopposed". NonDoc. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  6. ^ Krehbiel-Burton, Lenzy (November 5, 2024). "Republican Lonnie Sims wins Tulsa County Commission seat". Tulsa World. Retrieved November 9, 2024.