Markwayne Mullin

Markwayne Mullin (born July 26, 1977) is an American politician, businessman, and former professional mixed martial arts fighter who has been the U.S. Representative for Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district since 2013. A Republican, he succeeded Blue Dog Democrat Dan Boren.

Markwayne Mullin
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Oklahoma's 2nd district
Assumed office
January 3, 2013
Preceded byDan Boren
Personal details
Born
Mark Wayne Mullin[1]

(1977-07-26) July 26, 1977
Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
Christie Rowan
​
(m. 1997)​
Children5
EducationOklahoma State University Institute of Technology (AA)
WebsiteHouse website

Early life and education

Mullin was born on July 26, 1977, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.[2] He graduated from Stilwell High School in Stilwell, Oklahoma.[3] He attended Missouri Valley College in 1996, but did not graduate.[2] In 2010, Mullin received an associate's degree in construction technology from Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology.[2][4]

Business career

Mullin took over his family's business, Mullin Plumbing, at age 20, when his father fell ill. He also owns Mullin Properties, Mullin Farms, and Mullin Services.[5] He hosted House Talk, a home improvement radio program syndicated across Oklahoma, on Tulsa station KFAQ.[2][6]

U.S. House of Representatives

2012
See also: 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Oklahoma § District 2

In June 2011, incumbent Democratic U.S. Congressman Dan Boren announced that he would retire at the end of 2012.[7] In September 2011, Mullin declared his candidacy for the 2012 elections to the United States House of Representatives to represent Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district.[8] Mullin branded himself as an outsider; his campaign slogan was "A rancher. A businessman. Not a politician!"[9]

In the six-candidate Republican primary, Mullin finished first with 42% of the vote; state representative George Faught ranked second with 22% of the vote.[10] In the runoff primary election, Mullin defeated Faught 57%–43%.[11][12]

The 2nd District has historically been a classic "Yellow Dog" Democratic district, but has steadily trended Republican as Tulsa's suburbs have spilled into its northern portion. For this reason, Mullin was thought to have a good chance of winning the election. He defeated the Democratic nominee, former district attorney Rob Wallace, 57%–38%,[13] becoming the first Republican to represent the district since Tom Coburn in 2001,[14] and only the second since 1921.

2016
See also: 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Oklahoma § District 2

In the June 2016 Republican primary, Mullin defeated Jarrin Jackson by 27 percentage points. In the November general election, he defeated Democrat Joshua Harris-Till by 67 percentage points.[15]

2018
See also: 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Oklahoma § District 2

When he first ran for Congress in 2012, Mullin promised to serve only three terms (six years). But in July 2017, he released a video announcing that he would run for a fourth term in 2018, saying he was ill-advised when he made the promise to only serve three terms.[16]

Tenure

On February 5, 2014, Mullin introduced the bill To revoke the charter of incorporation of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma at the request of that tribe (H.R. 4002; 113th Congress), which would accept the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma's request to revoke the charter of incorporation issued to it and ratified by its members on June 1, 1940.[17]

In April 2017, Mullin drew criticism when he was recorded during a town hall meeting telling his constituents that it was "bullcrap" that taxpayers pay his salary. He said, "I pay for myself. I paid enough taxes before I got here and continue to through my company to pay my own salary. This is a service. No one here pays me to go."[18]

In December 2020, Mullin was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden defeated[19] incumbent Donald Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state.[20][21][22]

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement that called signing the amicus brief an act of "election subversion." She also reprimanded Mullin and the other House members who supported the lawsuit: "The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House. Instead of upholding their oath to support and defend the Constitution, they chose to subvert the Constitution and undermine public trust in our sacred democratic institutions."[23][24] New Jersey Representative Bill Pascrell, citing section three of the 14th Amendment, called for Pelosi to not seat Mullin and the other Republicans who signed the brief supporting the suit, arguing that "the text of the 14th Amendment expressly forbids Members of Congress from engaging in rebellion against the United States. Trying to overturn a democratic election and install a dictator seems like a pretty clear example of that."[25]

During the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol, Mullin, along with Texas representatives Troy Nehls and Pat Fallon helped U.S. Capitol Police barricade and protect the doors to the House chamber from the rioters. He and many of his colleagues were later ushered to a secure location, where he rejected offers to wear a mask, in violation of House rules.[26][27]

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
3 matches 3 wins 0 losses
By knockout 1 0
By submission 2 0

[30]

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 3–0 Clinton Bonds TKO (punches) XFL April 7, 2007 2 1:27 Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
Win 2–0 Clinton Bonds Submission (armbar) XFL Superbrawl February 3, 2007 2 n/a Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
Win 1–0 Bobby Kelley Submission (rear-naked choke) XFL November 11, 2006 1 0:46 Miami, Oklahoma, United States

Personal life

Mullin and his wife, Christie, live in Westville, a few miles from the Arkansas border, and have five children.[2] He is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation, and is one of five Native Americans in the 117th Congress. The others are Tom Cole, a Chickasaw,[31] of Oklahoma, Yvette Herrell,[32] a Cherokee, of New Mexico, Sharice Davids of Kansas, a Ho-Chunk, and Deb Haaland of New Mexico, a Laguna Pueblo.[33]

See also

References
  1. Oklahoma State Vital Records Index
  2. "Markwayne Mullin". Roll Call. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  3. "Markwayne Mullin Tapped to Give National Republican Address | .Politics". Blog.newsok.com. October 16, 2012. Archived from the original on December 16, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  4. MULLIN, Markwayne, (1977 - ) Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. 1774-Present. Retrieved April 13, 2017
  5. "Markwayne Mullin wins District 2 Congressional seat". KJRH 2. Scripps TV Station Group. November 7, 2012. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  6. "Meet the Mullin Family". Markwayne Mullin for Congress. Archived from the original on June 14, 2013. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  7. Casteel, Chris (June 7, 2011). "Oklahoma's U.S. Rep. Dan Boren won't seek re-election in 2012". News OK. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
  8. "Markwayne Mullin makes Congressional bid official". www.krmg.com. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  9. Archive of Mullin's campaign site from 2012
  10. "OK District 2 – R Primary Race – Jun 26, 2012". Our Campaigns. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
  11. "OK District 2 – R Runoff Race – Aug 28, 2012". Our Campaigns. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
  12. State Election Results, Runoff, Oklahoma State Elections Board.
  13. "OK – District 02 Race – Nov 06, 2012". Our Campaigns. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
  14. Krehbiel, Mark (November 7, 2012). "Republican Markwayne Mullin voted into 2nd District Seat". Tulsa World. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  15. Wingerter, Justin (July 8, 2017). "Coburn will work to oust Mullin after congressman breaks term limit pledge". Oklahoman.com. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  16. Krehbiel, Randy. "Markwayne Mullin to seek fourth term, explains why he's breaking three-term campaign pledge". Tulsa World. Tulsa World. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  17. "H.R. 4002 – Summary". United States Congress. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
  18. Vladimirov, Nikita (April 13, 2017). "GOP rep: 'Bullcrap' to say taxpayers pay my salary". The Hill. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
  19. Blood, Michael R.; Riccardi, Nicholas (December 5, 2020). "Biden officially secures enough electors to become president". AP News. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  20. Liptak, Adam (December 11, 2020). "Supreme Court Rejects Texas Suit Seeking to Subvert Election". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  21. "Order in Pending Case" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. December 11, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  22. Diaz, Daniella. "Brief from 126 Republicans supporting Texas lawsuit in Supreme Court". CNN. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  23. Smith, David (December 12, 2020). "Supreme court rejects Trump-backed Texas lawsuit aiming to overturn election results". The Guardian. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  24. "Pelosi Statement on Supreme Court Rejecting GOP Election Sabotage Lawsuit" (Press release). Speaker Nancy Pelosi. December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  25. Williams, Jordan (December 11, 2020). "Democrat asks Pelosi to refuse to seat lawmakers supporting Trump's election challenges". TheHill. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  26. Keri Enriquez. "Republican members of Congress refuse to wear masks during Capitol insurrection". CNN. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  27. Beavers, Olivia (January 21, 2021). "How lawmakers trapped in the House stood their ground". POLITICO. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  28. "Member List". Republican Study Committee. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  29. "Members". Congressional Western Caucus. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  30. Sherdog.com. "Markwayne Mullin MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography - Sherdog.com". Sherdog. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  31. Bogado, Aura (March 1, 2013). "Why Does Congress's Only Cherokee Member Keep Voting Against VAWA?". The Nation. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
  32. New Mexico becomes first state to elect all women of color to the House of Representatives
  33. Olmstead, Molly. "Sharice Davids, Deb Haaland Become First Native American Women Elected to Congress". Slate Magazine. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Dan Boren		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district
2013–present		 Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Grace Meng		 United States Representatives by seniority
185th		 Succeeded by
Scott Perry
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