Brad Henry
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Charles Bradford "Brad" Henry (born June 10, 1963) is the Governor of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected in 2002, defeating former Republican Congressman Steve Largent and Independent candidate Gary Richardson. Largent and Henry each received about 43% of the vote, while Richardson (a former Republican candidate) was the second most successful third-party gubernatorial candidate in the nation in the 2002 election, receiving 14% of the vote.
Henry ran on the platform of the "education governor". He argued for increasing teachers' salaries and funding for higher education in the state by approving a state lottery to raise money. Henry's candidacy received a last minute boost against NFL Hall of Famer Largent, as a ballot initiative banning cockfighting was unpopular in rural areas. Henry played neutral on the issue most of the race and the proposed ban was popular in metro areas. On the election eve,at the last minute Henry got the support of the pro-cockfighting forces in rural areas.
A third generation Oklahoman, he was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, the son of prominent attorney and Judge Charles Henry. He attended public schools and graduated from Shawnee High School. After graduating, Henry attended the University of Oklahoma as a President's Leadership Scholar and earned a bachelor's degree in economics in 1985. In 1988, Governor Henry was awarded his law degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law, where he served as managing editor of the Law Review.
Henry was officially sworn in as Oklahoma's 26th Governor on January 13, 2003, with the oath of office being administered by his cousin, federal appeals court judge Robert Harlan Henry. He made national headlines by giving sanctuary from the redistricting warrant to Texas Democrats in that state's legislature by allowing them to travel across state lines into Oklahoma en masse to deny a quorum for voting on a redistricting plan. "Our position is that, without a warrant signed by a judge, we have no authority. Even under those circumstances, we are hesitant to get pulled into a Texas political battle. If we're going to do battle with Texas, we prefer that it be on the football field," Henry said through his spokesman.
As Governor, he is a member of the National Governors Association, the Southern Governors' Association, and the Democratic Governors Association.
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