Bob Ed Culver Jr. (born December 16, 1957) is an American politician who has served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from the 4th district since 2020.[1][2]
Bob Ed Culver Jr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from the 4th district | |
| Assumed office November 16, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Matt Meredith |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Bob Ed Culver Jr. December 16, 1957 Tahlequah, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Julie Arrington (m. 1982) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | University of Oklahoma (BAS) |
Early life
editCulver was born on December 16, 1957, to Bob Ed Culver Sr. and Jo Ellen Culver (née Priest) in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.[3][4] He graduated from Tahlequah High School in 1976. He then attended the University of Oklahoma, where he played as an offensive lineman for coach Barry Switzer.[5] Culver went on to graduate in 1981 with a bachelor's degree in psychology.[6] After college, he went on to run an independent oil and gas company near Canadian, Texas. In 2015, Culver and his family moved back to Tahlequah.[7]
Political career
editCulver first ran for the Oklahoma State House District 40 seat in 2016.[8] After winning the Republican primary, he lost the general election to Democrat Matt Meredith by 325 votes.[9] Culver ran for the seat again in 2020. He faced Rep. Meredith again in the general election, but Culver won this time by around 1,400 votes.[2] With Meredith's defeat, Oklahoma Democrats had lost the last of their legislative seats in rural areas of the state.[10] Culver was then sworn into office on November 16, 2020.[11]
As of 2021, Culver is the vice chair of the House Judiciary-Civil Committee. He also serves on the County and Municipal Government Committee, State and Federal Redistricting Northeast Oklahoma Subcommittee, and Transportation Committee.[12]
In 2024, he voted against HB 3329 which still passed the house floor. It is intended to provide free menstrual products in school bathrooms.[13]
Personal life
editCulver and his wife, Julie, have three children and five grandchildren. He and his family attend Tahlequah First United Methodist Church.[7] His father, Bob Ed Sr., served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives for District 4 from 1990 to 2000.[4]
Electoral history
edit2016 Oklahoma House of Representatives
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bob Ed Culver Jr. | 878 | 65.0 | |
| Republican | Mike Pope | 473 | 35.0 | |
| Total votes | 1,351 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bob Ed Culver Jr. | 6,217 | 48.7 | +48.7 | |
| Democratic | Matt Meredith | 6,543 | 51.3 | −48.7 | |
| Total votes | 12,760 | 100.0 | |||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
2020 Oklahoma House of Representatives
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bob Ed Culver Jr. | 7,499 | 55.2 | +6.5 | |
| Democratic | Matt Meredith | 6,095 | 44.8 | −6.5 | |
| Total votes | 13,594 | 100.0 | |||
| Republican gain from Democratic | Swing | +6.5 | |||
References
edit- ^ "Representative Bob Culver". Okhouse.gov. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
- ^ a b Crawford, Grant D. (2020-11-04). "Almost Over: Area races conclude with voters picking two newcomers, two veterans". Tahlequah Daily Press. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
- ^ "Bob Ed Culver Bio". Legistorm.com. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
- ^ a b "Bob Culver Sr. Obituary". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
- ^ "Bob Ed Culver Player Stats". SoonerStats.com. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
- ^ "State House District 4 Bios". Tahlequah Daily Press. 2020-06-20. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
- ^ a b "Culver seeking to unseat D4 representative". Tahlequah Daily Press. 2019-09-26. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
- ^ "Culver announces run for his father's old seat in House". Tahlequah Daily Press. 2016-01-13. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
- ^ "Oklahoma 4th District State House Results". New York Times. 2017-08-01. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
- ^ Murphy, Sean (2020-11-04). "Rural Democrats become extinct species in Oklahoma". Associated Press. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
- ^ Hoberock, Barbara (2020-11-12). "New, re-elected state House members take the oath of office". Tulsa World. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
- ^ "Culver named vice chair of Judiciary-Civil Committee". Associated Press. 2021-01-21. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
- ^ "House Votes". webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
- ^ "2016 June Statewide Primary Results" (PDF). Oklahoma.gov.
- ^ "State Election Results, General Election, November 8, 2016". Oklahoma.gov. Archived from the original on April 8, 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ^ "OK Election Results, November 3, 2020". Oklahoma.gov.