James Lankford
James Lankford is the President of Falls Creek Baptist Conference Center, the largest Christian camp in the United States, and the oldest Christian camp in Oklahoma. He is the 2010 Republican nominee for Oklahoma's 5th congressional district, vacated by incumbent Mary Fallin (R-OK) who is running for Governor. CQ Politics has the election as Safe Republican.[1][2]
Early life
Lankford was born in Dallas, Texas. His mother was a public school librarian and homemaker. His father is a Vietnam veteran and retired engineer. Some of his grandparents owned a small dry cleaning business. His ancestors were dairy farmers. James’ stepfather was a Navy veteran and a career employee of AC Delco, the parts division of General Motors.
He attended the University of Texas, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education. He then attended Southwestern Seminary and received a master’s degree in Divinity.[3]
Professional career
After graduating, he moved to Edmond and served with the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. He became the Director of Falls Creek. It's the largest Christian camp in the U.S. with over 51,000 people attending in 2009. With his leadership, the camp had the greatest growth in its history.
He is a member of the Heritage Foundation, Deer Creek Chamber of Commerce, Edmond Chamber of Commerce, South Chamber of Commerce, Northwest Chamber of Commerce, and the NRA.
2010 run for U.S. Congress
Primary
Lankford defeated former State Rep. Kevin Calvey in the run off.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | James Lankford | 18,755 | 33.6 | |
| Republican | Kevin Calvey | 18,143 | 32.5 | |
| Republican | Mike Thompson | 10,007 | 17.9 | |
| Republican | Harry Johnson | 686 | 1.2 | |
| Republican | Rick Flanigan | 762 | 1.4 | |
| Republican | Johnny Roy | 1,548 | 2.8 | |
| Republican | Shane Jett | 5,955 | 10.7 | |
| Total votes | 100 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | James Lankford | 29,814 | 65.2 | |
| Republican | Kevin Calvey | 15,899 | 32.7 | |
| Total votes | 100 | |||
General election
He will face Billy Coyle in the general election.
Personal life
He's been married to his wife, Cindy, for 18 years. Cindy is a Speech-Language Pathologist. They have two daughters: Hannah (13) and Jordan (10).
References
External links
- James Lankford 2010 official campaign site
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org