John Waldron (politician)
John Waldron | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Chair of the Oklahoma Democratic Party | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office June 29, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Alicia Andrews | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from the 77th district | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office November 16, 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Eric Proctor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Bernardsville, New Jersey | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Democratic | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | University of Virginia (BA) George Washington University (MA) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
John Waldron is an American politician and educator who has served as the Chair of The Oklahoma Democratic Party since 2025 and as a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from the 77th district since 2018.
Early life and education
Waldron was born in Bernardsville, New Jersey, as the eighth of nine children.[1] He attended the University of Virginia from 1986 to 1990, graduating with his Bachelor of Arts degree in international relations. In 1991 he started his master's degree in international relations at George Washington University while working at the School Without Walls in Washington, D.C. He completed his master's in 1995.[2]
Teaching career
Waldron began his teaching career at the School Without Walls in Washington, D.C. in 1991 and would work there until 1999.[2] In 1999, he moved to Tulsa and started working as a social studies teacher at Booker T. Washington High School. From 2011 to 2013 he was also the president of the United Nations Association.[2]
Oklahoma House of Representatives
Waldron was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 2018 and assumed office on November 21, 2018.[3] He has served as the assistant minority floor leader in the House since 2021.[2] In 2023, Waldron filed legislation to increase the pay of school support staff who make less than $80,000 and by 20 percent.[4]
In 2024, he came out against Kevin West's HB 3217, which would ban Pride flags and Pride activities on state property, calling it "discriminatory."[5]
In 2025, Waldron campaigned to be the chair of the Oklahoma Democratic Party against incumbent Alicia Andrews. During the campaign, artificial intelligence generated audio of Waldron making negative remarks about African Americans was released and initially reported as real by The Black Wall Street Times. The publication later retracted the claim and published a correction clarifying the audio was fake.[6] Waldron went on to win the June 29 election, defeating Andrews and union advocate Kevin Dawson.[7]
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John Waldron | 1,834 | 53.45% | |
| Democratic | Shay White | 1,597 | 46.55% | |
| Total votes | 3,431 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John Waldron | 4,321 | 58.44% | |
| Republican | Todd Blackburn | 3,073 | 41.56% | |
| Total votes | 7,394 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
John Waldron ran unopposed for re-election in 2020.[3]
John Waldron ran unopposed for re-election in 2022.[3]
John Waldron ran unopposed for re-election in 2024.[10]
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Waldron | 321 | 56.2% | |
| Alicia Andrews | 139 | 24.4% | |
| Kevin Dawson | 100 | 17.5% | |
| Total votes | 560 | 100.00 | |
References
- ^ Moore, Nancy A. (May 24, 2018). "Green Country Grown-up: John Waldron". TulsaKids Magazine. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
- ^ a b c d "John Waldron's Biography". votesmart.org. Vote Smart. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
- ^ a b c "John Waldron". Ballotpedia. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
- ^ Brothers, Ashlyn (January 2, 2023). "OKLAHOMA STATE REPRESENTATIVE FILES BILL TO SUPPORT SCHOOL PERSONNEL". KOTV-DT. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
- ^ "Proposed bill would ban state agencies from displaying pride flag in Oklahoma". The Oklahoman. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
- ^ Frank, Nehemiah; Sartain, Andrew; Osborne, Deon (June 27, 2025). "Fake AI Audio Used in Oklahoma Democratic Party Election". The Black Wall Street Times. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
- ^ a b Sartain, Andrew; Frank, Nehemiah (July 1, 2025). "Waldron Replaces Andrews as Oklahoma Democratic Party Chair". The Black Wall Street Times. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
- ^ "OK Election Results Jun 26 2018". Oklahoma State Election Board. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
- ^ "November 6, 2018 Oklahoma Official Results". results.okelections.us. Oklahoma State Election Board. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
- ^ McNutt, Michael (April 6, 2024). "Half of Oklahoma House members seeking 2024 reelection win by default". NonDoc. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
External links
- Official house biography Archived 2021-01-02 at the Wayback Machine