Chris Benge |
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|---|---|
| Oklahoma Speaker of the House | |
| In office 2008 – 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Lance Cargill |
| Succeeded by | Kris Steele |
| Constituency | 56th House District |
| Oklahoma State Representative | |
| In office 1999 – 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Shelby Satterfield |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 September 1962 Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Allison Benge |
| Children | Garrett Benge Hayden Benge |
| Residence | Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| Alma mater | Oklahoma State University |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Religion | Baptist |
| Oklahoma |
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Chris Benge (born September 9, 1962) is a United States Republican politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Benge served as the Oklahoma House of Representatives as the Speaker of the House, a position he took over after Lance Cargill resigned in January 2008.[1][2]
Benge was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1998. His term ended due to term limits in 2010.
A native Tulsan, he currently resides in the community of Berryhill with his wife Allison and their two children, Garrett and Hayden.[3]
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Benge was born and raised in southwest Tulsa.[4] He graduated from Webster High School in 1980 and graduated from Oklahoma State University with a degree in business. Benge has managed a business, Benge Painting Company from 1981 to 1997.[5]
Benge was first elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 1998, narrowly defeating Shelby Satterfield, an incumbent Democratic candidate.[6]
The first piece of legislation authored by the Tulsa lawmaker and signed into law was the "Prisoners Public Work Act".[7] The legislation allows public agencies to enter into a contract with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections to utilize offender labor.[8]
Prior to becoming Speaker of the House, Benge served as a House appropriations chairman and one one occasion criticized Gov. Brad Henry for proposing $18.8 million in bonds for common education ad valorem reimburesment.[9]
As Speaker of the House, Benge has pushed for energy reform in Oklahoma, stressing the need for the U.S. to wean itself from foreign oil rather than any concern about climate change.[10]
Benge announced in January 2010 that his agenda for the upcoming session included reforming the workers' compensation system, promoting the use of natural gas as a vehicle fuel, modernizing state government through the use of more technology and creating a plan to deal with an expected shortfall.[11]
Benge authored six bills signed into law by Governor Brad Henry from the 2009 legislative session. He has filed 17 measures for the 2010 session.[12]
House District 68 encompasses southwest Tulsa and a portion of Tulsa County outside of the city. It also includes a small portion of Creek County. The district is a mix of urban Tulsa neighborhoods and Tulsa suburbs.[13]
| Candidates | Party | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Benge | Republican Party | 1,591 | 80% | ||
| Brian Jackson | Republican Party | 397 | 20% | ||
| Source:[14] | |||||
| Candidates | Party | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Benge | Republican Party | 7,489 | 61.45% | ||
| Shelby Satterfield | Democratic Party | 4,699 | 38.55% | ||
| Source:[15] | |||||
| Candidates | Party | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Benge | Republican Party | 4,422 | 55.36% | ||
| Shelby Satterfield | Democratic Party | 3,566 | 44.64% | ||
| Source:[16] | |||||
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