Ryan Kiesel, a civil rights lawyer, former Oklahoma state lawmaker, political consultant and KOSU commentator, died Friday at the age of 45 following a long battle with cancer.
Kiesel was a political commentator on KOSU’s weekly radio program and podcast This Week in Oklahoma Politics, hosted by Michael Cross. For 13 years, Kiesel sat opposite Republican political consultant Neva Hill, as they provided analysis and discussion of the week's political and state government news.
The Seminole native was elected to serve House District 28 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 2004. He was reelected to the seat twice, serving three terms before choosing not to seek reelection in 2010.
As a lawmaker, Kiesel championed criminal justice reform, net neutrality, health insurance reform and abortion rights. He authored dozens of bills, but as a member of the House Democratic minority, only two were signed into law.
During his first legislative session in 2005, Gov. Brad Henry signed Kiesel’s bill providing a legal definition for phenylketonuria — a genetic disorder that prevents people from digesting many proteins — so private insurers would cover care.
In 2010, Kiesel ran a bill to ensure that when an Oklahoman dies, ownership of their social media accounts goes to the executor of their estate rather than social media companies. Kiesel told the American Bar Association the bill was inspired by an NPR story he heard on estate planning that failed to mention digital estates. Upon passing Kiesel’s measure, Oklahoma became one of the first states in the country to implement legislation about what happens to someone’s web presence after they die.
Kiesel was also instrumental in passing a 2006 bill that renamed a section of Highway 62 in honor of W.R. Shaver, a U.S. Marshal killed in the line of duty in 1905. It was the first time an Oklahoma road was named in honor of a Black law enforcement officer, according to contemporary reporting by The Oklahoman.
Kiesel wasn’t afraid to criticize his own party when he felt they put politics over policy.
"Our ability to represent everyone all the time just doesn't exist," Kiesel said in an interview with The Oklahoman shortly before leaving office. "I wish that Democrats in those situations, rather than holding their nose and voting for bad policy that is nothing more than blatant politics and giving those issues legitimacy, would just go back to their district and explain their vote to the folks back home."
After leaving public office, Kiesel became the Executive Director of the ACLU of Oklahoma in 2011, working there until he departed in 2020. While there, he shepherded the organization in supporting the State Question 780 campaign, which passed in 2016 with 58% voter approval.
The ballot measure reclassified some non-violent drug and theft crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. It aimed to reduce the prison population, which it did when it dropped 20% from 2018 to 2020. After state lawmakers made SQ780 retroactive in 2019, Gov. Kevin Stitt acted in what was then the nation's largest single-day commutation.
Kiesel and the ACLU filed a successful lawsuit in 2012 to shoot down State Question 761, which would have brought a fetal personhood vote to the people. If passed, the ballot measure would’ve given embryos and fertilized eggs the same rights as people. ACLU attorneys argued the move would have limited care for pregnant people.
He also worked on several other initiative petition campaigns, filing State Question 807 for blanket cannabis legalization and supporting State Question 788 to legalize medical marijuana.
During his professional career, Kiesel worked in private law practice, as an adjunct instructor at the University of Oklahoma College of Law and as a political strategist.
Kiesel grew up in Seminole, roughly 60 miles southeast of Oklahoma City. He attended the University of Oklahoma, earning a B.A. in Political Science in 2002 and later completed a J.D. from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 2006.
In what became his final appearance on This Week in Oklahoma Politics, Kiesel sought to highlight the good that state government can do for everyday people.
“We often hear all of these complaints about government and how government doesn’t work or how it’s inefficient.,” Kiesel said. “But every single day in Oklahoma – every single day – there is a person whose life is made better because of a state employee or a state agency.”
KOSU plans to pay tribute to Kiesel in the near future. In the meantime, we’re asking listeners, colleagues and friends to leave their remembrances via the contact form below.
