Trump is incredibly popular in Oklahoma, winning all 77 counties in 2016 and 2020. Reporters from KOSU’s Focus: Black Oklahoma were in Milwaukee to cover the spectacle from an Oklahoma political angle. Here is some of what they’ve found.
Oklahoma Republican leadership confident in Trump
One Oklahoma political leader attending the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this week was state party chairman Nathan Dahm. The Broken Arrow Republican is a big Trump fan.
“President Trump has already proven it,” Dahm said in an interview about why he thinks people should vote for the former president. “And, like he said, what do you have to lose?”
Based on Trump’s first term in the Oval Office, Dahm believes he’ll have what it takes to get swing voters here and across the country to vote for him instead of President Joe Biden. Dahm points to proposed GOP policies.
“There are so many things in the platform that apply to all Oklahoma, not just Republicans because everyone is experiencing the effects of the failed Biden administration with their economic policies,” Dahm said.
Oklahoma's tax revenues under the Biden administration are growing compared to the Trump administration, suggesting continued economic strength. That growth was a key talking point for Gov. Kevin Stitt as he called for tax cuts.
Everyday Okies make 800-mile trip to see spectacle
Politicians weren’t the only Oklahomans who could be seen at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this week. Focus: Black Oklahoma’s Shonda Little reports there were regular folks, too.
Myceda Thompson traveled to Milwaukee to support former President Donald Trump in his bid for the White House.
Thompson, who is Black, says she used to be part of the Democratic Party. But now she feels the stereotype that Black women should support Democrats is, well, a stereotype.
“I thought it was very important to become a part of the party to actually see things that are going on, and I was just fed up with stuff,” she said.
She was accompanied by Vanessa Cunningham, another Black woman who lives in Tulsa. She said she disliked how Biden has handled the economy, especially the high rate of inflation. But one issue related to religion especially drew her to the Republican Party.
“I’m an agent of the Lord Jesus Christ and what he stands for, I’m going to stand for,” she said. “I was not okay with abortions.”
In a roll call earlier in the RNC, 43 delegates from Oklahoma threw their support behind Trump.
Everyone FBO spoke to at the convention insisted a Trump presidency would be a benefit to the Sooner state, whether they are white businessmen or Black female clergy. However, Oklahomans at the Convention believe he will deliver — somehow, some way.
KOSU News Director Robby Korth assisted in compiling this report.
