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Forrest Welch Bennett
Assistant Minority Leader of the Oklahoma House of Representatives
In office
January 2021 – January 2023
Preceded by Shane Stone
Succeeded by Melissa Provenzano
Assistant Minority Floor Leader of the Oklahoma House of Representatives
In office
January 2019 – January 2021
Succeeded by John Waldron
Member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives
from the 92nd district
Assumed office
November 17, 2016
Preceded by Richard Morrissette
Personal details
Born (1989-08-13) August 13, 1989 (age 34)
Bartlesville, Oklahoma, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Education University of Oklahoma ( BA, MPA)

Forrest Welch Bennett (born August 13, 1989) is an American politician who has served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from the 92nd district since 2016. [1] [2]

Early life

Bennett was born on August 13, 1989, in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, to Kevin and Cindy Bennett. [3] He graduated from Bartlesville High School in 2008 and enrolled at the University of Oklahoma. [3] While at OU, Bennett was involved with student government, including the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature, [4] and ran for OU student body president in 2011. [5] He graduated from OU with a bachelor's degree in political science in 2012 and completed his master's in public administration in 2016. [6] Following graduation, Bennett worked for a political consulting firm [3] and the public education advocacy group Stand For Children. [7] [3]

Political career

In 2016, Bennett was one of three Democratic candidates who filed in Oklahoma House District 92 to replace Richard Morrissette, who could not run for re-election due to term limits. [8] During the campaign, Bennett made headlines for having his vehicle stolen while campaigning. [9] After securing his party's nomination, Bennett defeated Republican challenger Joe Griffin to win his seat. [10]

Bennett ran unopposed for re-election in 2018. [11]

Personal life

Bennett has two brothers, and stated “(g)rowing up as the middle child among three brothers has definitely helped me to understand the importance of compromise and negotiation.” [3] Bennett is married to OKCPS board member Meg McElhaney [12]

Election Results

2016 Oklahoma House District 92 General Election November 8, 2016
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Forrest Bennett 3,263 60.54
Republican Joe Griffin 2,127 39.46

References

  1. ^ "Forrest Bennett wins seat in diverse House District 92". Newsok.com. 2016-11-08. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  2. ^ "Representative Forrest Bennett". Okhouse.gov. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Bartlesville man runs for legislature in OKC". Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise. 2016-01-24. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
  4. ^ "THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA OKLAHOMA INTERCOLLEGIATE LEGISLATURE DELEGATION". Retrieved 2020-04-06.
  5. ^ "UOSA candidates Forrest and Katherine discuss goals". 2011-03-07. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
  6. ^ "Bennett to take Bartlesville heritage to Capitol". 2016-12-27. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
  7. ^ "Bennett's past connection to controversial Common Core group draws questions". 2015-06-03. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
  8. ^ "Two Oklahoma House candidates have arrest records". 2016-06-27. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
  9. ^ "Candidate for Oklahoma house representative has car stolen while campaigning". 2016-05-02. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
  10. ^ "Oklahoma 92nd District State House Results Forrest Bennett Wins". 2017-08-01. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
  11. ^ "Governor's Race Tops Oklahoma Candidate Filings". 2018-04-13. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
  12. ^ "Oklahoma City School Board appoints newest member". 2019-11-22. Retrieved 2020-04-06.