The new congressman from Oklahoma’s 5th District is James Lankford, a Republican elected in 2010 to succeed two-term GOP Rep. Mary Fallin, who ran successfully for governor. Read More

The new congressman from Oklahoma’s 5th District is James Lankford, a Republican elected in 2010 to succeed two-term GOP Rep. Mary Fallin, who ran successfully for governor.

Lankford grew up impoverished in Dallas. His parents divorced when he was only 4 years old and he, his mother, and his older brother were forced to move into the garage behind his grandparents’ house. Lankford says he became a follower of Christ when he was 8 years old, and that his religion has helped him endure tough times since then. When he was 12, his mother, an elementary school librarian, remarried and the family moved to Garland, a Dallas suburb.

Lankford went on to graduate from the University of Texas with a degree in secondary education, specializing in speech and history. He then attended the Southwestern Theological Baptist Seminary in Fort Worth, where he earned a master’s degree in divinity. At that time, he began dating his now-wife, Cindy, whom he had known since high school and who was also studying for a master’s degree. In 1995, Lankford moved to Oklahoma City and began working for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. A year later, he was made director of the Falls Creek Christian youth summer camp, which touts itself as the largest summer camp in the country. He was in charge of organizing and coordinating activities for more than 50,000 campers each summer. He served there until 2009, when he resigned to run for Congress.

Lankford announced on Facebook that he was running for Fallin’s open seat and he used the social-networking site as a messaging tool. In the Republican primary in July, former state Rep. Kevin Calvey had the backing of national Republicans, but Lankford was able to keep pace with him in fundraising. With grassroots support largely among the Christian community, Lankford came out ahead in the initial voting with 34% to Calvey’s 32%. In the August runoff, Lankford won a stunning 65%. He benefited in part from an endorsement from The Oklahoman, which described him as “a solid conservative but not a reactionary. He doesn’t substitute ideology for intelligence.”

After the runoff, Lankford made headlines when he began taking a salary out of campaign funds, citing dwindling family resources. Federal regulations permit primary winners to be paid from campaign money if the payments are no more than they received from their jobs in the previous year or no more than the office that they’re seeking pays, whichever is less.

Lankford’s Democratic opponent was lawyer Billy Coyle, an Oklahoma City attorney and former Marine sergeant. He sought to distance himself from the Obama administration in an attempt to win support in this conservative district, but was badly underfunded. He raised $363,000 to Lankford’s $1.2 million. Lankford won easily, 62.5% to 34.5%, with two minor candidates splitting the rest.