The House Republican Caucus today elected Rep. Charles McCall of Atoka as Speaker-designate.
His opponent was Earl Sears of Bartlesville.
McCall, 46, was elected in 2012. He was mayor of Atoka and previously served as a councilman. He is the CEO of AmeriState Bank in Atoka.
The Caucus votes by secret ballot. The race between McCall and Sears has, by all accounts, been civil. The two are friends and Sears immediately pledged his support for McCall.
“I am so grateful for the support of my colleagues in the Republican caucus,” said McCall. “This is an incredible privilege, and I am looking forward to the challenge of leading this chamber in the future. But my focus for the next month is on working with my colleagues and current leadership in the House to solve the budget challenges in front of us. Time and again, House Republicans have proven capable of unifying and solving problems on behalf of Oklahomans, and I am confident we will do that again.”
McCall currently serves as the chairman of the House Appropriations & Budget Subcommittee on Revenue and Taxation. He also currently serves as the CEO and Board Chairman of AmeriState Bank in Atoka. He earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Oklahoma and completed the banking program at the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Colorado.
McCall would be the first Republican Speaker from Southeastern Oklahoma. He represents House District 22 and was first elected in 2012. Prior to running for the House of Representatives, he served as Mayor of Atoka from 2005 to 2012.
McCall and his wife, Stephanie Ann (Hays) McCall, have been married for 22 years after meeting on a blind date at the University of Oklahoma. Stephanie is a former teacher in the Atoka Public School System. The McCalls and their two sons, Chase and Carson, attend Cornerstone Church in Atoka, where Rep. McCall serves as a church elder and teacher.
After the November elections, House Republicans will hold a second election with the new members to select a Speaker-elect. Since voters handed Republicans control of the House in 2005, every Speaker-designate has been confirmed in the Speaker-elect race in November.
