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Dennis Baker

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This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Dennis Baker
Image of Dennis Baker
Elections and appointments
Last election

April 1, 2025

Education

Bachelor's

University of Tulsa, 1977

Law

University of Tulsa, 1988

Personal
Birthplace
Claremore, Okla.
Religion
United Methodist
Profession
Special agent
Contact

Dennis Baker (Democratic Party) ran in a special election to the Oklahoma House of Representatives to represent District 71. He lost in the special Democratic primary on April 1, 2025.

Biography

Dennis Baker was born in Claremore, Oklahoma. Baker earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Tulsa in 1977 and a law degree from the University of Tulsa in 1988. His career experience includes overseeing security at Sandia National Laboratories and working as an FBI special agent, a police officer, and a lawyer.[1][2]

Elections

2025

See also: Oklahoma state legislative special elections, 2025

General election

Special general election for Oklahoma House of Representatives District 71

Amanda Clinton defeated Beverly Atteberry in the special general election for Oklahoma House of Representatives District 71 on June 10, 2025.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Amanda Clinton
Amanda Clinton (D)
 
84.7
 
1,805
Image of Beverly Atteberry
Beverly Atteberry (R)
 
15.3
 
326

Total votes: 2,131
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary runoff election

Special Republican primary runoff for Oklahoma House of Representatives District 71

Beverly Atteberry defeated Tania Garza in the special Republican primary runoff for Oklahoma House of Representatives District 71 on May 13, 2025.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Beverly Atteberry
Beverly Atteberry
 
66.2
 
147
Image of Tania Garza
Tania Garza
 
33.8
 
75

Total votes: 222
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Special Democratic primary for Oklahoma House of Representatives District 71

Amanda Clinton defeated Dennis Baker, Ben Riggs, and Hudson Harder in the special Democratic primary for Oklahoma House of Representatives District 71 on April 1, 2025.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Amanda Clinton
Amanda Clinton
 
51.3
 
1,146
Image of Dennis Baker
Dennis Baker
 
26.3
 
587
Image of Ben Riggs
Ben Riggs
 
16.2
 
363
Image of Hudson Harder
Hudson Harder Candidate Connection
 
6.3
 
140

Total votes: 2,236
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Special Republican primary for Oklahoma House of Representatives District 71

Beverly Atteberry and Tania Garza advanced to a runoff. They defeated Heidemarie Fuentes in the special Republican primary for Oklahoma House of Representatives District 71 on April 1, 2025.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Beverly Atteberry
Beverly Atteberry
 
48.6
 
219
Image of Tania Garza
Tania Garza
 
29.3
 
132
Heidemarie Fuentes
 
22.2
 
100

Total votes: 451
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Baker received the following endorsements.

2024

See also: Oklahoma's 1st Congressional District election, 2024

Oklahoma's 1st Congressional District election, 2024 (June 18 Republican primary)

Oklahoma's 1st Congressional District election, 2024 (June 18 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Oklahoma District 1

Incumbent Kevin Hern defeated Dennis Baker and Mark Sanders in the general election for U.S. House Oklahoma District 1 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Kevin Hern
Kevin Hern (R)
 
60.4
 
188,832
Image of Dennis Baker
Dennis Baker (D) Candidate Connection
 
34.5
 
107,903
Image of Mark Sanders
Mark Sanders (Independent) Candidate Connection
 
5.0
 
15,766

Total votes: 312,501
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Oklahoma District 1

Dennis Baker defeated Evelyn Rogers in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Oklahoma District 1 on June 18, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Dennis Baker
Dennis Baker Candidate Connection
 
59.2
 
8,527
Evelyn Rogers
 
40.8
 
5,871

Total votes: 14,398
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Oklahoma District 1

Incumbent Kevin Hern defeated Paul Royse in the Republican primary for U.S. House Oklahoma District 1 on June 18, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Kevin Hern
Kevin Hern
 
87.0
 
30,244
Image of Paul Royse
Paul Royse
 
13.0
 
4,504

Total votes: 34,748
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Baker in this election.

2022

See also: United States Senate election in Oklahoma, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Oklahoma

Incumbent James Lankford defeated Madison Horn, Michael Delaney, and Kenneth Blevins in the general election for U.S. Senate Oklahoma on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of James Lankford
James Lankford (R)
 
64.3
 
739,960
Image of Madison Horn
Madison Horn (D) Candidate Connection
 
32.1
 
369,370
Image of Michael Delaney
Michael Delaney (Independent) Candidate Connection
 
1.8
 
20,907
Image of Kenneth Blevins
Kenneth Blevins (L) Candidate Connection
 
1.8
 
20,495

Total votes: 1,150,732
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary runoff election

Democratic primary runoff for U.S. Senate Oklahoma

Madison Horn defeated Jason Bollinger in the Democratic primary runoff for U.S. Senate Oklahoma on August 23, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Madison Horn
Madison Horn Candidate Connection
 
65.5
 
60,929
Image of Jason Bollinger
Jason Bollinger Candidate Connection
 
34.5
 
32,121

Total votes: 93,050
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Oklahoma

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Oklahoma on June 28, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Madison Horn
Madison Horn Candidate Connection
 
37.2
 
60,691
Image of Jason Bollinger
Jason Bollinger Candidate Connection
 
16.8
 
27,374
Image of Dennis Baker
Dennis Baker Candidate Connection
 
13.8
 
22,467
Image of Jo Glenn
Jo Glenn Candidate Connection
 
13.0
 
21,198
Image of Brandon Wade
Brandon Wade Candidate Connection
 
12.2
 
19,986
Image of Arya Azma
Arya Azma
 
7.0
 
11,478

Total votes: 163,194
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Oklahoma

Incumbent James Lankford defeated Jackson Lahmeyer and Joan Farr in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Oklahoma on June 28, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of James Lankford
James Lankford
 
67.8
 
243,132
Image of Jackson Lahmeyer
Jackson Lahmeyer
 
26.4
 
94,572
Image of Joan Farr
Joan Farr
 
5.8
 
20,761

Total votes: 358,465
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Libertarian primary election

The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Kenneth Blevins advanced from the Libertarian primary for U.S. Senate Oklahoma.

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Dennis Baker did not complete Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey.

2024

Candidate Connection

Dennis Baker completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Baker's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I am a native Oklahoman who served as both a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and a Police Officer with the Tulsa Police Department. I hold both a B.A. and a J.D. from the University of Tulsa. I currently practice law in Tulsa where I reside with my wife Wanda.
  • I'm running for office to make the lives of Oklahomans better. I believe everyone deserves the opportunity to hold a job that pays a living wage, that we should be able to send our children to a good public school and to an affordable college, and we should be able to go to a doctor when we're sick and not worry we won't be able to pay the bill. I'll fight for a safe community and our fundamental rights.
  • Our country is deeply divided by political partisanship because politicians demonize groups for political gain. In the meantime, our most pressing problems are going unaddressed - let alone solved. I'm running for office as a candidate who will place country over politics and work to solve problems - not create them. At a time when democracy is being challenged around the world and at home, when our institutions are under attack by far-right extremists, when economic opportunity is receding for most Americans - we need leadership willing to face these problems, willing to compromise when necessary, and willing to work in the interests of the American people rather than a political party.
  • I'm running to win this election and ensure a Democratic majority for the 119th Congress. A Democratic Congress will be able to pass legislation that continues to invest in clean energy, protects our environment, invests in building affordable housing, rebuilds our public schools and expands access to affordable health care. I'll support our fundamental right to health care and our constitutional right to privacy by working to codify the provisions of Roe v. Wade into federal law and pass the Equality Act. I'll work to strengthen Social Security and Medicare rather than cutting it. That means fighting Republican efforts to raise the Social Security retirement age and cut Medicare benefits.
I'll work to pass the Protect the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act) - the most comprehensive pro-union bill in a generation that protects the rights of workers to bargain for fair wages. I'll work to pass the Raise the Minimum Wage bill and will support efforts to bring critical industries back to America and create thousands of highly skilled, high paying jobs. I'll support the continued investment in our infrastructure to include the building of high-speed rail between Tulsa and Oklahoma City. I'll fight to ensure every working family is earning a living wage but for those struggling for upward mobility, I'll work to pass the Child Care for Working Families Act and pass a universal National School Lunch Program.
I look up to Will Rogers, who was a cowboy, actor, humorist, Democrat and Oklahoman. I'd like to follow the example he set for representing the view of the average American and his love of America. He personified the American Dream of upward mobility and progress.
Insight into my political philosophy can be gained by reading President Franklin Roosevelt's "Four Freedoms" speech. He gave the speech during his State of the Union Address on January 6, 1941 when Europe was falling to Nazi Germany and Britain needed America's support. Today, democracy is under assault around the world and at home, our institutions are under attack by far-right extremists, and economic opportunity is receding for most Americans. We need leadership willing to face these problems, willing to compromise when necessary, and willing to work in the interests of the American people rather than a political party. In 1941, the American people stood as one and with great sacrifice defended democracy. We won't let that sacrifice be in vain.
The core responsibilities for this office are contained in the "Oath" of office and it can be simply stated as this: Uphold the Constitution and protect the American people.
I would like my legacy to be that I helped America's public schools achieve world-class status, helped make college affordable for everyone, and brought first-class health care to every American.
I'm encouraging everyone to read "Our Malady - Lessons in Liberty from a Hospital Bed" by Timothy Snyder. This is Snyder's personal story of illness and how dealing with our system of commercial medicine almost killed him. I like it because it illuminates our broken health care system from a personal level. Health care is a fundamental right and I'm running for office to do everything in my power to fix it.
Our country is deeply divided by political partisanship because politicians demonize groups for political gain and the media demonize them for ratings. In the meantime, our most pressing problems are going unaddressed - let alone solved. At the same time, democracy is being challenged around the world and at home, our institutions are under attack by far-right extremists, and economic opportunity is receding for most Americans. American's greatest challenge will be to elect political leaders willing to face these problems, willing to compromise when necessary, and willing to work in the interests of the American people rather than a political party. My pledge is to be one of those leaders.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign website

Baker's campaign website stated the following:

Expand America's Middle Class

  • Support jobs that pay a living wage
  • Support creation of high-tech jobs in Oklahoma
  • Support infrastructure investment to bring good paying jobs
  • Increase affordable housing for working families
  • Stop the outsourcing of America's critical industries to China and bring those industries back to Oklahoma

Education

  • Adequately fund public schools
  • Ensure public school teachers receive a living wage that can compete with any state
  • Eliminate public school teacher staffing shortages by reimbursing tuition and offering retention bonuses
  • Deliver broadband access to all students
  • Make college affordable

Healthcare

  • Everyone should have access to quality Healthcare
  • Ensure Medicare covers more and costs less
  • Protect the law that allows Medicare to negotiate drug prices and lower the cost of prescription drugs
  • Ensure our Veterans receive the quality medical care they earned

Social Security

  • Ensure Social Security keeps up with the cost of living, the benefits are never cut, and funding is never privatized

America's Border

  • Ensure America's borders are secure, especially against transnational criminal activity

Constitutional Rights

  • Support the Women’s Health Protection Act that will codify Roe v. Wade at the federal level
  • Support tribal sovereignty as established by the U.S. Supreme Court in McGirt v. Oklahoma[3]
—Dennis Baker's campaign website (2024)[4]

2022

Candidate Connection

Dennis Baker completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Baker's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I am an attorney and law enforcement professional. I was born in Claremore, Oklahoma and grew up in Okmulgee and Sapulpa. I served as a Tulsa Police Officer and an FBI Special Agent. I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree and my Juris Doctor from the University of Tulsa. I’m a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association. In the FBI, I served in the FBI's Senior Executive Service as a Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s St. Louis Division. I served in FBI offices across the country including Charlotte, Phoenix, Sacramento, St. Louis, and FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. I investigated violent crime, kidnappings, drug trafficking, and oversaw international and domestic terrorism cases, counterintelligence cases and intelligence collection and investigative efforts directed against Al-Qaeda. Most recently, I oversaw security at Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, California whose primary mission included maintaining the reliability and surety of our nation's nuclear weapons.
  • Too many families are going without medical care because they can’t afford it. I’ll fix our broken health care system and expand Medicare to all who want it. When families have a medical emergency, I want them to be able to focus on what’s medically right and not whether they’re going to go bankrupt.
  • I’ll work to ensure our public schools are funded and that all students have broadband access and can attend affordable colleges. I'll ensure teachers receive a living wage. I’ll fix teacher staffing shortages by reimbursing tuition and offering retention bonuses to keep good teachers in the classroom.
  • I'll support Oklahoma’s energy economy and when markets shift to renewable energy, work to bring those high-tech jobs and industry to Oklahoma. I’ll make sure America stops outsourcing its critical industries to China and moves those jobs back to America. It’s vital to our national security.
I am passionate about developing and supporting public policy that ensures Oklahomans have an opportunity to hold a job that pays a living wage so they can afford their own home, that ensures Oklahomans can send their children to a good public school and to an affordable college, and that Oklahomans are able to go to the doctor when they’re sick and not worry that they won’t be able to pay the bill. Oklahomans should be able to live in a safe community and be able to exercise their democratic rights and responsibilities. My public policy decisions will be based on the belief that our country is more important than any political ideology. Every decision I make will be based on whether it will make these things true for all Oklahomans.

I look up to Will Rogers, who was a cowboy, actor, humorist, Democrat and Oklahoman. I'd like to follow the example he set for representing the view of the average American and his love of America. He personified the American Dream of upward mobility and progress.
I believe that our country is more important than any political ideology. I believe that our democracy is our nation's most valuable gift and that this idea of representative government is what makes America exceptional. It gives us purpose and gives us a future and we should defend it at all costs.
I would like my legacy to be that I helped America's public schools achieve world-class status, helped make college affordable for everyone, and brought first-class health care to every American.
Our Malady - Lessons in Liberty from a Hospital Bed by Timothy Snyder is Snyder's personal story of illness and how dealing with our system of commercial medicine almost killed him. I like it because it illuminates our broken health care system from a personal level.
The United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade will be confronting the rise of aggressive authoritarian regimes like Russia and China and protecting democracy while maintaining world peace. Domestically, the greatest challenge will be rebuilding American's middle class which will be vital to strengthening America's democracy.
I believe that previous experience in government could be beneficial for senators since knowledge of the role and limits of government would help in drafting legislation. I also believe that knowledge of the law would be beneficial since drafting new laws is essentially what senators do. Overall, I believe that the senate should have members with a diverse range of backgrounds and experience to better represent the American people.
When confirming presidential appointees my main criteria would be ensuring the appointee is qualified and has personal and professional integrity.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign website

Baker's campaign website stated the following:

Expand America's Middle Class

  • Support jobs that pay a living wage
  • Support creation of high-tech jobs in Oklahoma
  • Support infrastructure investment to bring good paying jobs
  • Increase affordable housing for working families
  • Stop the outsourcing of America's critical industries to China and bring those industries back to Oklahoma

Education

  • Adequately fund public schools
  • Ensure public school teachers receive a living wage that can compete with any state
  • Eliminate public school teacher staffing shortages by reimbursing tuition and offering retention bonuses
  • Deliver broadband access to all students
  • Make college affordable

Healthcare

  • Expand Medicare to all who want it
  • Ensure Medicare covers more and costs less
  • Change the law to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices and lower the cost of prescription drugs
  • Ensure our Veterans receive the quality medical care they earned

Social Security

  • Ensure Social Security keeps up with the cost of living, the benefits are never cut, and funding is never privatized

America's Border

  • Ensure America's borders are secure, especially against transnational criminal activity

Constitutional Rights

  • Support the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act making election day a holiday, requiring voter-verifiable paper ballots, and prohibiting partisan gerrymandering
  • Support the Women’s Health Protection Act that will codify Roe v. Wade at the federal level
  • Support tribal sovereignty as established by the U.S. Supreme Court in McGirt v. Oklahoma[3]
—Dennis Baker's campaign website (2022)[5]

Campaign finance summary


Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.


Dennis Baker campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* U.S. House Oklahoma District 1Lost general$376,398 $208,545
2022U.S. Senate OklahomaLost primary$14,406 $12,665
Grand total$390,804 $221,210
Sources: OpenSecretsFederal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on April 24, 2022
  2. Dennis Baker US Senate, "Meet Dennis Baker," accessed July 13, 2022
  3. 3.0 3.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  4. DENNIS BAKER FOR CONGRESS, “Home,” accessed June 11, 2024
  5. Dennis Baker US Senate, “Home,” accessed July 6, 2022


Current members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Kyle Hilbert
Majority Leader:Mark Lawson
Representatives
District 1
District 2
Jim Olsen (R)
District 3
Rick West (R)
District 4
District 5
Josh West (R)
District 6
District 7
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Tom Gann (R)
District 9
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John Kane (R)
District 12
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Neil Hays (R)
District 14
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Jim Grego (R)
District 18
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District 32
Jim Shaw (R)
District 33
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Dick Lowe (R)
District 57
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Rob Hall (R)
District 68
Mike Lay (R)
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T. Marti (R)
District 76
Ross Ford (R)
District 77
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Stan May (R)
District 81
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Republican Party (80)
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Vacancies (1)