John Croisant

John Croisant is a member of the Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education in Oklahoma, representing District 5. He assumed office on July 7, 2020. His current term ends in 2028.

Croisant (Democratic Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Oklahoma's 1st Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.^[source]

Croisant completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

John Croisant was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He earned a high school diploma from Jenks High School and a bachelor's degree from the University of Tulsa in 1999. His career experience includes owning an insurance agency, teaching social studies at Edison Prep, and coaching soccer. Croisant has been affiliated with the Rotary Club of Tulsa and the Tulsa Regional Chamber.^[1]

Elections

2026

Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated to separate general election candidates from primary candidates as appropriate.

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for U.S. House Oklahoma District 1

Incumbent Kevin Hern, John Croisant, Erica Watkins, and Ryan Parschauer are running in the general election for U.S. House Oklahoma District 1 on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Kevin Hern (R)
		John Croisant (D)
		Erica Watkins (D)
	Submit photo	Ryan Parschauer (Independent)

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= 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 is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

2024

General election

General election for Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education District 5

Incumbent John Croisant defeated Teresa Pena in the general election for Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education District 5 on April 2, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Croisant (Nonpartisan)	77.7	3,365
	Submit photo	Teresa Pena (Nonpartisan)	22.3	967

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,332
= 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.

Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. Incumbent John Croisant and Teresa Pena advanced from the primary for Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education District 5.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Alan Staab (Nonpartisan)

Endorsements

Croisant received the following endorsements.

Protect TPS

2020

General election

General election for Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education District 5

John Croisant defeated Shane Saunders in the general election for Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education District 5 on June 30, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Croisant (Nonpartisan)	52.4	6,097
	Submit photo	Shane Saunders (Nonpartisan)	47.6	5,530

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 11,627
= 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.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education District 5

John Croisant and Shane Saunders defeated Scott Pendleton, Kelsey Royce, and Ben Croff (Unofficially withdrew) in the primary for Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education District 5 on February 11, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Croisant (Nonpartisan)	43.8	1,065
✔	Submit photo	Shane Saunders (Nonpartisan)	26.1	633
	Submit photo	Scott Pendleton (Nonpartisan)	16.5	401
	Submit photo	Kelsey Royce (Nonpartisan)	12.9	313
	Submit photo	Ben Croff (Nonpartisan) (Unofficially withdrew)	0.7	17

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,429
= 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.

2016

See also: Oklahoma House of Representatives elections, 2016

Elections for the Oklahoma House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 28, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was April 15, 2016. Incumbent Pam Peterson (R) did not seek re-election.

Scott McEachin defeated Lori Decter Wright and Zac Davis in the Oklahoma House of Representatives District 67 general election.^[2]

Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 67 General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Scott McEachin	69.37%	13,951
	Democratic	Lori Decter Wright	26.22%	5,274
	Libertarian	Zac Davis	4.41%	887
Total Votes				20,112
Source: Oklahoma State Election Board

Lori Decter Wright ran unopposed in the Oklahoma House of Representatives District 67 Democratic primary.^[3]^[4]

Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 67 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Democratic	Lori Decter Wright (unopposed)

Scott McEachin and Tom McCloud defeated John T. Croisant in the Oklahoma House of Representatives District 67 Republican primary.^[3]^[4]

Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 67 Republican Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Scott McEachin	40.49%	2,385
	Republican	Tom McCloud	34.87%	2,054
	Republican	John T. Croisant	24.63%	1,451
Total Votes				5,890

Scott McEachin defeated Tom McCloud in the Oklahoma House of Representatives District 67 Republican primary runoff.^[5]

Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 67 Republican Primary Runoff, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Scott McEachin	56.44%	1,928
	Republican	Tom McCloud	43.56%	1,488
Total Votes				3,416

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

John Croisant completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Croisant's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am uniquely qualified to tackle the challenges facing our communities. As a former teacher, coach, local businessman, and dedicated community volunteer, I understand the importance of strong leadership that puts people first. Most importantly, I am a parent who knows that the future of our country depends on the opportunities we create for the next generation. In Congress, I will fight for what is best for our families, our schools, and our economy.

As a parent, I know that real solutions come from listening to families. I will work to ensure that our government is accountable, transparent, and responsive to the people it serves. I will stand up for policies that strengthen education, lower costs for working families, and create a brighter future for our children.

As a former teacher at Edison Prep, I know firsthand how vital it is to invest in education. I am committed to supporting teachers, students, and parents to ensure every child has access to a quality education, regardless of their zip code.

My experience as a coach has taught me the power of teamwork and perseverance. In Congress, I will fight to protect funding for essential programs, including healthcare, housing, childcare, education, infrastructure, and job training, ensuring that every American has the tools to succeed.

I am ready to bring common-sense leadership to Washington. I will fight for hardworking Oklahomans and ensure that our voices are heard.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

The affordability crisis is a nation wide issue, but is hurting Oklahomans greatly. The rising costs of healthcare, housing, childcare and other essentials are skyrocketing at a pace that working class Oklahomans cannot keep up with. Americans were promised lower costs, but our current administration is doing nothing to help hard-working Oklahomans and our seniors.
I will fight for better education outcomes for Oklahoma students because being 50th in education is not acceptable. First, ensuring the Department of Education is not shut down. Second, I will hold Dept. of Ed. accountable for the outcomes of our students. I will achieve this by bringing federal dollars to local school districts to improve outcomes and giving local districts control over how to use funds to best support their students. Lastly, we will have the Dept. of Ed. recruit and retain teachers because we have a national teacher shortage. We should be addressing this at a local, state, and federal level, to ensure our students are getting the best education possible.
People in Washington D.C. do not care about people in Oklahoma. We need to ensure our federal dollars are being controlled locally. This ensures the best possible outcomes for Oklahomans. As your representative, I will fight to bring back essential programs around infrastructure, economic development, and help working Oklahomans whether they be in our cities, suburbs, or in our farming communities.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about improving educational outcomes, as a former teacher and current school board member. Serving students has also showed me how outside influences have an impact on our students. Due to this perspective, I have seen the impact of poverty and how it effects students success and overall safety. When we fight for families to have access to affordable childcare, housing, healthcare, and food we are ensuring our students will be more successful. Also as a fifth generation Oklahoma small business owner, I am supportive of helping small businesses thrive. The majority of our workers are employed by small businesses and we do not do enough to support them.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

To represent your constituents.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To work to improve the lives of every Oklahoman.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Political divisiveness and inability to think strategically.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I believe in term limits and will not serve more than 3 terms in the House of Representatives.

What is an accomplishment that you are proud of?

I am proud to represent 34,000 students, 5,500 employees and Tulsans on the Tulsa School Board.

What role should the United States government have in the development or use of artificial intelligence?

There needs to be a discussion and regulations regarding AI and data centers.

What legislation would you enact related to election administration in the United States?

End super PACs.

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.

2024

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

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a former teacher and coach at Edison and a current parent of an Edison student. I currently own my own small insurance business. I am currently serving on the board as vice president, am head of the finance committee, and represent Tulsa Public Schools as a director on the Oklahoma State School Board Association.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I am focused on student outcomes. When I started on the board there was one discussion a year about student outcomes. Now the board discusses student outcomes once a month. I also helped introduce a new strategic plan, focused on reading proficiency and college and career readiness.
Tulsa needs board members that will fight for local control of TPS. The state has used accreditation as a weapon to try and take over TPS and by focusing on student outcomes the board needs to fight to maintain local control of our district.
Tulsa Public Schools is for every student, no matter their economic situation, religious beliefs, ethnicity, cultural background, or beliefs. Every student needs to feel safe in TPS and feel loved.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about supporting public education. Politics needs to be left out of the discussion about public schools and they should be funded fully. Oklahoma has neglected to keep up with funding education for decades since the passage of HB 1017 and lags behind other states in the US due to this lack of investment. We have caught up to the regional average for teacher pay, but lag behind in the number of teachers and staff in our buildings, leaving our students in over packed classrooms. If Oklahoma invests in public education, our 700,000 public school students will all benefit.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I have a political science and secondary social studies degrees from the University of Tulsa. I have learned that the US and

Oklahoma specifically have very rich and at times difficult histories. I look up to my family that are 4 generations of Oklahoma

small business men and women that also gave back to society and believed in education and the arts. i also look up to leaders that did what was best for others, over what was best for them personally, even if it had a cost. You see a history of great Americans that have made sacrifices for the better good, like Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D Roosevelt, John F Kennedy, or Martin Luther King Jr. Americans need to support leaders that are reasonable and work to find a way to do what is best for all Americans.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

"Great on Their Behalf" by AJ Crabill.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, respect, humbleness, listening, and hard work.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I was a 6th grade geography teacher and a high school girls soccer coach for 12 years and now own a small business. That has taught me patience and how to get people to work together.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Selecting and holding the superintendent accountable for student outcomes, making sure to do the legal obligations of a school board member, and showing up to meetings prepared.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want to leave TPS with better student outcomes and a culture of supporting TPS as an entire Tulsa community.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I always loved playing outside and running. Since I could stand.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I was a soccer referee and a bus boy at Charlie Mitchell's. I had those jobs while I was in high school.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Killers of the Flower Moon and Twelve Years a Slave are my favorite books. You can't read either book without being angry and wanting to do more to support and better understand other cultures.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Batman.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

#41 by Dave Matthews Band

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Trying to do too much.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

To hire the superintendent, listen and share the values of the community and fulfill all of the legal budgetary and other state requirements.

Who are your constituents?

Tulsa Public Schools District 5 residents and all 34,000 TPS Students.

How would you support the diverse needs of your district’s students, faculty, staff, and community?

The board created a strategic plan that includes guardrails to insure we do not sacrifice our values, in order to just achieve better student outcomes. I also feel it is important to recognize as a board our diversity as a district and use it as a strength for our Tulsa
community.

How will you build relationships with members of the broader community? Which groups, organizations, stakeholders will you specifically target?

I am a member of the Tulsa Rotary and a parent of a student in my district. I make sure to be involved in as many organizations, non-profits, and attend as many school and community events as possible, in order to hear from the community.

What constitutes good teaching? How will you measure this? How will you support advanced teaching approaches?

I spent over 16 years in the classroom and am in my 26th year coaching. Having a professional teacher that is prepared, knows their subject, and cares about their students is paramount to a quality education. Using our strategic plan, we monitor to make sure that the teaching methods we are using are leading to the correct outcomes. If they are not, then it is up to the district to pivot. It is not the board's responsibility to come up with how to teach students or to set standards.

In what areas would you like to expand curriculum? For example, do you see a need for advanced technical training or apprenticeships? What sort of innovative programming would you advance if given the opportunity?

With our strategic plan we are focused on college and career readiness for high school students. We are offering more vocational programs through Tulsa Tech and at school, concurrent enrollment with TCC, as well as an associates for students in the Edge program at Memorial and McClain, and more AP and IB classes to students in every school.

What strategies or plans would you advance to ensure the schools are properly funded?

Funding comes from local, state, and federal dollars, as well as donated funds. Tulsa is a very giving city and citizens have donated and passed bonds for the district for over 20 years, that helps fund programs for our students and the materials they need to be successful. I have worked with other entities to call for additional state and federal funding and the district needs to keep
working with local, state, and federal leaders to make sure we are providing our students all of the resources we can give them to be successful.

What principles drive your policies for safety in schools?

All students should feel safe at school. Understanding each students needs and caring for them will keep them safer from bullying, harming others, or themselves. However, in the world we live in we also need to put resources to technology to keep our
students safe with bond dollars, as well as security to make sure students and staff can concrete on learning.

How might you support the mental health needs of students/faculty/staff?

I have supported additional counseling for students and staff. The more resources we can give students and staff, the better the outcomes we will see and the safer our schools will be. Much of the issues students and staff face aren't always centered around what happens at school. SO, offering families services through the schools can help the whole community.

Tell us your favorite joke.

Make like a tomato and ketchup.

What existing district policies would you like to change, or what new policies would you like to implement?

I would like to see more community involvement with our local schools to help student outcomes and for the political divisiveness and disruption to stop.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Many Tulsans. I am blessed to have widespread support.

Describe your ideal learning environment for students.

We need an environment that is safe, respects, all students for who they are, and is focused on meeting goals that are not only grade appropriate, but meets students at the point they are starting, whether it be as as a student that needs additional supports or for our gifted and talented students.

How do you feel like your school district handled the coronavirus pandemic? What, if anything, would you do differently in the future?

We did the best we could with the data to keep kids safe and are now using every resource we have been given to help students catch up with the learning loss that all students across the country faced during the pandemic.

What will you do to build a relationship with parents in the district?

I am very accessible and respond to all emails, along with attending a number of events to get feedback from parents and the community.

What are your preferred strategies for faculty, staff, and administration recruitment?

I support the district in looking within our community and outside to recruit teachers and staff to our district.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

I believe government organizations should follow all laws for transparency and accountability.

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.

2020

John Croisant did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2016

Croisant's campaign website highlighted the following issues:

“	Education is the foundation which we build our community on. It is time for strong leadership that is going to put education first today, to insure the success of Oklahoma tomorrow. Our State’s next generation of job-creators are in school right now, so let’s make sure they have the tools and opportunities to succeed.^[6]	”
—John Croisant^[7]

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.

John Croisant campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2026*	U.S. House Oklahoma District 1	Candidacy Declared general	$47,829	$11,086
Grand total			$47,829	$11,086
Sources: OpenSecrets, Federal 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

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

U.S. House Oklahoma District 1

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on November 21, 2025
↑ Oklahoma State Election Board, "Federal, State, Legislative and Judicial Races General Election — November 8, 2016," accessed November 28, 2016
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 Oklahoma State Election Board, "2016 Candidate List Book (Official List of Candidates)," accessed April 18, 2016
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 Oklahoma State Election Board, "Official Results - Primary Election," accessed August 2, 2016
↑ Oklahoma State Election Board, “Official results for runoff primary races — August 23, 2016,” accessed May 2, 2017
↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
↑ John Croisant, "Meet John," accessed June 23, 2016

[show]

Oklahoma's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

James Lankford (R)

Markwayne Mullin (R)

Representatives

District 1

Kevin Hern (R)

District 2

Josh Brecheen (R)

District 3

Frank Lucas (R)

District 4

Tom Cole (R)

District 5

Stephanie Bice (R)

Republican Party (7)

[1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on November 21, 2025

[2] Oklahoma State Election Board, "Federal, State, Legislative and Judicial Races General Election — November 8, 2016," accessed November 28, 2016

[plist16-3] 3.0 ^3.1 Oklahoma State Election Board, "2016 Candidate List Book (Official List of Candidates)," accessed April 18, 2016

[presults16-4] 4.0 ^4.1 Oklahoma State Election Board, "Official Results - Primary Election," accessed August 2, 2016

[5] Oklahoma State Election Board, “Official results for runoff primary races — August 23, 2016,” accessed May 2, 2017

[quotedisclaimer-6] Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

[7] John Croisant, "Meet John," accessed June 23, 2016

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

	v • e State of Oklahoma Oklahoma City (capital)
Elections	What's on my ballot? \| Elections in 2025 \| How to vote \| How to run for office \| Ballot measures
Government	Who represents me? \| U.S. President \| U.S. Congress \| Federal courts \| State executives \| State legislature \| State and local courts \| Counties \| Cities \| School districts \| Public policy

John Croisant

Biography

Elections

2026

General election

General election for U.S. House Oklahoma District 1

Endorsements

2024

General election

General election for Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education District 5

Nonpartisan primary election

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Endorsements

2020

General election

General election for Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education District 5

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education District 5

2016

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

2024

2020

2016

Campaign finance summary

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2026 Elections

2025 Elections

Election analysis

Trending

Public Policy

Information for candidates

Get Engaged

Services

Additional analysis

SITE NAVIGATION