Warigia Margaret Bowman

Warigia Margaret Bowman

Nonpartisan

Candidate, Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education District 6

Elections and appointments

Next election

November 4, 2025

Education

Bachelor's

Columbia College, 1990

Law

University of Texas at Austin, 1994

Ph.D

Harvard University, 2009

Personal

Birthplace

Los Angeles, Calif.

Religion

Presbyterian

Profession

Law professor

Contact

Personal Facebook

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Warigia Margaret Bowman is running for election to the Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education to represent District 6 in New Mexico. She is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025.^[source]

Biography

Warigia Margaret Bowman was born in Los Angeles, California. She earned a bachelor's degree from Columbia College in 1990. She earned a law degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1994. She earned a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 2009. Her career experience includes working as a law professor.

Elections

2025

See also: Albuquerque Public Schools, New Mexico, elections (2025)

General election

The general election will occur on November 4, 2025.

General election for Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education District 6

David Ams and Warigia Margaret Bowman are running in the general election for Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education District 6 on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	David Ams (Nonpartisan)
		Warigia Margaret Bowman (Nonpartisan)

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
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Endorsements

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2022

See also: Oklahoma corporation commission election, 2022

General election

General election for Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner

Kim David defeated Warigia Margaret Bowman and Don Underwood in the general election for Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kim David (R)	63.5	722,074
		Warigia Margaret Bowman (D)	30.9	351,239
	Submit photo	Don Underwood (Independent)	5.6	63,894

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,137,207
= 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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Republican primary runoff election

Republican primary runoff for Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner

Kim David defeated Todd Thomsen in the Republican primary runoff for Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner on August 23, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kim David	59.1	158,819
		Todd Thomsen	40.9	109,816

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 268,635
= 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

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Warigia Margaret Bowman advanced from the Democratic primary for Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner

Kim David and Todd Thomsen advanced to a runoff. They defeated Justin Hornback and Harold Spradling in the Republican primary for Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kim David	41.1	135,710
✔		Todd Thomsen	26.0	85,886
		Justin Hornback	20.4	67,263
		Harold Spradling	12.6	41,619

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 330,478
= 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.

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Warigia Margaret Bowman has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to Warigia Margaret Bowman asking her to fill out the survey. If you are Warigia Margaret Bowman, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey.

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You can ask Warigia Margaret Bowman to fill out this survey by using the button below or emailing warigia@gmail.com.

2022

Warigia Margaret Bowman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Bowman'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 teach water law, natural resources law, energy and administrative law at the University of Tulsa College of Law, where I am a tenured professor. I am an internationally published expert on public policy, infrastructure, water and energy. These are all areas which the Oklahoma Corporation Commission has jurisdiction over.

I have extensive law and policy experience in local, state and federal government, as well as in the non-profit sector. An honors graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, she served as an Honors Trial Attorney in the Environmental and Natural Resources Division of the US Department of Justice. She a doctorate from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. Accordingly, she has the expertise required to be an effective Commissioner.

I am the proud mother of three children: Ren (16), Ali James (13) and David (12). Her children attend Carver Middle School, and Booker T. Washington High School in North Tulsa. She attends First Presbyterian Church in Tulsa, OK. Her oldest child is a girl scout, and her youngest child is a boy scout. Her children play guitar, saxophone and violin, and participate in track and cross country, football, and soccer. As a single mother on a salary, she understands that high energy prices hurt all Oklahomans.I will work tirelessly for fair rates for a great state.

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?

• Fair Rates for a Great State. We need a responsive Commission that ensures fair utility prices for consumers.
• A modern and efficient grid. We need to conduct a grid audit and ensure that Oklahoma has the latest, most up to date, most efficient, most resilient electric grid in the country.
• A diverse energy portfolio. Oklahoma is a leader in oil and gas and wind. Oklahoma should diversify our energy portfolio to make sure that we are a leader in biomass, solar, hydroelectric and geothermal as well.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about telecommunications and broadband. Our families, our classrooms, and our small businesses need affordable broadband to connect to jobs and education opportunities, and support rural communities. I am passionate about rural electricity. We need to make sure that our electric prices are fair, and that rural communities who need electricity have it. I am passionate about pipeline safety. The state of Oklahoma needs pipelines to move fossil fuels to market. Let's ensure that those pipelines meet the highest level of safety standards in the nation. I am passionate about jobs for Oklahomans.
Building our workforce means supporting small business and increasing availability of training programs and affordable education. We can create clean, green, high paying jobs in the energy sector across the state. I am passionate about an up to date grid. We can conduct a grid audit to see which parts of Oklahoma have a modern grid, and which parts of the state are behind. Let's build the most modern, most efficient grid in the country, which can allow both baseload energy, as well as renewable, distributed energy.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

The office of Oklahoma Corporation Commission is a very important office. On the whole, its occupants have not appreciated the expansive nature of the Commission's duties, nor the expertise required to be an effective commissioner. The Corporation Commission has responsibility for transportation, including taxicabs, buses, and hazardous waste transport. The Commission has responsibility for pipeline safety. The commission should work with OkDEQ as well as the OWRB in this capacity to ensure that Oklahoma pipelines meet the highest safety standards in the nation. The Commission has jurisdiction over trucking, including interstate carrier permits. The Corporation Commission has jurisdiction over oil and gas conservation, including induced seismicity, oil and gas spills, and oil and gas spills. The Commission also has jurisdiction over utilities.

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

I look up to Barbara Jordan, Congresswoman from Houston. I served as the Barbara Jordan Scholar at the University of Texas Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs.

In 1962 and 1964, Jordan ran for the Texas house of representatives but lost both times, so in 1966 she ran for the Texas senate when court-enforced redistricting created a constituency that consisted largely of minority voters. Jordan won, defeating a white liberal and becoming the first African-American state senator in the U.S. since 1883 as well as the first Black woman ever elected to that chamber. Jordan quickly earned a reputation as an effective legislator who pushed through bills establishing the state’s first minimum wage law, anti-discrimination clauses in business contracts, and the Texas Fair Employment Practices Commission. On March 28, 1972, Jordan’s peers elected her president pro tempore of the Texas senate, making her the first Black woman in America to preside over a legislative body. In seconding the nomination, one of Jordan’s male colleagues on the other side of the chamber stood, spread his arms open wide and said "Black is Beautiful."

In the summer of 1974, as the committee considered articles of impeachment against President Richard M. Nixon for crimes associated with the Watergate Scandal, Jordan delivered opening remarks that shook the committee room and the large television audience tuning in to the proceedings. “My faith in the Constitution is whole, it is complete, it is total,” Jordan said.

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

Robert A. Caro, Lyndon B. Johnson, Master of the Senate.

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

An elected official should be responsive to their constituents. They should be well informed and passionate about serving the people they represent. They should be responsive to their constituents, and able to explain their policy positions in detail.

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

I work hard. I am an expert in several areas that the OCC regulates. I am a people person, with a high level of integrity.

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

The core responsibilities for someone elected to this office are hard work, discipline, deep knowledge of utility regulation, and working to represent the people of Oklahoma.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to leave a legacy of the OCC being responsive to the people of Oklahoma and getting our rates to a fair level. I would like to leave a legacy of a diversified energy portfolio with a modern, efficient grid. I would like to leave a legacy of highly skilled, safe jobs in the energy sector for the people of Oklahoma.

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

I remember the energy crisis in the 1970s. I remember Jimmy Carter telling us to 'turn off juice when not in use' and telling us to wear sweaters. I remember the long lines around the block as people tried to fill up their cars. I was about ten years old.

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

My first job was working for the Center for National Security Studies at Los Alamos National Laboratory, which is run by the United States Department of Energy. I held that job every summer during college, and also worked there for a year after college. In that job, I worked on issues related to nuclear non-proliferation and international weapons issues.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Gretchen Bakke, (2016) "The Grid: The Fraying Wires Between Americans and Our Energy Future," A revelatory look at our national power grid--how it developed, its current flaws, and how it must be completely reimagined for our fast-approaching energy future. The Grid tells the story of what has been called "the largest machine in the world": its fascinating history, its problematic present, and its potential role in a brighter, cleaner future.

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

I would be Wonder Woman.

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

"Back in Black," ACDC (1980) This song was fortuitously released on my birthday of July, 25, 2022.

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

As a woman of color, I have struggled to be taken seriously. I have worked very hard, I have published widely in highly respected publications, and worked globally. I know what it means to be the underdog.

What responsibilities of this office do you personally consider the most important?

One of the most important responsibilities of this office are to make the Oklahoma Corporation Commission more responsive to the people of Oklahoma. The Commission is supposed to ensure that Oklahoma consumers pay fair rates in terms of electric, gas and water utilities. Currently, the Commission on the whole is not fulfilling that responsibility.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

People should be aware that the OCC has very broad responsibilities, ranging from rural telecommunications, to pipeline safety, which definitely interacts with environmental concerns, to induced seismicity, to regulating a variety of sectors, including electricity, transportation, and interstate commerce.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

I think that whoever holds this office needs to truly understand the regulatory process, and be conversant in issues such as distributed energy, renewable energy, oil and gas law, water protection, pipelines safety and telecommunications. This is a position best suited to a technocrat who can dig into the issues.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

This is an office which requires a fairly sophisticated approach to policy issues. In addition, the holders of this office need to be responsive to the consumers and business owners of the Oklahoma, not the utilities. Right now, the current office holders are captured by the entities that they regulate.

Tell us your favorite joke.

Q: How many lawyers does it take to [change] a light bulb?

A1: How many can you afford?

A5: Three. One to change it and two to keep interrupting by standing up and shouting “Objection!”

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