Bob Ed Culver Jr. (born December 16, 1957) is an American politician who has served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from the 4th district since 2020.[1][2]

Bob Ed Culver Jr.
Member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives
from the 4th district
Assumed office
November 16, 2020
Preceded byMatt Meredith
Personal details
Born
Bob Ed Culver Jr.

(1957-12-16) December 16, 1957 (age 66)
Tahlequah, Oklahoma, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Julie Arrington
(m. 1982)
Children3
EducationUniversity of Oklahoma (BAS)

Early life

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Culver was born on December 16, 1957, to Bob Ed Culver Sr. and Jo Ellen Culver (née Priest) in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.[3][4] He graduated from Tahlequah High School in 1976. He then attended the University of Oklahoma, where he played as an offensive lineman for coach Barry Switzer.[5] Culver went on to graduate in 1981 with a bachelor's degree in psychology.[6] After college, he went on to run an independent oil and gas company near Canadian, Texas. In 2015, Culver and his family moved back to Tahlequah.[7]

Political career

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Culver first ran for the Oklahoma State House District 40 seat in 2016.[8] After winning the Republican primary, he lost the general election to Democrat Matt Meredith by 325 votes.[9] Culver ran for the seat again in 2020. He faced Rep. Meredith again in the general election, but Culver won this time by around 1,400 votes.[2] With Meredith's defeat, Oklahoma Democrats had lost the last of their legislative seats in rural areas of the state.[10] Culver was then sworn into office on November 16, 2020.[11]

As of 2021, Culver is the vice chair of the House Judiciary-Civil Committee. He also serves on the County and Municipal Government Committee, State and Federal Redistricting Northeast Oklahoma Subcommittee, and Transportation Committee.[12]

In 2024, he voted against HB 3329 which still passed the house floor. It is intended to provide free menstrual products in school bathrooms.[13]

Personal life

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Culver and his wife, Julie, have three children and five grandchildren. He and his family attend Tahlequah First United Methodist Church.[7] His father, Bob Ed Sr., served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives for District 4 from 1990 to 2000.[4]

Electoral history

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2016 Oklahoma House of Representatives

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Republican primary election[14]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Bob Ed Culver Jr. 878 65.0
Republican Mike Pope 473 35.0
Total votes 1,351 100.0
General election[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Bob Ed Culver Jr. 6,217 48.7 +48.7
Democratic Matt Meredith 6,543 51.3 −48.7
Total votes 12,760 100.0
Democratic hold Swing

2020 Oklahoma House of Representatives

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General election[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Bob Ed Culver Jr. 7,499 55.2 +6.5
Democratic Matt Meredith 6,095 44.8 −6.5
Total votes 13,594 100.0
Republican gain from Democratic Swing +6.5

References

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  1. ^ "Representative Bob Culver". Okhouse.gov. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  2. ^ a b Crawford, Grant D. (2020-11-04). "Almost Over: Area races conclude with voters picking two newcomers, two veterans". Tahlequah Daily Press. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  3. ^ "Bob Ed Culver Bio". Legistorm.com. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  4. ^ a b "Bob Culver Sr. Obituary". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  5. ^ "Bob Ed Culver Player Stats". SoonerStats.com. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  6. ^ "State House District 4 Bios". Tahlequah Daily Press. 2020-06-20. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  7. ^ a b "Culver seeking to unseat D4 representative". Tahlequah Daily Press. 2019-09-26. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  8. ^ "Culver announces run for his father's old seat in House". Tahlequah Daily Press. 2016-01-13. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  9. ^ "Oklahoma 4th District State House Results". New York Times. 2017-08-01. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  10. ^ Murphy, Sean (2020-11-04). "Rural Democrats become extinct species in Oklahoma". Associated Press. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  11. ^ Hoberock, Barbara (2020-11-12). "New, re-elected state House members take the oath of office". Tulsa World. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  12. ^ "Culver named vice chair of Judiciary-Civil Committee". Associated Press. 2021-01-21. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  13. ^ "House Votes". webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
  14. ^ "2016 June Statewide Primary Results" (PDF). Oklahoma.gov.
  15. ^ "State Election Results, General Election, November 8, 2016". Oklahoma.gov. Archived from the original on April 8, 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  16. ^ "OK Election Results, November 3, 2020". Oklahoma.gov.
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