| Monday, House Democrats elected Rep. Scott Inman to an unprecedented fourth consecutive term as their legislative leader. The Democrats also picked Rep. Steve Kouplen to be the Caucus Chairman, and Rep. David Perryman to fill the role of Caucus Vice Chairman. All three were unopposed in their declarations of candidacy, and were elected by acclamation. Each officer will serve a two-year term starting in November 2016. Caucus elections are held in off-years “so the members have a chance to ‘learn the ropes', which results in a smooth transition from one officer to another," Inman explained. This will be Inman's record fourth consecutive term as the House Democratic Leader. |  Steve Kouplen |
| Kouplen, a Beggs Democrat who is serving his fourth term in the House of Representatives, has been the Democratic Caucus vice chairman for the past two years and will replace Rep. Jerry McPeak as the chairman. McPeak will be constitutionally term-limited when his sixth House term expires in November 2016. The role of caucus chairman “requires a wide array of talents and a lot of extra hours and behind-the-scenes work," said McPeak, D-Warner. “Representative Kouplen is up to the task. He is probably the most experienced leader in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. There is no question he will fill the position extremely well." Kouplen, a lifelong resident of House District 24, owns a ranch near Beggs. His family has had a Hereford cow/calf operation in Oklahoma since the early 1900s. He is a past president of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau, served on the Farm Bureau's board of directors, and was a member of the American Farm Bureau Federation board of directors. He chaired the Oklahoma Beef Industry Council, and also is a member of the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association and the American Hereford Association. He has been honored as the Northeast District Star Farmer of Oklahoma, and received the American Farmers and Ranchers Agriculture Leadership Award. Kouplen is a member of the Beggs Masonic Lodge. Perryman, a Chickasha Democrat who is in his second term in the Legislature, will succeed Kouplen as the caucus vice chairman. | |
