Dan Boren


Daniel David Boren is a retired American politician, who served as the U.S. Representative for from 2005 to 2013. The district includes most of the eastern part of the state outside of Tulsa. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Boren announced on June 7, 2011, that he would not seek re-election to the House in 2012. On June 19, 2012, he announced via a news release that he has been hired as president of corporate development with the Chickasaw Nation, working to promote tribal economic development upon completion of his term in Congress.

Early life, family, education and career

Boren was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, the son of Janna Lou and David Lyle Boren, former University of Oklahoma President and former Governor of Oklahoma and U.S. Senator.
His paternal grandfather, Lyle Boren, served in the U.S. Congress, representing southeastern Oklahoma from 1937 to 1947. His maternal grandfather, Reuel Little helped found the American Party to support the 1968 presidential campaign of George Wallace. His first cousin, Janna Little, is married to former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Paul Ryan, who was nominated for Vice President at the 2012 Republican National Convention to be the running mate of Mitt Romney.
Boren graduated from the U.S. Capitol Page School in 1989. In 1997, he received a B.S. from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. He obtained an MBA from the University of Oklahoma in 2001. He was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity.
At the start of his career, Boren served on the staff of Congressman Wes Watkins, worked as an education administrator and bank teller, and was a member of the staff of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.

Oklahoma House of Representatives

Boren served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 2002 to 2004, representing the 28th House District.

U.S. House of Representatives

Committee assignments

Boren, as of the 111th Congress, was a member of the following committees:
Boren was a member of the Blue Dog Coalition.
On May 15, 2008 Boren was elected to the board of directors of the National Rifle Association. Boren said that he was a lifetime member of the NRA.
In November 2009, Boren voted along with 39 other Democrats against the Affordable Health Care for America Act. Boren also voted against the final bill, in March. He said "only 17 percent of my constituents supported the bill." In January 2011, Boren was one of 3 Democrats to vote with the unified Republican caucus for its repeal.
In 2011, he co-sponsored HR 3, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, The bill contained an exception for "forcible rape," which opponents criticized as potentially excluding drug-facilitated rape, date rape, and other forms of rape. The bill allowed an exception for minors who are victims of incest.
In July 2011, Boren was one of five Democrats to vote for the Cut, Cap, and Balance Act.

Environmental issues

In 2006, the nonpartisan environmental group League of Conservation Voters included Boren in its "Dirty Dozen" list of anti-environment federal officeholders, citing his "dismal voting record on issues of environmental importance." This record included support for the Energy Policy Act of 2005 — a bill criticized for the billions of dollars in subsidies it provided the oil and nuclear industries – as well as opposition to policies designed to increase fuel efficiency and to increase accountability for producers of the pollutant and fuel additive MTBE.
Boren voted in favor of the Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act, a bill that environmental groups said would drastically reduce the protections in the Endangered Species Act. Boren was a cosponsor of H.R. 25, the FairTax Act, which replaces federal taxes with a flat sales tax. This legislation attracted 59 members in the 109th Congress.
In March 2011, Boren was one of four Democrats to support the Energy Tax Prevention Act, which would block the EPA from reducing heat-trapping pollution blamed for global warming.

LGBT issues

In April 2009, Boren voted against the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
Also, in December 2010, Boren joined 15 other House Democrats to vote against the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010.

Military issues

On July 10, 2007, Boren was one of ten Democrats to vote against a bill to withdraw troops by April 1, 2008. Later that month, he announced his opposition to the 2007 Iraq troop surge.
In January 2009, along with all other members of the Oklahoma congressional delegation, Boren said he opposed President Obama's decision to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.

Retirement

On June 7, 2011, The Oklahoman announced that "Rep. Dan Boren, the only Democrat in Oklahoma's seven-person congressional delegation, will not seek re-election in 2012, setting up what could be an intense partisan battle for a seat that spans much of eastern Oklahoma."
On June 12, 2012, Boren announced that following his final term in office, he would join the Chickasaw Nation as the President of Business Development.

Political campaigns

In 2004 United States House of Representatives elections, Boren ran for Oklahoma's second congressional district to succeed fellow Democrat Brad Carson, who was retiring from the House to run for the United States Senate. He won the primary with 58% of the vote, and then defeated Republican candidate Wayland Smalley in the general election by more than 85,000 votes and was inaugurated in the 109th Congress in January 2005. Boren was one of only two politicians endorsed by country singer Toby Keith, the other being President George W. Bush. Boren was reelected in 2006, 2008 and 2010. In 2010, Boren was challenged in the Democratic primary by State Senator Jim Wilson, who ran as a more liberal candidate, but won with over 75% of the vote. In the general election, he defeated Republican Charles Thompson by a margin of 13%, despite the Republican wave that swept the nation that year.
Boren was known as one of the most conservative Democrats in Congress, but his conservatism fit the political demographics of his district. The 2nd was once a Democratic stronghold, but has become increasingly friendly to Republicans as Tulsa's suburbs have begun to encroach on the district and the rural areas have trended right. The district has voted for the Republican candidate in the 2000, 2004, and 2008 Presidential elections, by double-digit margins in the latter two years. Additionally, the Democrats in the district tend to be more socially and fiscally conservative than their national counterparts.
Boren considered a run for Governor of Oklahoma in 2018 before deciding to stay in his position with the Chickasaw Nation.

Electoral history

Business career

After leaving Congress in 2013, Boren began work as President of Corporate Development for the Chickasaw Nation. He held this position until October 2019, when he was named Chief Banking Officer and Oklahoma President of First United Bank, one of the largest banking institutions in the Southwest.

Personal life

Boren is married to Andrea Heupel, who is the sister of Josh Heupel, the starting quarterback who led the Oklahoma Sooners to win the 2000 BCS National Championship. Heupel formerly served as the University of Oklahoma's co-offensive coordinator and is currently the head coach of the UCF Knights. Dan and Andrea recently moved to Muskogee. The couple has two children.
Boren is a member of the United Methodist Church.