Kay Floyd elected Senate Democratic Leader

The Senate Democratic Caucus announced last week that they have elected Sen. Kay Floyd (D-Oklahoma City) to serve as Senate Democratic Leader for the 57th Oklahoma Legislature.
Floyd, who currently serves as Senate Democratic Caucus Chair, will succeed Sen. John Sparks (D-Norman) in January 2019. Sen. Floyd will be the first woman to lead a caucus in the Oklahoma Senate. 

Sen. Floyd was elected to the Oklahoma Senate in 2014 after serving one term in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. She previously served as an Administrative Law Judge for the State of Oklahoma, a Municipal Court Judge for the City of Oklahoma City, as Deputy Executive Director of the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission, and as an Assistant Attorney General for Oklahoma.

Sen. Floyd is a graduate of Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma College of Law. She grew up in Ada, Oklahoma.

During her service at the state Capitol, Floyd has garnered bipartisan admiration. Many of her Republican colleagues joined in recognizing her work when the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women designated her recipient of the 2017 “Guardian Award.” These includes GOP solons  Adam Pugh of Edmond, Julie Daniels of Bartlesville, Lonnie Paxton of Tuttle, Jason Smalley of Stroud, Roger Thompson of Okemah, and Greg McCortney of Ada. (https://capitolbeatok.worldsecuresystems.com/reports/state-senator-kay-floyd-winner-of-guardian-award-from-oklahoma-commission-on-status-of-women).

Sen. Floyd may be most recognized for her steady and persistent advocacy that law enforcement agencies process all rape kits from longstanding cases, to increase chances to capture essential evidence and promote justice (http://www.tulsatoday.com/2017/04/24/sen-floyd-applauds-task-force-on-rape-kits/). 

When she was elected to shepherd the minority senate caucus last week, Floyd said, “It is an honor to be elected by my colleagues to serve as Senate Democratic Leader. I thank Senator Sparks for his many years of dedicated public service and I look forward to working every day on behalf of the people of Oklahoma.”

“Kay Floyd is a rock star,” said Sparks. “She will do an excellent job leading the Senate Democratic Caucus.”

Note: Editor Pat McGuigan contributed to this report.