David Holt (politician)

Holt served as an aide to Dennis Hastert when Hastert was U.S. Speaker of the House, and during the time of the September 11, 2001 attacks.[13] He served in the White House Office of Legislative Affairs under President George W. Bush.[14]

Holt returned to Oklahoma full-time in 2004 and served as Oklahoma's coordinator to re-elect Bush in 2004. He served U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe and Lt. Governor Mary Fallin.[14] In 2006 he was appointed Chief of Staff to Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett, where Holt served until his election to the Oklahoma State Senate.[14] Holt was Cornett's Chief of Staff when Oklahoma City successfully lobbied to attract a major league basketball team, gaining what is now known as the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association.

Holt at the Bethany, OK Independence Day Parade on July 4, 2011

Holt was elected to the state Senate on July 27, 2010 with 64 percent of the vote in the Republican primary and was unopposed in the general election. He took office on November 16, 2010. He succeeded Glenn Coffee, the first Republican Senate President Pro Tempore in Oklahoma history. On his first day of office in November, 2010, Holt was elected to the Senate Leadership as Majority Caucus Vice Chair. He was also named Vice Chair of the Senate Business & Commerce Committee and Vice Chair of the Senate Redistricting Committee. His first session as a Senator was notable for his efforts to lower the Oklahoma income tax, and his efforts to ensure that local taxpayers have control over their tax dollars. In his first session, Holt was named "Most Shining Legislator" by a local weekly publication.[15] Later that year, Holt was credited with branding Route 66 where it passes through Oklahoma City, in order to define it as a tourist destination.[14][16][17][18][19][20]

In 2012, Holt's second session, he was noted for being the primary author of a bill to eliminate the Oklahoma income tax. Holt also authored legislation to open up the Oklahoma Legislature to unprecedented transparency. In addition, the Oklahoma Republican Party named Holt one of Oklahoma's seven Republican members of the Electoral College for the upcoming presidential election. In late 2012, Holt was credited with instigating Oklahoma's first state recognition of the Hanukkah holiday.[21][22][23][24][25]

For the 2013-2014 legislative sessions, Holt was elected as a Majority Whip for the Senate Republican Caucus. He was also named Vice Chair of the new Appropriations Subcommittee on Select Agencies. Holt introduced a "parent trigger" law for Oklahoma in the 2013 legislative session, which would authorize parents to take stronger roles in trying to improve underachieving schools. A similar law was depicted in the film Won't Back Down. In 2013, Holt authored successful legislation that legalized "Black Friday" and other low-price sales in the state of Oklahoma. Holt spearheaded an effort to honor African-American writer Ralph Ellison with a portrait in the Oklahoma Capitol.[26][27][28][29][30]

In 2014, Holt was named to the national Legislative Leaders Advisory Board of GOPAC.[31] Chuck Todd of NBC News, reporting on the politics of all 50 states, named Holt as one of two Republican "Rising Stars" in Oklahoma.[3] He was re-elected to a second term when he ran unopposed.[32] That year Holt received a number of awards from non-profits and interest groups for his work. They include the following:

• "Legislative Champion" award by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.[33]
• "Sunshine Award" by Freedom of Information Oklahoma, for demonstrating a commitment to transparency in government.[34]
• "Guardian Award" by the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women for his work on behalf of women and children.[35]
• "Child Abuse Prevention Leadership Award" by Parent Promise.[36]

For the 2015 and 2016 sessions, Holt was named Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Select Agencies. In January 2015, Holt introduced a comprehensive election reform package intended to boost voter turnout. He gained passage of a law to authorize online voter registration in the state. Other bills not adopted included proposals by Holt to shift Oklahoma to a "top two" primary system and to institute all-mail voting. In 2015, Holt authored legislation to allow Oklahoma City and Tulsa to authorize charter schools.[37] Holt was awarded the "Bulldog Award" from the Oklahoma District Attorneys Council for his work on addressing videos taken from body-worn cameras so that police departments would adopt their widespread use. Holt was a featured speaker at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in May 2015, an event that featured most of the leading presidential candidates. In September 2015, presidential candidate Marco Rubio named Holt as his Oklahoma campaign chair.[38][39][40][41][42][43]

In 2016, Holt introduced a "sweeping proposal" to increase Oklahoma teacher pay by $10,000 to bring it in line with the national average. Holt helped spearhead a successful effort to secure an American Ninja Warrior shoot at the Oklahoma Capitol. Holt authored successful legislation to create a "revenue stabilization fund" intended to minimize the effect of future revenue shortfalls. Holt was awarded a Governor's Arts Award.[44][45][46][47][48]

For the 2017 and 2018 sessions, Holt was named Appropriations Subcommittee Chair for Public Safety and Judiciary. Holt also introduced a comprehensive plan to increase teacher pay in Oklahoma by $10,000 again. He would ultimately become one of the deciding votes delivering Oklahoma teachers their largest raise in state history. Holt also carried successful legislation to allow Oklahoma flyers to use a drivers license to fly, as well as legislation to extend the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse. Holt was unsuccessful in his efforts to extend family leave for state employees.[49][50][51][52][53]

Holt was elected mayor on February 13, 2018, after defeating Taylor Neighbors and Randall Smith in a nonpartisan race. In the campaign, Holt was endorsed by numerous prominent elected Republicans and Democrats, including four Oklahoma governors of both parties. [54] Holt was sworn in as Mayor of Oklahoma City on April 10, 2018. He asked Willa Johnson, the first female African American Member of the Oklahoma City Council, to administer his oath of office. [55] That day, he relocated the pictures of former mayors from the mayoral conference room and replaced them with pictures of Oklahoma City kids representing the city's demographics among young people, who he said were sixty percent nonwhite. [56] He resigned from his position as state senator before taking office. At the time of his swearing-in, Holt was 39 years and one month, making him the youngest mayor of Oklahoma City since 1923 and the youngest mayor of a U.S. city over 500,000, as well as the first Native American mayor of Oklahoma City through his mother who is a member of the Osage.[7][57] Carrying a unifying message of "One OKC", Holt's stated priorities upon taking office were upgrading core services, continuing improvements in quality of life, improving public education and incorporating the diversity of the city into decision-making.[58]

In 2019, Holt and city leaders opened the city's new streetcar system, a project funded by MAPS 3. [59]

Holt's second year in office brought the development and passage of MAPS 4, a nearly $1 billion initiative to address 16 priorities. The Oklahoman called Holt "the architect"[60] of the "most ambitious MAPS ever." [61] The initiative received 71.7 percent of the vote on December 10, 2019, a modern record for a sales tax vote in Oklahoma City.[62] MAPS 4 includes funding for a civil rights center, parks, youth centers, senior centers, mental health and addiction, a family justice center for victims of domestic violence, transit including new bus rapid transit lines, sidewalks, bike lanes, trails, streetlights, housing to alleviate homelessness, Chesapeake Arena, an animal shelter, a new fairgrounds coliseum, a diversion hub to assist people interacting with the criminal justice system, the Innovation District, beautification and a multipurpose stadium.[63]

In 2018, Holt was named a recipient of the Ten Outstanding Young Americans award. In 2019, Holt was elected to the leadership of the United States Conference of Mayors and was named Vice Chair of the International Affairs Committee.[58] In 2020, Holt was elected as a Trustee of the United States Conference of Mayors, the highest level of leadership in the organization.[64]

In 2019, Holt organized a free Kings of Leon concert to open the city's Scissortail Park that drew 28,000 people, becoming the largest crowd to view a music concert in Oklahoma City history.[65] In 2020, Holt was named the third-most powerful person in the state of Oklahoma and the most powerful non-tribal elected official in a local annual ranking of the 50 most powerful Oklahomans, several spots ahead of the Governor and both U.S. Senators.[66]

As Mayor, Holt has repeatedly drawn attention to communities that had not felt incorporated into Oklahoma City's decision-making in the past. He proclaimed "Indigenous Peoples' Day" for the first time in city history,[67] proclaimed "Pride" for the first time in city history to honor the LGBTQ community,[68] stated publicly that immigrants were welcome in Oklahoma City [69] and has championed the African American community on numerous fronts, including being the first mayor to join official celebrations commemorating the city's civil rights movement, and the inclusion of a $25 million civil rights center in his MAPS 4 initiative.[70]

In 2019, Holt was featured in Men's Health magazine as the "hoop-shooting mayor" of Oklahoma City. [71] That same year, Holt brought actor Jesse Eisenberg to an Oklahoma City Thunder game as his guest. [72] In September, 2019, Holt and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti presided over the coin toss at a football game between the University of Oklahoma and UCLA. [73] In April, 2019, Holt opened a new skate park in Oklahoma City with Tony Hawk. [74]

Also in 2019, Holt created a live music series broadcast from his office called "City Hall Sessions." It mostly featured local artists, but in 2020 The Indigo Girls performed. [75]

In 2019, Holt created a task force to create new policies to address homelessness in Oklahoma City. [76]

In 2019, Holt joined leaders of five other cities in signing an agreement to form Oklahoma's first Regional Transit Authority (RTA), with plans to build a metropolitan rail system in the years ahead. [77]

During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Holt proclaimed a state of emergency on the first day that a local case was identified in March 2020, put Oklahoma City into "shelter in place," and was continuously aggressive in addressing the pandemic.[78] When Oklahoma City experienced a second peak in the summer of 2020, Holt supported a mask ordinance that was credited with bringing the numbers back down. [79]

During the 2020 protests following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Holt went twice to protests and listened to Black Lives Matter leaders and protesters in front of the Oklahoma City police headquarters.[80] He met with Black Lives Matter leaders and created a task force to look at law enforcement policies [81] and a task force to look at reinstatement of the city's Human Rights Commission. [82] The Oklahoman editorialized that Holt's "leadership has been on display amid the fallout from the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis." [83] The OKC Friday newspaper wrote that Holt's "understanding attitude of the BLM problems and moves to rectify them has kept Oklahoma City one of the calmest cities in the nation." [84]

Until the pandemic, Holt would read every week to kindergarten classes at public elementary schools in the city. [85]

In 2020, Holt appeared on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in a segment with Guy Fieri. [86] In June 2020, Holt appeared in a performance by The Flaming Lips on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. [87]

In September, 2020, Holt was interviewed by Oprah Winfrey for her "Oprah's Book Club" podcast and television episodes devoted to "Caste" by Isabel Wilkerson. [88]

On April 19, 2020, on the 25th anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing, Holt stated in his remarks as part of the ceremony that "this sacred place is a sober reminder that humanity is in fact capable of such evil things, even here in the United States, even here in Oklahoma, and that we all have an obligation to speak up, and to reject words of dehumanization, words that divide us, words that cast others as our enemy. Right now, I hear such words coming out of the mouths of some of the most prominent people in our country, and I see them echoed in daily life by those who know better. We should know how this story ends, but let this place be a reminder. We must have better conversations, we must reject dehumanization, we must love one another." [89]

Five years before President Donald Trump incited a mob of insurrectionists to kill a police officer and seize the United States Capitol during the counting of Electoral College votes, Holt began a consistent and public opposition to Trumpism.[90]

On November 30, 2015, in response to a Washington Post story about the potential of Republicans endorsing Trump, Holt Tweeted, “No one’s asking me, but my answer is clear: I will NEVER support Donald Trump for any public office. EVER.” [91]

In February, 2016, Holt Tweeted: “Just by itself, Trump’s mockery of the handicapped would mean #NeverTrump for me.” [92]

That same month, after Trump’s victory in New Hampshire, Holt Tweeted that Trump was “a crude, unprincipled autocrat.” [93]

In March, 2016, after Trump threatened “riots” if he wasn’t chosen as the Republican nominee, Holt Tweeted “True American patriots don’t threaten violence when they don’t win elections. This man is a monster.” [94]

In April, 2016, Holt stated in a live interview on Oklahoma City TV station KOCO: “I will never support Donald Trump. I have a daughter. I have to sleep at night. I mean, he lacks the competence, he lacks the human decency, he lacks the gravitas. He is not presidential material and he scares the (pause) out of me.” [95]

In May, 2016 after Trump called Senator Elizabeth Warren “Pocahontas,” Holt Tweeted “I’m embarrassed to share a country with this man, much less a party.” [96]

Also in May, 2016, after Trump had all but clinched the Republican nomination for president, Holt told local Oklahoma City TV station KFOR: "He's not competent to be president, he's wrong on the issues, he's not a conservative, he lacks human decency and, maybe, worst of all, he speaks like he's a dictator. I can never support Donald Trump in good conscience." [97]

That same month, The Oklahoman reported: “State Sen. David Holt, R-Oklahoma City, said there was no way he could support someone he described as incompetent, unprincipled, autocratic and lacking in human decency. ‘I mean, I have a daughter. I have to sleep at night. There is no way I could ever cast a vote for Donald Trump for anything under any circumstances,’ Holt said.” [98]

In October, 2016, after Trump was revealed to have bragged about sexual assault on an audio tape, Holt stated “As I’ve said for months, I have a daughter & couldn’t sleep at night if I voted for Trump. This monster deserves any judgment he receives.” [99]

In August, 2017, after Trump said there were “very fine people” demonstrating in white supremacist rallies, Holt told The New York Times:

“The last year and especially the last few days have basically erased 15 years of efforts by Republicans to diversify the party. If I tried to sell young people in general but specifically minority groups on the Republican Party today, I’d expect them to laugh me out of the room. How can you not be concerned when the country’s demographics are shifting away from where the Republican Party seems to be shifting now?” [100]

When Trump began calling the media the “enemy of the people,” Holt Tweeted in June, 2018, “For centuries, news providers have played a critical role in our democratic experiment. They are not the enemy of the people, they are the people. The vast majority who provide us the news do so w/ the best of intentions & deserve the appreciation due all public servants.” [101]

In November, 2018, after Democrats won Oklahoma City’s congressional seat, Holt told The New York Times that traditional Republican voters who once supported the party because of a desire for the “free market, low taxes and a limited government” were now being “forced to also accept this misogyny, racism, and cruelty.” [102]

In January, 2019, Holt told The New York Times in a story about whether the Republican Party should consider nominating someone besides Trump in 2020, “I think it’s healthy and appropriate for the party to consider in 2020 whether this is really the path it wants to continue taking.” [103]

In July, 2019, hours after Trump attacked members of Congress who came from immigrant backgrounds, Holt Tweeted that immigrants were welcome in Oklahoma City. [104]

In April, 2020, on the 25th anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing, Holt told The New York Times:

“In today’s political environment, I hear echoes of the kind of rhetoric that I think inspired the perpetrators of the bombing. I think that we all have an obligation to look at Oklahoma City — to look at that scar we have in our downtown — and remember where this all leads when you call other people your enemy, when you try to foster division and difference.” [105]

In June, 2020, Politico reported that the Trump campaign chose Tulsa over Oklahoma City for its first rally during the pandemic, “because they saw (Tulsa’s) local officials as more Trump-friendly.” [106]

In September, 2020, when asked by Good Morning America about Trump’s admission that in regards to COVID-19, he wanted to “play it down,” Holt stated: “I define leadership as being transparent and honest with the people whose safety you're entrusted with. And sometimes that honesty involves sharing bad news. But as long as you're providing a path to the other side of that bad news, it's optimistic.” [107]

In October, 2020, Holt told The New York Times that “the national Republican Party” had “walked away” over the previous four years from “young people, highly educated people, and people of color.” [108]

The day before the 2020 presidential election, Holt Tweeted: "Vote for decency. Vote for empathy, honesty, competence, thoughtfulness, integrity, compassion, humility, civility, dignity, obligation, inclusion, love, selflessness, service, courage & aspiration. Vote for virtues that will rebuild & reunify our nation." [109]

In January, 2021, three days before the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol, Holt wrote a piece in The Bulwark where he stated that Trump did not win the 2020 presidential election and that elected officials bear a duty to tell their constituents the truth about that. Regarding some Members of Congress who were planning to vote against the Electoral College certification, Holt wrote "What makes it so bad is that the stakes are so high, because we have reached the edge of a cliff where the only way to continue avoiding the truth is to overthrow our system of government." [110]