Markwayne Mullin is a Republican politician and businessman serving as the junior U.S. senator from Oklahoma since 2023. He won a special election in 2022 to complete Jim Inhofe's term. Notably, Mullin is the first Native American U.S. senator since 2005 and the second from the Cherokee Nation. Prior to the Senate, he represented Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district from 2013 to 2023.
1907: Robert Latham Owen's Senate Term Begins
Robert Latham Owen served as a senator for Oklahoma from 1907 to 1925, making him the first Cherokee Nation Citizen elected to the Senate.
1925: Robert Latham Owen's Senate Term Ends
Robert Latham Owen served as a senator for Oklahoma from 1907 to 1925, making him the first Cherokee Nation Citizen elected to the Senate.
July 26, 1977: Birth of Markwayne Mullin
Markwayne Mullin was born on July 26, 1977.
1996: Markwayne Mullin Attends Missouri Valley College
Markwayne Mullin attended Missouri Valley College in 1996.
1997: Markwayne Mullin Takes Over Family Business
At the age of 20, in 1997, Markwayne Mullin took over his father's plumbing business, Mullin Plumbing, due to his father's illness.
2001: Tom Coburn Represents 2nd Congressional District
Tom Coburn was the last Republican to represent the 2nd Congressional District in 2001.
November 2006: Mullin Begins Mixed Martial Arts Career
Mullin began his mixed martial arts career, winning three fights between November 2006 and April 2007.
April 2007: Mullin Continues Mixed Martial Arts Career
Mullin continued his mixed martial arts career, winning three fights between November 2006 and April 2007.
2010: Markwayne Mullin Earns Associate's Degree
In 2010, Markwayne Mullin earned an associate's degree in construction technology from Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology.
June 2011: Dan Boren Announces Retirement
Incumbent U.S. Representative Dan Boren announced his retirement from the 2nd Congressional District seat, effective at the end of 2012.
September 2011: Markwayne Mullin Announces Candidacy
Markwayne Mullin declared his candidacy for the 2nd Congressional District seat.
2012: Markwayne Mullin Hosts Radio Program "House Talk"
During his initial election to Congress in 2012, Markwayne Mullin hosted "House Talk," a home improvement radio program broadcast across Oklahoma on Tulsa station KFAQ.
2012: Markwayne Mullin Wins Republican Primary Runoff
Markwayne Mullin won the Republican primary runoff election against state representative George Faught with 57% of the vote.
2012: Markwayne Mullin's Initial Three-Term Promise
Markwayne Mullin, during his first congressional campaign in 2012, pledged to serve only three terms (six years).
August 2013: Mullin and Wife Adopt Twin Girls
In August 2013, Mullin and his wife, Christie, expanded their family by adopting twin girls.
2013: Markwayne Mullin's Tenure as U.S. Representative Begins
Markwayne Mullin's service as U.S. Representative for Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district began in 2013.
2014: Markwayne Mullin Re-elected to Congress
Markwayne Mullin was re-elected to Congress with 70% of the vote, defeating Democrat Earl Everett.
June 2016: Markwayne Mullin Wins Republican Primary
Markwayne Mullin emerged victorious in the June 2016 Republican primary, defeating Jarrin Jackson by a significant margin of 27 percentage points.
2016: Mullin Proposes Legislation for MMA Regulation
In 2016, Mullin proposed legislation to extend federal boxing regulations to mixed martial arts, aiming for financial transparency and an independent ranking system.
April 2017: Markwayne Mullin's "Bullcrap" Comment
Markwayne Mullin faced criticism in April 2017 after being recorded at a town hall meeting stating that it was "bullcrap" that taxpayers funded his salary. He argued that he paid enough taxes through his company to cover his congressional salary, viewing his role as a service.
July 2017: Markwayne Mullin Announces Fourth Term Candidacy
Despite initially pledging to serve only three terms in Congress, Markwayne Mullin reversed his stance in July 2017 and announced his candidacy for a fourth term in 2018. He claimed he had received poor advice when he made the three-term promise.
2018: House Ethics Committee Report on Markwayne Mullin
In 2018, the U.S. House Ethics Committee released a report acknowledging Markwayne Mullin's efforts to seek guidance on ethical matters related to his family business. However, the committee emphasized that congressional ethics rules prohibit members from endorsing products or services, especially if they stand to gain financially from such endorsements.
2018: Markwayne Mullin Wins Re-election for Fourth Term
Markwayne Mullin won re-election for a fourth term in November 2018 with 65% of the vote.
December 10, 2020: Mullin Introduces Bill to Restrict Transgender Athletes' Participation
On December 10, 2020, Mullin and Tulsi Gabbard introduced the Protect Women's Sports Act. This act seeks to ban transgender women and girls from participating in sports aligned with their gender identity.
December 2020: Mullin Supports Lawsuit Contesting 2020 Election Results
In December 2020, Mullin was one of the Republican members of the House of Representatives who supported a lawsuit that challenged the results of the 2020 presidential election.
2020: Mullin Supports Claim of Stolen 2020 Election
During his campaign for the 2022 United States Senate special election, Mullin showed support for the claim that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump.
2020: Markwayne Mullin Wins Republican Primary and Re-election
Markwayne Mullin secured victory in the 2020 Republican primary with a commanding 79.9% of the vote and went on to win re-election in November with 75% of the vote.
2020: Markwayne Mullin's Assets Reported
At the end of 2020, Markwayne Mullin's reported assets ranged from $7.3 million to $29.9 million.
August 2021: Markwayne Mullin's Attempts to Enter Afghanistan During Withdrawal
In August 2021, during the final stages of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, Markwayne Mullin and a group of Americans traveled to Greece and requested permission from the U.S. Defense Department to proceed to Kabul, Afghanistan. Their aim was to evacuate an American family from Afghanistan using a rented helicopter. However, their request was denied. Mullin's subsequent attempt to enter Tajikistan for the same purpose, while carrying a large sum of cash intended for helicopter rental, was also thwarted due to concerns about violating Tajikistan's currency import regulations.
2021: Mullin's Reported Personal Assets
In 2021, Mullin reported that his personal assets ranged from $31.6 million to $75.6 million.
2021: Markwayne Mullin Sells Plumbing Companies
In early 2021, while serving in the House of Representatives, Markwayne Mullin sold his plumbing-related businesses to HomeTown Services, a multi-state company specializing in residential heating, air conditioning, plumbing, and electrical services.
2021: Markwayne Mullin Opposes American Rescue Plan Act
Markwayne Mullin, along with his Republican colleagues in the Senate and House, voted against the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
February 2022: Jim Inhofe Announces Resignation and Markwayne Mullin's Candidacy
In February 2022, U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe announced his resignation, effective at the end of the 117th United States Congress on January 3, 2023. This announcement triggered a special election to fill the remainder of Inhofe's term, in which Markwayne Mullin declared his candidacy.
August 2022: Markwayne Mullin Criticized for PPP Loan Forgiveness
Markwayne Mullin faced criticism in August 2022 for opposing President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness plan while having personally benefited from $1.4 million in federal PPP loan forgiveness.
2022: Mullin Expresses Stance on Abortion
In 2022, Mullin publicly stated his support for making abortion illegal in all cases, including rape, incest, or if the mother's life is at risk.
2022: Markwayne Mullin Continues to Collect Congressional Salary
As of 2022, Markwayne Mullin continued to receive the standard U.S. Congress base salary of $174,000.
2022: Markwayne Mullin Elected to U.S. Senate
In 2022, Markwayne Mullin was elected in a special election to the U.S. Senate, to serve the remainder of Jim Inhofe's term.
2022: Markwayne Mullin Introduces Resolutions on Trump Impeachments
In 2022, Markwayne Mullin put forth resolutions aimed at expunging the first and second impeachments of President Trump from the Congressional Record. These resolutions, however, did not pass due to the Democratic majority in the House at the time.
2022: Mullin Supports Claim of Stolen 2020 Election
During his campaign for the 2022 United States Senate special election, Mullin showed support for the claim that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump.
January 3, 2023: Jim Inhofe's Senate Term Ends
Jim Inhofe's term as U.S. Senator was set to end on January 3, 2023.
March 8, 2023: Mullin Accuses Teamsters President of Intimidation
On March 8, 2023, during a Senate HELP Committee hearing, Mullin accused Teamsters president Sean O'Brien of intimidation and forcing union members to pay dues. He also alleged that union leaders tried to unionize his plumbing business.
2023: Markwayne Mullin Becomes U.S. Senator
In 2023, Markwayne Mullin became the junior United States Senator from Oklahoma. This made him the first Native American U.S. Senator since 2005.
2023: Planned Reintroduction of the Ali Expansion Act
Mullin reportedly planned to reintroduce the Ali Expansion Act as a senator in 2023. This act focuses on regulating mixed martial arts businesses.