Age in the 2025 Oklahoma State Legislature

Oklahoma State Legislature in Oklahoma City, OK – Photo Courtesy of the Oklahoma Legislature

The State of Oklahoma held elections for the Oklahoma House of Representatives and the Oklahoma State Senate on November 4th, 2024. In January 2025, the currently active 2025 legislative session of the Oklahoma State Legislature. Among the members elected, nine were aged 35 or younger on the day of the 2024 election. Below is a map of these representatives within both chambers of the Oklahoma State Legislature.

Oklahoma Demographic Background in the 2024 Election

Preliminary estimates from CIRCLE at Tufts University indicate that 42% of young people aged 18–29 voted in the 2024 election, with turnout surpassing 50% in key battleground states. Nearly 50 million young citizens were eligible to vote nationwide, including over 8 million who turned 18 since the 2022 midterms.

According to the Pew Research Center, Millennials surpassed Baby Boomers in 2020 to become the largest generation in the U.S., making up 31% of the population, followed closely by Boomers at 30.9%. Generation X accounts for 28%, while the Silent Generation makes up just 9.9%.

This election showcased the increasing diversity of the youth electorate, with notable differences in voting patterns by race, gender, and issue priorities. Given Oklahoma’s unique demographics, voters elected eight members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives who were age 35 or under on election day. Below is information about the generational backgrounds of the current members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

The Oklahoma House of Representatives 2025 Legislative Session

Below is information covering age dynamics in the recently elected members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives

  • The average age among Oklahoma House members was 53.27 years
  • The youngest Representative, Arturo Alonso-Sandoval, was born in 1998
  • The oldest Representative, Daniel J. Williams, was born in 1949
  • 8 Representatives are Young Elected Leaders age 35 or younger as of Election Day 2024

Generational Breakdown

Within the Oklahoma House of Representatives, most representatives come from the Millennial, Generation X, or the Baby Boomer generations. Notably, several members of the current Oklahoma House of Representatives belong to Generation Z. Scroll below to view the generations represented in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

Partisanship in the Oklahoma House of Representatives

The chart below provides a further breakdown of the current partisan composition of the 2025 Oklahoma House of Representatives. Each dot represents a single member, colored by both party affiliation and whether the legislator qualifies as a Young Elected Leader (YEL)—defined as age 35 or younger at the time of the election. This format provides a visual snapshot of generational and partisan distribution within the chamber, highlighting how younger legislators are positioned across party lines.

Partisan differences in the Oklahoma House extend beyond ideology to include notable generational contrasts. As shown in the visual below, Republican legislators have a higher average age than their Democratic counterparts—54.6 years compared to 47.95 years—a gap of 6.65 years. These disparities may reflect broader patterns in political recruitment, generational turnover, and the types of candidates emerging in recent election cycles.

Young Elected Representatives – Oklahoma House of Representatives

Following the 2024 State Legislative Elections in Oklahoma, eight members aged 35 or under were elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives. Below are all eight members, ordered from youngest to oldest, along with information about their local districts and party affiliations.

Young Elected Representatives — Oklahoma House of Representatives (Age ≤ 35)

Name District Birth Year (Age on Election Day 2024) First Elected
Arturo Alonso-Sandoval (D) District 89 —
Oklahoma City, OK
1998 (Age 26) 2022
Daniel Pae (R) District 62 —
Lawton, OK
1995 (Age 29) 2016
Emily Gise (R) District 90 —
Oklahoma City, OK
1993 (Age 30) 2018
Kyle Hilbert (R) District 29 —
Depew, OK
1994 (Age 30) 2016
Gabriel Christian Woolley (R) District 98 —
Broken Arrow, OK
1994 (Age 30) 2024
Ajay Pittman (D) District 99 —
Oklahoma City, OK
1993 (Age 31) 2018
Forrest Bennett (D) District 92 —
Oklahoma City, OK
1989 (Age 35) 2016
Trey Caldwell (R) District 63 —
Lawton, OK
1988 (Age 35) 2018

Photos Courtesy of The Oklahoma House member roster

Gender in the Oklahoma House of Representatives

The Oklahoma House of Representatives reflects a range of age and gender dynamics that help shape the composition of the state’s legislative body. In Oklahoma, men make up a larger share of the chamber than women. Across all members, 78.22% are men, while women make up 21.78%. For female representatives, the average age at the time of the election was 51.52, and for men, 53.76. Of the 8 Young Elected Leaders, two are female, and six are male.

When examining both gender and party affiliation, additional age differences emerge within the Oklahoma House of Representatives. Republican men and women have a higher average age when compared to Democrats. These patterns show that age representation in the Oklahoma House of Representatives varies by both gender and partisan alignment, highlighting differing pathways to political office across demographic groups.

Race and Ethnicity in the Oklahoma House of Representatives

The racial and ethnic composition of the Oklahoma House of Representatives varies across generations. The table below shows the distribution of each generation.

Generations by Race/Ethnicity in the Oklahoma House of Representatives

Ethnicity Generation Z
1997–2012
Millennial Generation
1981–1996
Generation X
1965–1980
Boomer Generation
1946–1964
Full Chamber
Asian / Pacific American 0 (0%) 2 (9.52%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 2 (2%)
Black / African American 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 2 (4.44%) 0 (0%) 2 (2%)
Hispanic / Latino 1 (100%) 0 (0%) 1 (2.22%) 0 (0%) 2 (2%)
Indian / Native American 0 (0%) 2 (9.52%) 0 (0%) 1 (3.03%) 3 (3%)
Two or More Ethnicities 0 (0%) 1 (4.76%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 1 (1%)
White / Caucasian 0 (0%) 16 (76.19%) 42 (93.33%) 32 (96.97%) 90 (90%)
Total (Percent of Chamber) 1 (1%) 21 (21%) 45 (45%) 33 (33%) *100 (100%)

The full Oklahoma House of Representatives comprises 101 seats. *Age is missing for one member. 

The Oklahoma Senate

Below is information covering age dynamics in the recently elected Oklahoma Senate

  • The average age of Oklahoma State Senate members is 54.35 years
  • The youngest Senator is Tom Woods, born in 1995
  • The oldest Senator is Jack Stewart, born in 1949
  • 4 members of the Oklahoma State Senate are Young Elected Leaders, aged 35 or younger as of Election Day 2024

Young Elected Senators in the Oklahoma State Senate

Following the 2024 State Legislative Elections in Oklahoma, three members aged 35 or under were elected to (and currently serve in) the Oklahoma State Senate.

Young Elected Senators — Oklahoma State Senate (Age ≤ 35)

Name District Birth Year (Age on Election Day 2024) First Elected
Tom Woods (R) District 4 — Westville, OK 1995 (Age 29) 2022
Avery Carl Frix (R) District 9 — Muskogee, OK 1994 (Age 30) 2024
Kendal Renee Sacchieri (R) District 43 — Blanchard, OK 1992 (Age 32) 2024
Ally Seifried (R) District 22 — Claremore, OK 1992 (Age 32) 2022

Photos courtesy of the Oklahoma Senate Member Roster. 

Partisanship in the Oklahoma State Senate

In the Oklahoma State Senate, 39 senators belong to the Republican Party, and 8 senators are Democrats. The mean age of Republican state senators after the 2024 election was 55.22, while the mean age of Democratic state senators was 50.12. Each generation had a different partisan makeup; overall, the Oklahoma Senate is overwhelmingly comprised of Baby Boomer and Gen X Republicans. Below is the breakdown of party composition for each generation within the Oklahoma State Senate.

Gender in the Oklahoma Senate

The generational makeup of the Oklahoma Senate reveals notable gender dynamics. Overall, men are overrepresented across all age groups, especially among older generations. These patterns indicate that gender representation varies across generations, with women being represented in every generational cohort.

Race and Ethnicity in the Oklahoma Senate

The racial and ethnic composition of the Oklahoma Senate shows generational variation. The table below presents the distribution by generation.

Generations by Race/Ethnicity in the Oklahoma Senate

Ethnicity Millennial Generation
1981–1996
Generation X
1965–1980
Boomer Generation
1946–1964
Full Chamber
Black / African American 1 (9.09%) 0 (0%) 1 (6.25%) 2 (4.26%)
White / Caucasian 10 (90.91%) 20 (100%) 15 (93.75%) 45 (95.74%)
Total (Percent of Chamber) 11 (23.4%) 20 (42.55%) 16 (34.04%) *47 (100%)

The full Oklahoma State Senate comprises 48 seats. *One seat remains vacant. 

Notes

The Young Elected Leaders Project applies the generational categorization of the Pew Research Center:

  • Silent Generation: 1928 – 1945
  • Baby Boomer Generation: 1946 – 1964
  • Generation X: 1965 – 1980
  • Millennial Generation: 1981 – 1996
  • Generation Z: 1997 – 2012

This analysis is based on data from the most recent state legislative election in Oklahoma which took place on November 5th 2024.

Citation Guideline

In referencing the Young Elected Leaders Project in publication please use the following language: “The Young Elected Leaders Project is housed at the Center for Youth Political Participation at The Eagleton Institute of Politics,  Rutgers University – New Brunswick.”

 

Bibliographic Citation For this document

Author: Young Elected Leaders Project

Corresponding Author: George D. Quinn

Year: 2024

Title: Age in the 2025 Oklahoma State Legislature