OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Eleven-term Oklahoma U.S. Rep. Tom Cole won a five-way Republican primary outright on Tuesday and avoided an August runoff. Cole faced a well-funded political newcomer in businessman Paul Bondar, who loaned more than $5 million of his own money to his campaign. The infusion of cash allowed Bondar to blanket television … Read more
The life of a House Appropriations Committee chair is supposed to be easy. Leading the panel that helps decide which government agencies and programs get how much money each year is traditionally among the most powerful perches in Washington. But for Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), who took over the committee in April, that deference hasn’t … Read more
It took Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) only about a minute to say all he had to say about becoming the most politically powerful Native American currently in elected office, and possibly the most powerful one since the 1920s. “I care a lot about Native American history. I’m from a state that has a huge tribal … Read more
