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James Lankford

U.S. Senator for OK

RepublicanSenate

Positions last updated Oct 12, 2026

In Congress since
2011
Years served
16
Age
58
Current term ends
Jan 3, 2029

Source: Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress (via the public congress-legislators dataset). Photo: official congressional portrait.

Compare with another member

Where their record lies

Between the typical Democratic and typical Republican record

LankfordClose to the typical Republican record. James Lankford's record sits 104% of the way from the typical Democratic record to the typical Republican record. 258 Democratic and 269 Republican members are shown; 13 of 530 sit in the middle.
Democratic258 members
Middle13 members
Republican269 members

Close to the typical Republican record

James Lankford's record sits 104% of the way from the typical Democratic record to the typical Republican record.

Built from 6 topics that divide the parties. It describes a record of votes and statements, not a person. How this is calculated.

Their record by topic

Further from the center means more agreement with the quiz statement

Web chart of James Lankford’s positions on 8 topics; a larger shape means stronger agreement.Health careTaxes & spendingImmigrationClimate & energyGunsAbortionEducationForeign policy

Each point averages how James Lankford votes and what they say on that topic. A topic with no data is left out, not drawn as neutral. The sources are in the sections below.

Where they stand

Each topic is a statement from the quiz. "Agree" means their votes or words line up with it.

  • Health care

    “The federal government should guarantee health coverage for every American.”

    Votes: Strongly disagree|Says: No data

  • Taxes & spending

    “Lowering taxes matters more than expanding government services.”

    Votes: Strongly agree|Says: Strongly agree

  • Immigration

    “Border security should be the top priority in immigration policy.”

    Votes: Strongly agree|Says: Strongly agree

  • Climate & energy

    “The federal government should require cuts to carbon emissions, even if energy costs rise.”

    Votes: Disagree|Says: Strongly disagree

  • Guns

    “Federal law should require background checks on all gun sales, including private sales.”

    Votes: Neutral or unsure|Says: No data

  • Abortion

    “Abortion law should be decided by each state, not the federal government.”

    Votes: No data|Says: Strongly disagree

  • Education

    “Public school funding should follow students to the school their family chooses, including private schools.”

    Votes: Agree|Says: Agree

  • Foreign policy

    “The U.S. should keep providing military aid to its allies abroad.”

    Votes: Strongly agree|Says: Agree

Votes on key bills

The final vote on each bill Scope tracks (not every vote they have cast). Newest first.

Show 3 more votes

Source: House Clerk and Senate roll-call records via Congress.gov. For every vote they have cast, see GovTrack.

Words versus votes

Pro preview · free for now

No topic where votes and statements point in opposite directions (5 topics compared).

A difference is a prompt to look closer, not proof of anything. Votes come from a short list of tracked bills; statements come from speeches, press releases and bills they put their name on. See the evidence for each topic.

Campaign money

$988,742 raised in the 2025-2026 cycle

For the 2025-2026 election cycle, through Jun 30, 2026. Who funds a campaign can shape who a member listens to, though it does not decide how they vote.

Raised
$988,742
Spent
$553,388
Cash on hand
$0

Where the money came from

  • Small donors (under $200 each)1%
  • Larger individual donors38%
  • Political action committees (PACs)33%
  • Other28%

Source: Federal Election Commission filings · see top donors on OpenSecrets.

What they work on

41 bills written, 222 signed onto. Top topic: Taxation

In the current Congress they have written 41 bills and signed on to 222 more. A bill someone writes shows what they want to change.

Topics of the bills they wrote

  • Taxation9
  • Health7
  • Crime and Law Enforcement5
  • Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues4
  • International Affairs4

Most recent bills they wrote

  • S.Res. 915: A resolution recognizing the nationwide impact of Prison Fellowship on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. (Sep 28, 2026)
  • S.Res. 912: A resolution recognizing the 50th anniversary of the Hyde Amendment and its enduring legacy of saving the lives of mo... (Sep 28, 2026)
  • S.Res. 890: A resolution remembering, on the 105th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party, the countless lives the Chinese Co... (Sep 23, 2026)
  • S.Res. 896: A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the importance of religious freedom, authoritative texts, a... (Sep 23, 2026)
  • S.Res. 845: A resolution designating September 2026 as "National Child Awareness Month" to promote awareness of charities that be... (Aug 7, 2026)

Source: Sponsorship records from Congress.gov; each bill links to its page there.

Committees

4 committees: Senate Committee on Finance; Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs...

Committees study and rewrite bills before the full chamber votes.

Source: Committee rosters from the congress-legislators dataset (built from the House and Senate committee pages, as of 2026-10-12). Each committee name links to its official page.

Career in Congress

2011 to present
  • 2011 to 2015U.S. House, OK, district 5Republican
  • 2015 to presentU.S. Senate, OKRepublican

Source: Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress

Contact and learn more

Office phone, website, message form and where to read more

Contact their office

Read more about them

Source: Contact details from the member's official pages, via the congress-legislators dataset. Outside sites are not run by Scope.

The evidence, topic by topic

Every position links to the votes, quotes and bills it was built from

Health care

How they vote

Strongly disagree (-2)

Calculated from 3 recorded vote(s) using the public issue-to-bill list.

Verified · Last updated Oct 12, 2026

Roll call on billRoll call on An act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of S. Con. Res. 14.Roll call on bill

Votes behind Lankford, James's position on Health care

A position is built from many pieces of evidence. Each one is listed here, strongest first. Open any to see its source, how it counted, and how it was produced.

What they say

No data

Taxes & spending

How they vote

Strongly agree (+2)

Calculated from 2 recorded vote(s) using the public issue-to-bill list.

Verified · Last updated Oct 12, 2026

Roll call on billRoll call on An act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to titles II and V of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2018.

Votes behind Lankford, James's position on Taxes & spending

A position is built from many pieces of evidence. Each one is listed here, strongest first. Open any to see its source, how it counted, and how it was produced.

What they say

Strongly agree (+2)

Based on 3 cosponsored bills, 1 floor speech related to this issue.

Verified · Last updated Oct 8, 2026

“it did the first big thing it needed to do: prevent a tax increase.”

cosponsored bill: S 213: Main Street Tax Certainty Actcosponsored bill: S 796: Book Minimum Tax Repeal Actcosponsored bill: S 587: Death Tax Repeal Act of 2025floor speech: One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Executive Calendar)

Statements behind Lankford, James's position on Taxes & spending

A position is built from many pieces of evidence. Each one is listed here, strongest first. Open any to see its source, how it counted, and how it was produced.

Immigration

How they vote

Strongly agree (+2)

Calculated from 2 recorded vote(s) using the public issue-to-bill list.

Verified · Last updated Oct 12, 2026

Roll call on billRoll call on bill

Votes behind Lankford, James's position on Immigration

A position is built from many pieces of evidence. Each one is listed here, strongest first. Open any to see its source, how it counted, and how it was produced.

What they say

Strongly agree (+2)

Based on 13 cosponsored bills, 1 floor speech related to this issue.

Verified · Last updated Oct 8, 2026

“we don't have a couple of months of a secure border, but we have structures that are going into place”

cosponsored bill: S 185: Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act of 2025floor speech: One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Executive Calendar)cosponsored bill: S 84: Sarah's Lawcosponsored bill: S 1151: Accountability Through Electronic Verification Actcosponsored bill: S 50: Transnational Criminal Organization Illicit Spotter Prevention and Elimination Actcosponsored bill: S 271: Stop Illegal Reentry Act

Statements behind Lankford, James's position on Immigration

A position is built from many pieces of evidence. Each one is listed here, strongest first. Open any to see its source, how it counted, and how it was produced.

Climate & energy

How they vote

Disagree (-1)

Calculated from 1 recorded vote(s) using the public issue-to-bill list.

Verified · Last updated Oct 12, 2026

Roll call on An act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of S. Con. Res. 14.

Votes behind Lankford, James's position on Climate & energy

A position is built from many pieces of evidence. Each one is listed here, strongest first. Open any to see its source, how it counted, and how it was produced.

What they say

Strongly disagree (-2)

Based on 8 cosponsored bills related to this issue.

Verified · Last updated Oct 8, 2026

cosponsored bill: SJRES 46: A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relacosponsored bill: S 541: ELITE Vehicles Actcosponsored bill: SJRES 12: A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relacosponsored bill: SJRES 206: A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relcosponsored bill: S 143: Natural Gas Tax Repeal Act

Statements behind Lankford, James's position on Climate & energy

A position is built from many pieces of evidence. Each one is listed here, strongest first. Open any to see its source, how it counted, and how it was produced.

Guns

How they vote

Neutral or unsure (0)

Calculated from 1 recorded vote(s) using the public issue-to-bill list.

Verified · Last updated Oct 12, 2026

Roll call on Bipartisan Safer Communities Act

Votes behind Lankford, James's position on Guns

A position is built from many pieces of evidence. Each one is listed here, strongest first. Open any to see its source, how it counted, and how it was produced.

What they say

No data

Abortion

How they vote

No data

What they say

Strongly disagree (-2)

Based on 1 sponsored bill, 4 cosponsored bills related to this issue.

Verified · Last updated Oct 8, 2026

cosponsored bill: S 4066: Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Actcosponsored bill: S 4880: Dismemberment Abortion Ban Act of 2026cosponsored bill: S 205: Protecting Individuals with Down Syndrome Actsponsored bill: S 6: Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Actcosponsored bill: S 3667: Life at Conception Act of 2026

Statements behind Lankford, James's position on Abortion

A position is built from many pieces of evidence. Each one is listed here, strongest first. Open any to see its source, how it counted, and how it was produced.

Education

How they vote

Agree (+1)

Calculated from 2 recorded vote(s) using the public issue-to-bill list.

Verified · Last updated Oct 12, 2026

Roll call on billRoll call on An act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to titles II and V of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2018.

Votes behind Lankford, James's position on Education

A position is built from many pieces of evidence. Each one is listed here, strongest first. Open any to see its source, how it counted, and how it was produced.

What they say

Agree (+1)

Based on 3 cosponsored bills related to this issue.

Verified · Last updated Oct 8, 2026

cosponsored bill: SRES 44: A resolution designating the week of January 26 through February 1, 2025, as "National School Choice Week".cosponsored bill: SRES 587: A resolution designating the week of January 25 through January 31, 2026, as "National School Choice Week".cosponsored bill: SRES 764: A resolution congratulating the students, parents, teachers, and leaders of charter schools across the United States for making ongoing contributions to education and suppo

Statements behind Lankford, James's position on Education

A position is built from many pieces of evidence. Each one is listed here, strongest first. Open any to see its source, how it counted, and how it was produced.

Foreign policy

How they vote

Strongly agree (+2)

Calculated from 2 recorded vote(s) using the public issue-to-bill list.

Verified · Last updated Oct 12, 2026

Roll call on billRoll call on Making emergency supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for other purposes.

Votes behind Lankford, James's position on Foreign policy

A position is built from many pieces of evidence. Each one is listed here, strongest first. Open any to see its source, how it counted, and how it was produced.

What they say

Agree (+1)

Based on 2 cosponsored bills related to this issue.

Verified · Last updated Oct 8, 2026

cosponsored bill: S 554: United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025cosponsored bill: S 1521: Stand with Israel Act

Statements behind Lankford, James's position on Foreign policy

A position is built from many pieces of evidence. Each one is listed here, strongest first. Open any to see its source, how it counted, and how it was produced.

Revision history

50 recorded changes
  • Foreign policy (vote): 2 to 2Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
  • Education (vote): 1 to 1Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
  • Guns (vote): 0 to 0Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
  • Climate & energy (vote): -1 to -1Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
  • Immigration (vote): 2 to 2Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
  • Taxes & spending (vote): 2 to 2Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
  • Health care (vote): -2 to -2Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
  • Climate & energy (vote): -1 to -1Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
  • Immigration (vote): 2 to 2Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
  • Guns (vote): 0 to 0Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
  • Taxes & spending (vote): 2 to 2Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
  • Education (vote): 1 to 1Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
  • Foreign policy (vote): 2 to 2Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
  • Health care (vote): -1 to -2Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
  • Foreign policy (vote): 2 to 2Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
  • Education (vote): 1 to 1Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
  • Guns (vote): 0 to 0Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
  • Climate & energy (vote): -1 to -1Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
  • Immigration (vote): 2 to 2Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
  • Taxes & spending (vote): 2 to 2Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
  • Health care (vote): -1 to -1Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
  • Health care (vote): -1 to -1Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
  • Climate & energy (vote): -1 to -1Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
  • Guns (vote): 0 to 0Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
  • Immigration (vote): 2 to 2Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
  • Taxes & spending (vote): 2 to 2Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
  • Education (vote): 1 to 1Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
  • Foreign policy (vote): 2 to 2Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
  • Taxes & spending (statement): 2 to 2Bulk approval (statements): Spot-checked a sample of the AI's readings · Oct 8, 2026
  • Abortion (statement): -2 to -2Bulk approval (statements): Spot-checked a sample of the AI's readings · Oct 8, 2026
  • Climate & energy (statement): -2 to -2Bulk approval (statements): Spot-checked a sample of the AI's readings · Oct 8, 2026
  • Foreign policy (statement): 1 to 1Bulk approval (statements): Spot-checked a sample of the AI's readings · Oct 8, 2026
  • Immigration (statement): 2 to 2Bulk approval (statements): Spot-checked a sample of the AI's readings · Oct 8, 2026
  • Education (statement): 1 to 1Bulk approval (statements): Spot-checked a sample of the AI's readings · Oct 8, 2026
  • Taxes & spending (statement): created at 2Created · Oct 8, 2026
  • Education (statement): created at 1Created · Oct 8, 2026
  • Climate & energy (statement): created at -2Created · Oct 8, 2026
  • Immigration (statement): created at 2Created · Oct 8, 2026
  • Abortion (statement): created at -2Created · Oct 8, 2026
  • Foreign policy (statement): created at 1Created · Oct 8, 2026
  • Foreign policy (vote): 2 to 2Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 8, 2026
  • Education (vote): 1 to 1Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 8, 2026
  • Guns (vote): 0 to 0Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 8, 2026
  • Climate & energy (vote): -1 to -1Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 8, 2026
  • Immigration (vote): 2 to 2Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 8, 2026
  • Taxes & spending (vote): 2 to 2Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 8, 2026
  • Health care (vote): -1 to -1Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 8, 2026
  • Climate & energy (vote): -2 to -1Status changed: needs_review to needs_review · Oct 8, 2026
  • Health care (vote): -2 to -1Status changed: needs_review to needs_review · Oct 8, 2026
  • Education (vote): 2 to 1Status changed: needs_review to needs_review · Oct 8, 2026