Scott Pruitt

Scott Pruitt

Republican Party

Prior offices

Attorney General of Oklahoma

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Oklahoma State Senate

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Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency

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Elections and appointments

Last election

June 28, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

University of Kentucky and Georgetown College, 1990

Law

University of Tulsa, 1993

Personal

Religion

Christian: Baptist

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Personal website

Scott Pruitt was the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. He assumed office on February 17, 2017. He left office on July 6, 2018.

Pruitt (Republican Party) ran in a special election to the U.S. Senate to represent Oklahoma. He lost in the special Republican primary on June 28, 2022.

Pruitt is the former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). He was the 14th person to serve in the position. As EPA administrator, Pruitt was responsible for shaping federal environmental policy under the Trump administration. On July 5, 2018, President Donald Trump announced that he had accepted Pruitt's resignation, effective July 6, 2018. Pruitt served as the 17th attorney general of Oklahoma from January 2011 to February 2017.

Biography

Pruitt grew up in Lexington, Kentucky. He earned a baseball scholarship to the University of Kentucky where he attended for one year. He transferred to Georgetown College where he finished his bachelor's degree in communications and political science. Shortly after receiving his law degree from the University of Tulsa, Pruitt joined a Tulsa-based private practice law firm where he specialized in constitutional law, contracts, insurance law, labor law, and litigation and appeals.

After working for five years in the private sector, Pruitt entered the Oklahoma political stage in 1998 when he was elected to the state senate, representing Tulsa and Wagoner Counties. After two years, he was selected by his peers to serve as the Republican whip from 2001 to 2003 before being named the Republican assistant floor leader, a position he held until he left the state legislature. He then served as attorney general of Oklahoma from January 2011 to February 2017.

In addition to his legal and political career, Pruitt became the general managing partner for Oklahoma City's triple-A baseball team, the Oklahoma Red Hawks, in 2003.

2022 battleground election

See also: United States Senate special election in Oklahoma, 2022 (June 28 Republican primary)

Markwayne Mullin and T.W. Shannon advanced to an August 23, 2022, Republican primary runoff in the special U.S. Senate election in Oklahoma. Neither received the majority of the primary vote needed to win outright on June 28, 2022.

Ten candidates ran in the primary. The special election was scheduled to fill the rest of the six-year term left by Sen. Jim Inhofe (R), who was last elected in 2020. Inhofe announced he would resign January 3, 2023, to spend time with family.

Mullin, Shannon, Nathan Dahm, Scott Pruitt, and Luke Holland led in polling, noteworthy endorsements, and media attention.

At the time of the election, Mullin had represented Oklahoma's 2nd Congressional District since 2013. He campaigned on making the country energy independent, lowering inflation, and defending the Second Amendment. Mullin said, "I entered the race for Senate because the people of Oklahoma deserve a Senator who will fight for their conservative values. I am a Christian, a family man and a proud supporter of President Trump and I will always fight for the America First policies that Oklahomans have been desperately missing during Joe Biden’s failed time in office."

At the time of the election, Shannon was the CEO of Chickasaw Community Bank in Oklahoma City. He previously served as a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 2006 to 2014. Shannon campaigned on opposing taxpayer-funded abortion, protecting the U.S. Constitution, and lowering taxes to create jobs. Shannon said he was running to "push back against this woke agenda" because "what made this country great is our constitution, capitalism and Christianity, and all three of those are under attack." Former Vice President and current U.S. House candidate Sarah Palin (R) endorsed Shannon.

At the time of the election, Dahm was a member of the Oklahoma State Senate, a position to which he was first elected in 2011. Dahm campaigned on election integrity, protecting the Second Amendment, and term limits for members of U.S. Congress. Dahm said, "I'm running for the United States Senate because, like you, I am tired of the spineless politicians who turned their backs on President Donald J. Trump. We need proven Republican fighters, and I've proven I'll never back down." U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R) endorsed Dahm.

Holland was Inhofe's chief of staff until he resigned in February 2022 to run for U.S. Senate. He began working with Inhofe in 2009 as a staff assistant. Holland campaigned on standing up to China and stopping what he described as a rush to socialism. Holland said, "As your next senator, I will continue the Inhofe legacy of defending our Christian values, fighting socialism, rebuilding our military and standing up to China." Inhofe endorsed Holland.

Pruitt served as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under former President Donald Trump (R) from 2017 to 2018. Prior to that, he served as the Oklahoma Attorney General from 2011 to 2017. He campaigned on energy independence, securing the border, fighting what he calls Big Tech, and stopping inflation. Pruitt said: "I think Oklahomans know that I'm going to fight for their values, I think they know that I exhibited courage in working with the president historically to get things done and I think they know that I've also engaged in leadership and civility. I believe very strongly that we'll have the resources that we need." Former Secretary of Energy and former Governor of Texas Rick Perry (R) endorsed Pruitt.

Alex Gray, Randy Grellner, Adam Holley, Laura Moreno, Paul Royse, and John Tompkins also ran in the election.

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of Pruitt's academic, professional, and political career:

• February 17, 2017-July 6, 2018: Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• January 10, 2011-February 17, 2017: Attorney General of Oklahoma
• 2003-2010: Co-owner and managing general partner of the Oklahoma Red Hawks
• 2003-2007: Member of the Oklahoma State Senate, 36th district
• 1999-2003: Member of the Oklahoma Senate, 54th district
• 1993: Earned J.D. from the University of Tulsa
• 1990: Earned B.A. from Georgetown College

Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Pruitt was named by President Donald Trump as his choice for EPA administrator on December 8, 2016. He was confirmed by the Senate as EPA administrator on February 17, 2017, by a vote of 52-46. He was sworn in to office the same day.

Senate vote

On February 17, 2017, the Senate confirmed Pruitt by a vote of 52-46. Sens. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) were the only Democrats to vote for Pruitt's confirmation. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) was the only Republican to vote against his confirmation.

Scott Pruitt confirmation vote, February 17, 2017
Party	Votes for a	Votes against d	Total votes
Democrats	2	43	45
Republicans	50	1	51
Independents	0	2	2
Total Votes	52	46	98

Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works

Nomination tracker
Candidate: Scott Pruitt
Position: EPA administrator
Confirmation progress
a	Announced:	December 8, 2016
a	Hearing:	January 18, 2017
a	Committee:	Environment and Public Works Committee
a	Reported:	February 2, 2017 11-0
a	Confirmed:	February 17, 2017
a	Vote:	52-46

Pruitt appeared before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works for his confirmation hearing on January 18, 2017.

In his opening statement, Pruitt discussed the role of individual states in shaping environmental policy. He said, “Cooperative federalism must be respected and applied by the EPA with regard to our environmental laws. Congress has wisely and appropriately directed the EPA through our environmental statutes to utilize the expertise and resources of the States to better protect the environment, and for the States to remain our nation’s frontline environmental implementers and enforcers. If we truly want to advance and achieve cleaner air and water the States must be partners and not mere passive instruments of federal will. If confirmed, I will utilize the relationships I have forged with my counterparts in the States to ensure that EPA returns to its proper role, rather than using a heavy hand to coerce the States into effectuating EPA policies.”

• Climate change: Asked by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) if he believed that human activity was causing climate change, Pruitt said, “The climate is changing, and human activity contributes to that in some manner.” He added, “I believe the ability to measure with precision the degree of human activity’s impact on the climate is subject to more debate on whether the climate is changing or whether human activity contributes to it.” Pressed further by Sanders on what he believed was causing climate change, Pruitt said, “The job of the administrator is to carry out the statutes as passed by this body … My personal opinion is immaterial.”

• Enforcement of EPA rules: During the hearing, the committee asked questions about Pruitt's involvement in several lawsuits aimed at challenging the enforcement of EPA rules. Asked by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) about whether those lawsuits were more about the actual regulations or the process and rule of law, Pruitt responded, “When we talk about rule of law, as you deal with mercury, as you deal with CO2, as you deal with water issues around [Waters of the United States rule] and its definition, it’s important that you do so within the framework that’s been established within this body. … That gives confidence to the people who are regulating it. … That rule of law is not something that’s academic, in my view, it’s not something that’s just legal. I think it’s important to ensuring good outcomes as far as improving our air and protecting our waters.”

Issues

Clean Power Plan

• In 2015, Pruitt led Oklahoma in joining more than two dozen other states in a lawsuit against the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan, which required states to reduce carbon dioxide emissions through limitations on emissions from power plants. In a National Review op-ed from May 2016, Pruitt said, “This EPA regulation, one of the most ambitious ever proposed, will shutter coal-fired power plants, significantly increase the price of electricity for American consumers, and enact by executive fiat the very same cap-and-trade system for carbon emissions that Congress has rejected. The Clean Power Plan was promulgated without any consultation with Congress. No bills were debated, no votes were taken, and the representatives of the American people had no opportunity to object or offer their own suggestions. The checks and balances built into our system of government were simply ignored as inconvenient impediments to the president’s agenda.”

Waters of the United States Rule

• Pruitt criticized the Waters of the United States rule, which sought to clarify federal jurisdiction over rivers, lakes, marshes, and streams throughout the country. In February 2015, Pruitt told Congress, “The EPA should undoubtedly have a role in solving interstate water quality issues. That role should not, however, be so expansive so as to render virtually every property owner in the nation subject to often unpredictable, unsound, and Byzantine federal regulatory regimes. … Simply put, the proposed rule is a classic case of overreach.” He added, “the rule is unlawful and must be withdrawn.”

Oklahoma Attorney General, (2011-2017)

Pruitt served as Oklahoma attorney general from 2011 to 2017. Pruitt won election as the attorney general of Oklahoma on November 2, 2010. The seat was open following Drew Edmondson's decision not to seek re-election. Pruitt ran unopposed for re-election as Oklahoma attorney general in 2014.

Pruitt was elected as chairman of the Republican Attorneys General Association in 2012, and he was re-elected for a second term in February 2013.

Issues

Federalism

Upon taking office as attorney general, Pruitt established Oklahoma's first Federalism Unit in the Office of Solicitor General with the goal of combating "unwarranted regulation and systematic overreach by federal agencies, boards and offices."

Mortgage/foreclosure abuse settlement

Pruitt was the only state attorney general who declined to sign off on the $25 billion settlement agreement between Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, and GMAC, and 49 other states over foreclosure abuses. Stating that the settlement's expansion into principal reduction and loan refinancing, beyond basic legal issues, "exceeded his authority as attorney general," Pruitt pursued a separate agreement with the same five mortgage lenders. The agreement awarded $18.6 million in relief to the state.

Oklahoma State Senate, (1999-2007)

Pruitt served in the Oklahoma State Senate from 1999 to 2007. He represented Oklahoma's 36th district and 54th district. He served for four years as assistant Republican floor leader.

Elections

2022

See also: United States Senate special election in Oklahoma, 2022

General election

Special general election for U.S. Senate Oklahoma

Markwayne Mullin defeated Kendra Horn, Robert Murphy, and Ray Woods in the special general election for U.S. Senate Oklahoma on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Markwayne Mullin (R)	61.8	710,643
		Kendra Horn (D)	35.2	405,389
		Robert Murphy (L)	1.5	17,386
		Ray Woods (Independent)	1.5	17,063

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,150,481
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary runoff election

Special Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate Oklahoma

Markwayne Mullin defeated T. W. Shannon in the special Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate Oklahoma on August 23, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Markwayne Mullin	65.1	183,118
		T. W. Shannon	34.9	98,246

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 281,364
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Kendra Horn advanced from the special Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Oklahoma.

Republican primary election

Special Republican primary for U.S. Senate Oklahoma

The following candidates ran in the special Republican primary for U.S. Senate Oklahoma on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Markwayne Mullin	43.6	156,087
✔		T. W. Shannon	17.5	62,746
		Nathan Dahm	11.9	42,673
		Luke Holland	11.3	40,353
		Scott Pruitt	5.0	18,052
		Randy Grellner	4.4	15,794
		Laura Moreno	1.8	6,597
		Jessica Garrison	1.7	6,114
		Alex Gray	0.9	3,063
		John Tompkins	0.7	2,332
		Adam Holley	0.5	1,873
		Michael Coibion	0.4	1,261
		Paul Royse	0.3	900

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 357,845
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Libertarian primary election

The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Robert Murphy advanced from the special Libertarian primary for U.S. Senate Oklahoma.

2014

See also: Oklahoma attorney general election, 2014

Pruitt ran for re-election without opposition as Oklahoma Attorney General in 2014. He formally announced on July 29, 2013, that he would seek re-election, with energy executive Harold Hamm serving as his campaign chairman.

Pruitt won the Republican primary on June 24 without opposition and faced no opponent in the general election. Scott Pruitt won the general election on November 4, 2014, without opposition.

2010

See also: Oklahoma Attorney General election, 2010

2010 Race for Attorney General - Republican Primary
Party		Candidate	Vote Percentage
	Republican Party	a Scott Pruitt	56.1%
	Republican Party	Ryan Leonard	43.9%
Total Votes			239,644

On November 2, 2010, Scott Pruitt won election to the office of Oklahoma Attorney General. He defeated Jim Priest (D) in the general election.

Oklahoma Attorney General, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Scott Pruitt	65.1%	666,407
	Democratic	Jim Priest	34.9%	357,162
Total Votes				1,023,569
Election results via Oklahoma State Board of Elections.

2006

2006 Race for Lieutenant Governor - Republican Primary
Party		Candidate	Vote Percentage
	Republican Party	a Todd Hiett	42.8%
	Republican Party	Scott Pruitt	33.7%
	Republican Party	Nancy Riley	23.5%
Total Votes			178,985

2006 Race for Lieutenant Governor - Republican Primary Runoff
Party		Candidate	Vote Percentage
	Republican Party	a Todd Hiett	50.9%
	Republican Party	Scott Pruitt	49.1%
Total Votes			130,037

2001

2001 Race for United States House of Representatives, District 1 - Republican Primary
Party		Candidate	Vote Percentage
	Republican Party	a John Sullivan	45.5%
	Republican Party	Cathy Keating	30.5%
	Republican Party	Scott Pruitt	22.8%
	Republican Party	George E. Banasky	0.7%
	Republican Party	Evelyn L. Rogers	0.5%
Total Votes			41,773

1998

1998 Race for State Senate, District 54 - Republican Primary
Party		Candidate	Vote Percentage
	Republican Party	a Scott Pruitt	48.9%
	Republican Party	Gerald Wright	45.5%
	Republican Party	Douglas E. Meehan	0.1%
Total Votes			4,003

1998 Race for State Senate, District 54 - Republican Primary Runoff
Party		Candidate	Vote Percentage
	Republican Party	a Scott Pruitt	56.3%
	Republican Party	Gerald Wright	43.7%
Total Votes			4,129

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Scott Pruitt campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2022	U.S. Senate Oklahoma	Lost primary	$166,274	$166,274
2014	OK Attorney General	Won	$968,612	N/A**
2010	OK Attorney General	Won	$1,100,213	N/A**
2006	OK Lieutenant Governor	Lost	$883,790	N/A**
2002	OK State Senate	Won	$52,576	N/A**
Grand total			$3,171,465	$166,274
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only availabale data.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Scott Pruitt did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Pruitt and his wife Marlyn have two children, McKenna and Cade.

Noteworthy events

Mandatory ultrasound bill

In June 2012, Pruitt, as Oklahoma's attorney general, appealed an Oklahoma County District ruling that House Bill 2780 was unconstitutional. The bill would have required any woman seeking an abortion to undergo an ultrasound within an hour of the procedure and have it explained to her before the procedure. Three months prior to Pruitt's appeal to have that decision invalidated, Judge Bryan C. Dixon ruled against the law on the grounds that it "improperly is addressed only to patients, physicians and sonographers concerning abortions and does not address all patients, physicians and sonographers concerning other medical care where a general law could clearly be made applicable."

A spokeswoman from the attorney general's office defended the appeal, citing the value of abortion ultrasound statute as a vehicle for medical education and information. The statement echoed the language of Pruitt's June 20 filing, in which he claimed the court's decision to overturn the statute stemmed from a false interpretation of the Oklahoma Constitution: "The trial court - in error - ruled that the Oklahoma Constitution forbids legislation ensuring women receive meaningful medical information obtained through ultrasounds that the clinics are currently requiring."

On December 4, 2012, the Oklahoma Supreme Court struck down the law as a violation of the U.S. Constitution. Pruitt appealed the decision to the Supreme Court of the United States, which declined to take up the case.

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Scott Pruitt Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Scott Pruitt - Google News

See also

2022 Elections

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Newsletters

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• Federal policy on energy and the environment, 2017-2020
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Donald Trump potential high-level administration appointments
• Attorney General of Oklahoma

External links

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Personal

Website

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Gina McCarthy	U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2017-2018	Succeeded by Andrew Wheeler
Preceded by Drew Edmondson (D)	Oklahoma Attorney General 2011-2017	Succeeded by Mike Hunter (R)
Preceded by -	Oklahoma State Senate 1998-2006	Succeeded by '

[show]

Oklahoma's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

James Lankford (R)

Markwayne Mullin (R)

Representatives

District 1

Kevin Hern (R)

District 2

Josh Brecheen (R)

District 3

Frank Lucas (R)

District 4

Tom Cole (R)

District 5

Stephanie Bice (R)

Republican Party (7)