OKLAHOMA CITY, OK — What began as a surprisingly smooth end to Oklahoma’s 2025 legislative session descended into late-night political turmoil, culminating in a record-breaking series of veto overrides and the unprecedented removal of a high-ranking gubernatorial appointee.
In a year when lawmakers appeared to be largely aligned, with minimal public friction and no looming budget battles or special session threats, tensions flared in the final days after Governor Kevin Stitt began vetoing bills at a historic pace—68 in total, more than any governor in state history.
“This is stuff that I know is bad for Oklahoma, bad for taxpayers,” Stitt said in a video posted to his official Facebook page. Among the bills vetoed was a bipartisan measure requiring insurance companies to cover diagnostic mammograms, authored by Rep. Melissa Provenzano (D-Tulsa), who is currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer.
“I just want to say, did you read the bill? Did you understand what it was we’re trying to do?” Provenzano said in response to the veto, echoing the outrage felt by many legislators on both sides of the aisle.
Other vetoed bills included legislation aimed at strengthening DUI laws, enhancing open records access, mandating ethics training for agency heads, and dedicating resources to address the backlog of missing Indigenous persons cases.
Initially, legislative leaders signaled they would consider overriding only a select number of the vetoes. However, after Stitt publicly threatened to support primary challengers against lawmakers who opposed him, the House and Senate pushed back, placing all 68 vetoed bills up for possible override. Ultimately, 47 were overturned—another state record.
The friction peaked late Thursday night when lawmakers swiftly moved to oust Mental Health Commissioner Allie Friesen, a controversial Stitt appointee. The resolution, introduced by both a representative and a senator, came after mounting concerns over Friesen’s leadership.
Stitt responded by releasing a statement suggesting—without providing evidence—that the wife of one of the senators who introduced the resolution may have played a role in the department’s problems. The allegation sparked immediate, bipartisan outrage.
“I’m very, very, very disappointed in our governor, that he would put out a press release as disrespectful and disingenuous as this one,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle).
“I haven’t teared up the whole session, until I read that,” added Sen. Christi Gillespie (R-Broken Arrow). “We’re better than that, we all are.”
“We need to leave family out of it. That is crossing a line,” said Sen. Casey Murdock (R-Felt). “I will cut your throat to protect my district, but there are standards.”
The condemnation continued from across the Republican caucus, with Sen. Bill Coleman (R-Ponca City) calling the statement “false” and “baseless.”
In a rare show of unity, both chambers voted overwhelmingly to remove Friesen from her position in a dramatic, middle-of-the-night vote, marking a stunning end to an already volatile session.
While the final days were mired in conflict, lawmakers now head into the summer with a reshaped power dynamic—and a clear signal that even in a deeply red state, unity can fracture under the weight of personal attacks and political brinkmanship.
