Siddhesh Joshi (Editor)

Andrew Rice

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Preceded by
  
Bernest Cain

Occupation
  
Non-profit director

Spouse(s)
  
Dr. Apple Newman Rice


Political party
  
Democratic

Succeeded by
  
Al McAffrey

Name
  
Andrew Rice

Andrew Rice

Born
  
April 23, 1973 (age 50) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (
1973-04-23
)

Alma mater
  
Christchurch School, Colby College, Harvard University

Chipping angle of attack featuring andrew rice


Andrew Monroe Rice (born April 23, 1973) is a civic leader and American politician from Oklahoma. He represented Senate District 46 in the Oklahoma State Senate. He was also a failed candidate for the United States Senate, losing to incumbent U.S. Senator James Inhofe. Rice lost a brother in the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Contents

Rice serves as Foundation Fundraising Director of Variety Care health systems in Central Oklahoma, a non-profit group which serves moderate income families with health care.

Rice resigned from his Senate seat January 15, 2012, citing an out-of-state career opportunity for his wife.

Driver golf lesson with denis pugh andrew rice and mark crossfield


Early life

Born and raised in Oklahoma City, Rice attended Casady School and graduated from Christchurch School. In 1996, he graduated from Colby College with a bachelor's degree in Religious Studies and in 1999 he earned his masters in Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

From 1996 to 1997 Rice studied drug addiction problems and treatment in urban India. During graduate school, Rice produced a documentary entitled From Ashes which focused on the AIDS epidemic in India.

In 2001, Rice's brother, David Harlow Rice, died in the September 11, 2001 attacks.

State Senate

After winning the Democratic party's three-way primary for Senate district 46 on July 25, 2006, Rice won the general election garnering 69.5 percent of the vote. He was sworn into office on November 16, 2006.

Rice's Senate district encompasses downtown and the urban core of Oklahoma City and covers approximately 71,000 people.

In 2010, Rice was re-elected to the Oklahoma State Senate with 68 percent of the vote. For the 2011 & 2012 legislation sessions, Rice was elected by his colleagues to serve as the Senate Democratic Leader making him the highest ranking Democrat in state government.

On October 18, 2011, Rice announced his resignation effective January 15, 2012, citing an out-of-state career opportunity for his wife.

*Cosponsored and helped pass legislation called the "All Kids Act" to add 38,000 Oklahoma children to those eligible for government-sponsored health insurance.

  • Led a successful effort to make it easier for local governments to donate abandoned properties for use by Habitat for Humanity to construct affordable housing, especially in rural Oklahoma.
  • Co-author of the legislation creating the Hunger Task Force to tackle the problem of hunger in Oklahoma.
  • Authored legislation creating a state Veterans Health Insurance Program that provides coverage to uninsured Oklahoma veterans. The legislation was passed by the senate with 45–1 vote.Scheirman, Katharine (2008-03-03). "Senator Andrew Rice Veteran Health Insurance Plan Passes Oklahoma Senate". VetVoice. VoteVets.org. Retrieved 2008-08-26. 
  • 2008 U.S. Senate Election

    Rice officially filed as a candidate for the United States Senate from Oklahoma on Monday, June 2, 2008. He won the Democratic primary against Jim Rogers on July 29, 2008 but was defeated in the general election on November 4, 2008 by incumbent James Inhofe.

    Personal

    Rice is the founder of the Progressive Alliance Foundation which works throughout the state of Oklahoma advancing progressive, fair-minded and constitutional solutions to public policy problems. He also launched the Red River Democracy Project and is on the board of The People's Opinion Project.

    Rice is married to Dr. Apple Newman Rice who practices medicine in Oklahoma City. They have two sons and reside in Oklahoma City.

    References

    Andrew Rice Wikipedia