Emily Virgin

In 2010, she won election to the House^[2] against Kent Hunt, a self-employed lawn care professional.^[3] At the time she was the youngest representative in the Democratic caucus, at 24 years old,^[2] although two younger Republicans were elected that same year.^[4] She campaigned on improving education in Oklahoma and fighting education cuts.^[2][3]

In 2015, the Oklahoma Legislature considered a religious freedom bill that would allow businesses to refuse services to individuals based on the business owner's religious beliefs, mainly in reference to bakers and photographers opposed to same-sex marriage. Virgin gained notice for proposing an amendment that would require the businesses to publicly post a notice specifying what classes of patrons they would refuse services to, in an attempt to derail the bill.^[5][6] The bill stalled the following week.^[7]

In May 2017, Virgin was elected House Democratic Caucus Chair; her term was to start the following year.^[8] As of 2017, Virgin is on the Appropriations and Budget Committee, Higher Education and Career Tech Committee, Judiciary – Civil and Environmental Committee, and Public Safety Committee.^[9]

On November 15, 2018, Virgin was named the Minority Leader for the Oklahoma House of Representatives, succeeding Steve Kouplen.

• Profile at Vote Smart
• Legislative page
• Emily Virgin on X
• A video interview with Virgin