{{Short description|American politician (born 1958)}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Nancy Riley | image = | state_senate = Oklahoma | district = 37th | term_start = November 2000 | term_end = 2008 | preceded = Lewis Long Jr. | succeeded = Dan Newberry | party = Democratic (2006–present) | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1958|06|20}} | birth_place = Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. | alma_mater = Langston University | profession = Educator | spouse = Jerry Riley | other_party = Republican (before 2006) }}
'''Nancy C. Riley''' (born June 20, 1958) represented Oklahoma State Senate District 37 which is located in Tulsa County and includes Bixby, Jenks, Lotsee, Tulsa and Sand Springs from 2000 to 2008. Riley grew up in Tulsa and graduated from Edison High School. She attended Oklahoma Christian College for three years, then married and started a family. Riley's first husband died from a brain tumor. During that time, Riley was forced to live on food stamps. She later graduated from Langston University, and began teaching elementary school in the Tulsa Public Schools system.<ref name="Background">[http://www.senatorriley.com/ State Senator Nancy Riley Background] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060818011619/http://www.senatorriley.com/ |date=August 18, 2006 }}</ref>
==Early life== Nancy C. Riley was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma on June 20, 1958. She graduated from Edison High School in 1976. Until she married, Riley lived in the same house her entire life. Riley was the youngest of four children, with her oldest brother being twenty years her senior.
==State Senate== Riley was elected as a Republican in 2000 and re-elected in 2004 still as a Republican. In 2006 Riley ran for the office of Lt. Governor as a Republican where she came in third and received 41,984 votes or 23.46%.<ref name="2006 State Election Results">{{cite web |url=http://www.ok.gov/~elections/06pri.html |title=2006 Primary Results |publisher=State Election Board |accessdate=2007-04-08 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061218162303/http://www.ok.gov/~elections/06pri.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate=2006-12-18}}</ref> Her showing was strong enough to force a runoff between House Speaker Todd Hiett and Senator Scott Pruitt.
Following the July 25 primary Riley surprised everyone when she announced that she was switching parties to become a Democrat. Before she switched parties, Democrats had a slim one seat margin in the Senate, illustrating the importance of her move. She felt that moderates like herself were no longer relevant in the Republican Party, although many say personality conflicts with the Party were more important.<ref name=" Senator bolts 'abhorrent' GOP">Hoberock, Barbara and Mick Hinton. [http://www.tulsaworld.com/article.aspx/Senator_bolts_abhorrent_GOP/060804_Ne_A15_Senat7290 "Senator bolts abhorrent GOP"], ''Tulsa World'' (accessed May 14, 2013)</ref>
{{blockquote|The driving force in my decision is that no one in leadership is listening to moderates in the Oklahoma Republican Party.<ref name="Press Release">{{Cite web |url=http://www.oksenatedemocrats.com/news/rileypartyswitch.htm |title=State Senator Nancy Riley Changes Party Registration |access-date=2007-04-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080706133324/http://www.oksenatedemocrats.com/news/rileypartyswitch.htm |archive-date=2008-07-06 |url-status=dead }}</ref>}}
In April 2007, GOP Senate leader Glenn Coffee saw defeating Riley as the top priority in 2008. Democrats made it a top priority to retain Riley. Riley said after the 2007 legislative session that she feels more independent in the Democratic caucus, and can vote her own way rather than the party line.<ref name="GOP-turned-Dem senator reflects on past session">{{cite web |date=June 3, 2007 |url=http://tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=070603_1_A18_spanc84247 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080614153640/http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=070603_1_A18_spanc84247 |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 14, 2008 |title=GOP-turned-Dem senator reflects on past session |publisher=Tulsa World |author=Barbara Hoberock |accessdate=2007-06-14 }}</ref> Riley served as Democratic Whip, Co-Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Human Services, and on the Appropriation, Education, Transportation, and Retirement and Insurance committees.<ref>[https://dc.library.okstate.edu/digital/collection/legislature/id/303/rec/39 Nancy Riley -- Women of the Oklahoma Legislature Oral History Project]</ref>
On Tuesday, November 4, 2008, Senator Riley's bid for a third term in the state Senate ended when she was defeated in the general election by the Republican candidate, Tulsa businessman Dan Newberry.<ref>[http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20081104_262_OKLA462136&allcom=1&sortcom=r GOP Takes Control of Oklahoma Senate, ''Tulsa World'', Nov. 4, 2008.]</ref>
==Election results==
General Election November 4, 2008<ref name="2008 State Election Results">{{cite web |url=http://www.elections.state.ok.us/08gen.html |title=2008 General Results |publisher=State Election Board |accessdate=2008-11-05 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081029214733/http://www.elections.state.ok.us/08gen.html |archivedate=October 29, 2008}}</ref> {| class="wikitable" |- ! colspan="2" rowspan="1" align="center" valign="top" | '''Candidate''' ! valign="top" | '''Votes''' ! valign="top" | '''%''' |- | style="background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" | | '''Dan Newberry''' | 23,059 | 63.43% |- | style="background-color:{{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}" | | Nancy Riley | 13,292 | 36.57% |}
General Election November 7, 2004<ref name="2004 State Election Results">{{cite web |url=http://www.ok.gov/~elections/04gen.html |title=2004 General Results |publisher=State Election Board |accessdate=2007-04-08 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070402075001/http://www.ok.gov/~elections/04gen.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate=2007-04-02}}</ref> {| class="wikitable" |- ! colspan="2" rowspan="1" align="center" valign="top" | '''Candidate''' ! valign="top" | '''Votes''' ! valign="top" | '''%''' |- | style="background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" | | '''Nancy Riley''' | 22,327 | 65.33% |- | style="background-color:{{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}" | | Dan Giddens | 11,847 | 34.67% |}
General Election November 2, 2000<ref name="2000 State Election Results">{{cite web |url=http://www.ok.gov/~elections/00gensum.html |title=2000 General Results |publisher=State Election Board |accessdate=2007-04-08 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061126122752/http://www.ok.gov/~elections/00gensum.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate=2006-11-26}}</ref> {| class="wikitable" |- ! colspan="2" rowspan="1" align="center" valign="top" | '''Candidate''' ! valign="top" | '''Votes''' ! valign="top" | '''%''' |- | style="background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" | | '''Nancy Riley''' | 12,641 | 50.53% |- | style="background-color:{{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}" | | Lewis Long | 12,376 | 49.47% |}
==References== {{reflist|2}}
==External links== * ''Follow the Money'' – Nancy Riley ** [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=106246 2008] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=79067 2006] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=18440 2004] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=1629 2000] State Senate campaign contributions ** [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=88050 2006] Lt. Governor campaign contributions * [https://library.okstate.edu/oralhistory/digital/wotol/ Women of the Oklahoma Legislature Oral History Project -- OSU Library]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riley, Nancy}} Category:American educators Category:Langston University alumni Category:Politicians from Tulsa, Oklahoma Category:1958 births Category:Living people Category:Women state legislators in Oklahoma Category:Democratic Party Oklahoma state senators Category:Republican Party Oklahoma state senators Category:21st-century members of the Oklahoma Legislature Category:21st-century American women politicians Category:Tulsa Public Schools teachers Category:Edison Preparatory School alumni