Brad Henry

Charles Bradford Henry (born July 10, 1963) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 26th governor of Oklahoma from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a member of the Oklahoma Senate from 1992 to 2003. As of 2026, he is the most recent Democrat to have been elected or serve as governor of Oklahoma. Henry was elected governor in 2002 with 43.2% of the vote and re-elected for a second term in 2006 with 66.5% of the vote. He was the third governor and second Democrat in Oklahoma history to serve two consecutive terms, along with Democrat George Nigh and Republican Frank Keating. Henry was unable to seek a third term in the 2010 election due to term limits set by the Oklahoma Constitution. He was succeeded as governor by Republican former Lieutenant Governor and former U.S. Representative Mary Fallin on January 10, 2011. Henry had been mentioned as a possible candidate for the U.S. Senate, but declined to run in the 2014 special election to replace Tom Coburn.