Congressional District 1 candidate Dennis Baker was the keynote speaker at the June 15 Creek County Democratic party meeting at Joseph’s in Drumright. Baker, who is running against the incumbent, Keven Hern, is currently a practicing attorney who is also a former Tulsa Police officer and a former Special Agent for the FBI.
Dennis Baker, who is of Euchee descent and a member of the Muscogee Nation, began his talk by telling the audience that by being invited to speak at the meeting in Drumright, he felt like he was coming home. “I have said before but I will say it again, I am originally from Creek County. I grew up here, not too far down the road in Kellyville.”
“I want to tell you a little bit about who I am because I am going to ask for your vote and your support. I think it is good to know what type of person you are voting for.”
Baker said that his wife Wanda, who was with him, graduated from McClain High School in Tulsa, and he graduated from Mounds High School. Both Baker and wife went to work for the Tulsa Police Department and that is where he met his wife.
While working for TPD, Baker enrolled in law school at the University of Tulsa and subsequently earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Juris Doctor Degree.
“I earned a law degree, it wasn’t given to me, I worked for it. This is a value system that all Oklahomans and Democrats have, we don’t want anything given to us, we just want an equal chance, we just want the opportunity.” He went on to say that his wife worked full-time and obtained a Master’s degree, “We are believers in education.”
Baker told the audience that he later joined the FBI and his first assignment was in North Carolina dealing with violent gangs. “These were violent type gangs that were in the business of killing people.”
One night about 2 a.m. Baker and his wife awoke to the sounds of sirens that kept getting closer and finally stopped in front of their house. Someone had stuffed a rag into the gas tank of his FBI vehicle and lit the rag, miraculously the vehicle did not explode.
The Bureau offered to relocate Baker, but he ultimately decided to stick it out.
“I had to think about that because this was a big case that I knew backward and forward. I was closing in on indictments, but I had to think about the safety of my family.” Baker talked it over with his wife who said she would support his decision to stay.
“I said I am from Oklahoma, they are not going to run me off, I am going to finish this case. We are Oklahomans, that is who we are and that is how I was raised. We don’t back down, we do what is right.”
Baker said the reason he entered the race was that the opposing party’s policies are not consistent with Oklahoma values.
“The way I fought in the bureau, the way I fight as an Oklahoman is the way I am going to fight in Congress. What I am fighting for is not to stay in power, it is for policy. I am running to make people’s lives better, that is what we do as Democrats. We are a party of progress, we are a party of the truth, a party that believes in looking after their fellow people, we are a compassionate party, that is what I believe in.”
Baker then explained how those values translate into policy.
“Every American should have the right to have a good job. With that one job, you should be able to pay your bills, buy yourself a car, and a house, and afford to send your kids to college. That is going away, people are having to work two or three jobs.”
Baker then addressed the issue of affordable healthcare: “They have it in other countries but we don’t have it because we have Republicans in the House and Senate who refuse to consider that”
He then talked about the importance of education: The best bing for us to get ahead, the best thing for the future of our kids is education. We see that public education is under attack, that is a fundamental institution for America, and that is what made us the economic powerhouse that we are today. Baker emphasized that an educated workforce is key to productivity. “It is vital that every student has an opportunity to be educated, a good source is public schools, and they should be fully funded.” He firmly believes that a family should be able to afford to send their children to college.
Baker concluded his talk by stating he supports raising the minimum wage and expanding Medicare.
To find out more about Dennis Baker, visit dennislbaker.com
