Edmond Democratic Women announces endorsement for Julia Kirt, a democratic candidate for Oklahoma Senate District 30. Julia shares the values of the Edmond Democratic Women and we believe she is uniquely qualified to represent Oklahoman’s in Senate District 30. For more information about Julia or to volunteer to help with her campaign efforts, please visit her website.

MEET JULIA
A fifth generation Oklahoman, Julia is the daughter of an Air Force veteran and a minister. Julia learned the value of giving back to her community from an early age and works to lift up others in her everyday life.
Julia is an experienced community leader. For the 20 years before she was elected, Julia worked to build up Oklahoma’s creative potential as the director of two different statewide nonprofit arts organizations. She most recently served as the Executive Director of Oklahomans for the Arts, which works to improve the economy, education and communities through the arts. Previously, she led the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition, working with thousands of artists across the state to develop strong small businesses and connect with audiences.
She graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Masters in Art History and earned an undergraduate degree from Macalester College in Communications. She received further training through the Stanford Graduate School Business Center for Social Innovation.
Since entering the Senate, Julia has earned the respect of those on both sides of the aisle. First elected in 2018, she has concentrated her legislative efforts on public education, mental health, a fair budget and prioritizing Oklahomans left behind. Learning at every opportunity, she asks the hard questions that need to be asked and carefully considers the consequences of every decision.
Julia has become one of the most well known budget watchdogs in the legislature, working to ensure responsible state investments and fair fiscal policies. She serves on the Appropriations Committee, Health and Human Services Subcommittee for Appropriations, Finance Committee and the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency Oversight Committee.
Dedicating herself to speaking up for Oklahomans being left behind, she serves as co-chair of the Waiting List Caucus to ensure individuals with developmental disabilities receive the services they deserve to thrive and their families receive the help they need. The Arc of Oklahoma awarded Julia the 2020 Elected Official Advocate of the Year award for promoting better understanding and integration of people with disabilities in employment, education, and the community.
Julia helped start the Legislative Mental Health Caucus, a bi-partisan group of leaders working to make sure Oklahomans facing mental health challenges or substance use disorder can receive treatment and our state invests more in prevention. Mental Health America named her a 2021 Legislative Champion for her work.
Julia lives in Oklahoma City with her husband of 17 years, Nathan Guilford, and their two children, Roger and Lila. Nathan owns a small business in northwest Oklahoma City.
JULIA’S ISSUES
Strong Public Schools
Our kids deserve public schools with the resources to help them reach their potential. Despite efforts to catch up, our state still underfunds our schools compared to the region. Our state has overemphasized testing and underemphasized 21st century skills. Supporting our public schools motivates Julia’s service. Julia is a public school parent, product of public schools and daughter of a former public school teacher.
Julia will continue to stand up for policies that benefit kids and equip educators.
Thriving Mental Health
Brain health is part of our wellbeing. Every Oklahoman deserves access to mental health care that helps them live their best lives. Meanwhile, 1 in 5 Oklahoma adults experience mental illness. Oklahomans have some of the highests rates in the country of Adverse Childhood Experiences and longest waits to be diagnosed or treated for mental illness.
Julia will keep championing resources for mental health and substance use disorder treatment for all ages.
An Economy that Works for ALL
We have to create an economy with more opportunities available for more people. Oklahoma leaves far too much capacity untapped. Inequality undermines competition and limits growth in our economy. Although our economy has grown, wages for most Oklahomans have stagnated. The pandemic showed how much employment is fragile. When we support Oklahoma-grown businesses and improve the skills of workers, we build a new economy. When our state invests in quality education and health, we invest in long term prosperity.
Julia knows that creating a state where more people can succeed makes it so our state will succeed. She will continue speaking up for quality jobs and business opportunities for Oklahomans.
This information was taken from Julia’s website.
Edmond Democratic Women Endorses Tegan Malone for Oklahoma House District 95
Edmond Democratic Women announces endorsement for Tegan Malone a democratic candidate for Oklahoma House District 95. Tegan shares the values of the Edmond Democratic Women and we believe she is uniquely qualified to represent House District 95. For more information about Tegan or to volunteer to help with her campaign efforts, please visit her website.

MEET TEGAN
Tegan Malone’s roots run deep in Midwest City. Going back to the war efforts in the 1940s, Tegan’s grandfather worked on aircraft to keep our pilots in the air. Growing up near Tinker AFB, the collectiveness of community and the importance of service above self was never lost on Tegan.
Tegan attended East Side Elementary, Ridgecrest Elementary, Monroney Junior High, and Carl Albert High School, where she graduated as senior class president and valedictorian. After graduation, Tegan attended Rose State College and the University of Oklahoma. In 1999, Tegan gave birth to her son Brayden, and her family became an Air Force family - being stationed first at Travis AFB in California. After adding their second son, Camden, to their family, Tegan went back to school and earned a post-baccalaureate teaching certificate and a Masters Degree in Teaching from Western Governors University. She began teaching elementary school shortly after receiving her Masters.
After returning to Oklahoma, Tegan continued teaching at Pleasant Hill Elementary, where she was a finalist for Mid-Del’s district Teacher of the Year, Fairview Elementary, and Kerr Middle School. Tegan transitioned out of the classroom and into the nonprofit sector.
Tegan is an avid cyclist and led the Oklahoma Earthbike Fellowship. She also brought the popular Bike Club program from Tulsa to the OKC metro, starting the first program at Kerr Middle School (now Del City Middle School). Tegan is currently the president-elect of BikeOklahoma, and a member of the Oklahoma Trails Advisory Board which assists the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation administer the Federal Recreational Trails Grant Program.
Alongside cycling, Tegan enjoys spending time with her partner, Ryan, their kids Brayden, Camden, Carlie, and Harison.
TEGAN’S ISSUES
Education
Put simply, our students shouldn't be our biggest exports. Our best and brightest are oftentimes the quickest to leave the state for better opportunities. As our Representative, Tegan will fight tooth and nail to ensure we are investing into the
future of our state and focusing on keeping our students in Oklahoma. This means not just investing into our K-12 schools, but ensuring our public universities are among the first universities our students are considering for college.
Changing our State’s Current Course
This past legislative session was difficult to watch. Rather than moving our state in a direction that benefits all Oklahomans, we instead focused on hot-button issues and banning our teachers from teaching history as it happened. We need leaders who are working to serve the residents of Oklahoma and not waste our tax-payer dollars writing and passing legislation that puts us on the wrong path and is irrelevant to our daily lives.
Transportation
Tegan’s background in active transportation has afforded her a unique perspective on the incredible things happening all over our state. She has witnessed and coached numerous communities to increase opportunities for safer routes for active transportation. She understands that Oklahoma has some of the most progressive cycling laws in the country, and building on this success will enable Oklahoma to be a Top Ten State with regards to its transportation infrastructure.
Veterans and Military Families
Service above self - this is the mantra of so many people who feel called to serve our country. Sacrifice comes in many different forms, from leaving the only town a person has ever known, to missing the birth of a child, struggling to find employment at a new duty station for a spouse or partner, and yes, even laying down one’s own life in service to our country, our military families make sacrifices daily to ensure our American ideals. We must uphold the promises made in exchange for this service. Healthcare, job assistance, sound public education, and a strong public safety net are part of this package. Anything less is dishonorable to the sacrifices of so many.
Jobs
Ensuring we aren’t leaving behind families and residents of the Mid-Del area should always be a top priority for our elected officials. Tegan will fight to invest more into our technology centers and vo-tech schools, making higher education accessible to our residents. Creating more job opportunities in House District 95 starts with investing in our education system and equipping our workforce with the knowledge and tools to find or create good-paying jobs in our ever-growing competitive job market.
This information was taken from Tegan’s website