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Muskogee, Oklahoma Elects 19-Year-Old Mayor

cnn.com — A 19-year-old freshman at the University of Oklahoma was elected mayor Tuesday of Muskogee, a city of 38,000 in the northeastern part of the state.

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  • j0hneb0y81, on 05/15/2008, -1/+60congrats to him.. just hope he is more mature at the age of 19 then i was..
  • rlray216, on 05/15/2008, -2/+61Man, that town would have been in trouble if they had elected ME mayor at age 19.
    • theapplegod, on 05/15/2008, -5/+3Muskogee is a great town (Positives = Having a nationally known bank in Bank of America, Negatives = Being forced to deal with local grocery stores in the region such as Marvin's IGA or Food Pyramid which took over after Albertson's bailed on all of OK).

      Muskogee is a great example of the "Everytown USA" as far as living and quality of life. While I didn't follow this story, I applaud his victory and trust he will be an example in politics that you don't have to be an "American Idol" like Obama is loved to win
  • jjustice, on 05/15/2008, -2/+60There's a political comment about old-enough-to-serve-in-the-army-but-not-old-enough-to-drink somewhere in here...
    • mrzeero, on 05/15/2008, -2/+28You are correct. It would be immoral for him to have a drink until he is 21. Just as it is for anyone under 21 in the military to drink. Just because you are willing to give your life protecting this country, does not mean you should be able to risk having a beer. Stay classy USA.
      • weech, on 05/15/2008, -2/+1Dug for the Ron Burgundy reference
      • BlakeEM, on 05/15/2008, -1/+3Or I should say why the ***** would you trust someone with million dollar weapons and guns but not trust them to make a choice about what they can drink?
        • Rendonsmug, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1Wow, I should move to Muskogee, Oklahoma!
    • j1ggy, on 05/15/2008, -4/+2So this kid will soon have the power, along with other elected officials, to manipulate drinking laws. Let he can't have a drink. My head is spinning and making me dizzy...
      • jetx29, on 05/15/2008, -2/+3I'm PRETTY sure that only the state legislatures are able to manipulate drinking laws directly (at least thus far). The fed has done it indirectly by their constitutional spending power (withholding highways funds from states that don't set it at 21), but they haven't tried to pass a straight out law yet, and it isn't clear how that would come out if it were challenged (though from my meager constitutional law education, I'd say that it isn't likely they could do that sort of regulation). This kid isn't quite at that level yet. But the way he's going, he's certainly on his way! More power to him if he serves his people well!
    • waahooo, on 05/15/2008, -1/+25FAQ: I am a 19-year old mayor with a Ph.D in Political Science. I am married and have a child. Can I have a drink?
    • dopplerdog, on 05/15/2008, -1/+3Gaius Octavian was elected Consul of Rome at 19. Alexander became king of Macedon at 20 and led his armies to victory against the Persians. Neither would have been allowed to drink today.
    • Christia, on 05/15/2008, -1/+1----G----------------A---------------D
      ...violence flaring and bullets loading

      ----------G--------------------A---------------D
      You're old enough to kill, but not for voting...
  • keltin, on 05/15/2008, -18/+13IN many respects, OK is leading the nation in new trends. Besides the youthful mayor, they are making it more difficult for illegals to live there, even though the North American Union's Superhighway is being pushed through their state by the monied lobbyists and help from the federal and state governemnts.
    • SheilaNoya, on 05/15/2008, -7/+8They are also leading the nation in religious fanaticism (or at least in the top 3 states for that nonsense). I hope their other trends are more progressive, productive, and prosperous for the citizens there.
      • solid12345, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1I live in Oklahoma and not one of my friends or myself go to Church, yeah there are alot of old people at the church on every street corner on Sunday but most blue-collar folk are ambivalent about religion.
    • lhbaker, on 05/15/2008, -7/+2Still waiting for pics
    • lisaawesome, on 05/15/2008, -4/+6Um are you sure you're talking about Oklahoma and not some fictional state? We may do a lot of things but we certainly don't lead the nation in new trends. Our elected officials with only a few exceptions are trying with all their might to legislate christian values, 18 year olds getting married and having kids is considered normal, one of our U.S. Senators has very vocally denounced global climate change (and called environmentalists the gestapo), a state rep. equated gays with terrorism, and every ***** mile there are at least 2 churches. And to top it off there is a GIANT ***** CROSS overlooking I-35 near where I live. HOW THE ***** IS ANY OF THIS ***** NEW? This is very much a state that is clinging to a bygone era and bibles because they fear any hint of progress. You are obviously delusional. And to Oklahoma state in general, I'm ***** sick of this ***** and you need to pull your head out of your ass.
      • theapplegod, on 05/15/2008, -0/+2OK is a great state to live in, if in Tulsa or OKC. I left because the idiot companies located there are not realistic enough to shut down operations when ice storms hit which puts the general population in peril. Screw you CGI in Broken Arrow!
        • lisaawesome, on 05/15/2008, -0/+3Been in Edmond, OK damn near my whole life and while there are aspects of this state I have come to appreciate overall I look out upon the people I see and I am largely disgusted. There is one small area of OKC that can be seen as progressive. This area comprises maybe 1% of the city if we're being generous. For the most part you have 3 kinda of people. First is the religious zealot who has to make sure we are all preached to in schools by lobbying for laws mandating Christianity (and builds the eyesore of a cross I have to see way too often). Second is the religious zealot who refuses to participate in political things because "God's Kingdom is coming." Then we have the third type of person who graduates high school and immediately starts reproducing because they have absolutely no plans, goals, or common sense. I think it goes without saying the third person doesn't have a clue who is even running for president and could care less what is going on in the country/world (I guess because it's so fulfilling working at McDonald's 40 hours a week and coming home to your 5 babies at age 20).

          I love the rich heritage Oklahoma has but this state has been dominated by zealots and willfully ignorant trash for so long that progressive thought is hard to come by and regularly shunned.
    • solid12345, on 05/15/2008, -1/+4I've lived in Oklahoma all my life. I admit I've never been to the so-called "progressive" states like California or New York, but i've been to Ohio, Florida, Tennessee, and honestly i'd take Oklahoma over all of those. Florida was a big wakeup call, instead of finding a pleasant Hemingway-esque community of old Cubans and free-spirited writers and artists, I saw nothing but white trash in gym shorts and wife beater shirts, Cubans & Puerto Ricans dressing like they were in some vato gang, and an endless stream of dumb tourists.
      • lisaawesome, on 05/15/2008, -1/+1I think every state has social problems. There seems to be a portion of the population that is content being mindless drones whether it be through their religion or their thug lifestyle (real or imagined) or whatever. This is the land of mother ***** opportunity and I watch so many people piss away every chance they have to break away from a McLife and it pisses me off. It is really upsetting to me to see people hold themselves back from their potential. Obviously not everyone is Harvard bound but no one should be a career cashier down at the WalMart.
      • lhbaker, on 05/15/2008, -1/+1You probably ought to consider staying in Oklahoma.
  • neognostic, on 05/15/2008, -18/+9And leading the nation in - http://digg.com/politics/Homophobic_Oklahoma_Senat ... and in Deacons ripping off nut sacks - http://www.nbc5i.com/sports/13968715/detail.html?b ... and in sheriffs who run sex-slave operations - www.newsweek.com/id/132592 - 57k
    Just to keep things in perspective.............. ;-)
    • solid12345, on 05/15/2008, -1/+2Because we all know there is no homophobic congressmen or corrupt police in other states.
  • SheilaNoya, on 05/15/2008, -0/+27From his campaign website:

    "I have dedicated my life to serving our community. Over the past five years, I have built a record of leadership, civic involvement, and high moral integrity."

    I guess he is basing his "record" from the time he was 14 to 19 years old. Oh well, congrats to this young man for pulling this off.

    His campaign website, in case you're interested:

    http://www.hammonsformayor.com/
    • pixelbender, on 05/15/2008, -1/+7Well we sure as hell know he's not going to revolutionize the town's website judging by that...
    • weech, on 05/15/2008, -0/+3Dude at first I thought, mad props to this dude; until i watched that video of him on his campaign website. He speaks like a giant douche.

      Nice goin kid, but there's still an atomic wedgie waiting for you at school on Monday!!
    • MaxD, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1Errr, I think we all toasted his website.
  • ahoy, on 05/15/2008, -8/+2I have to pull this again
    http://catsnstuff.files.wordpress.com/2007/05/dude ...
  • Zipko, on 05/15/2008, -0/+10The town I went to college in recently just elected a senior from the university mayor. He's 22 and now the mayor of Bloomsburg, PA. He ran unopposed though, so I think it's more a statement about the sad shape of the local government, but good for him to want to take on that kind of responsibility.
  • ghaltmann, on 05/15/2008, -0/+11I actually checked to see if this was an onion news article... it wasn't.
    • theapplegod, on 05/15/2008, -2/+0Obama Spank.
    • duality, on 05/15/2008, -0/+2You bet it wasn't. I watched this story on the 5 o'clock news (Channel 6 out of Tulsa), and I was pretty sure that it would make its way to Digg soon thereafter. As far as Oklahoma towns go, Muskogee isn't exactly a backwater place either.
  • nexah3, on 05/15/2008, -1/+21I'd bet throwing a kegger when you're getting sworn in for mayor would be a poor choice.
  • brokencode, on 05/15/2008, -0/+17Definitely makes for a great pick up line.
  • PainToad, on 05/15/2008, -0/+27Under 21? Looks like he might be the first sober politician aswell
    • Aerandir, on 05/15/2008, -1/+11LOL, you are talking about a 19 years old Freshman... and now, it happens to be the freaking MAYOR of the city...
      I call Shenanigans on his sobriety .
      • Derrekito, on 05/15/2008, -1/+1Yeah, no kidding - freshman year was the only chance I had to drink.
    • garywilliams, on 05/15/2008, -5/+1There are a number of Mormons in politics, whose religion forbids them from consuming alcohol.
      • paradexes, on 05/15/2008, -0/+4What the hell does that have to do with any of this?
    • antonycao, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1The city employees can't hold their Xmas party in bars for three years...Or only bring some carryout for the mayor..
  • wave789, on 05/15/2008, -8/+3Padding his resume?
  • AkatsukiNoTobi, on 05/15/2008, -4/+6I feel a bit sorry for him though. No parties at all during college.
  • Catballs, on 05/15/2008, -4/+18Upon seeing the picture FTA, I had the overwhelming urge to punch him directly in the face.


    Definitely politician material.
    • ahoyhoy, on 05/15/2008, -3/+4I bet you looked the same way in your cheesy High School Senior photo.
      • Catballs, on 05/15/2008, -5/+2Yeah. You're right. I loved wearing my suit to school.


        Oh, wait.
    • theapplegod, on 05/15/2008, -2/+1Probably an Obama Spank
  • cannonball, on 05/15/2008, -2/+3I wish I could buy him a drink.

    Maybe when he gets older...
  • pixelbender, on 05/15/2008, -0/+3Real politicians have to be bought and paid for, this guy just made a website using Homestead!
  • MrTito, on 05/15/2008, -2/+7God damn, is that what it takes to get chicks these days?
    • willaggs, on 05/15/2008, -3/+3No, you don't get girls as a politician unless u are Client 9.
  • psykiv, on 05/15/2008, -2/+7That is... very ***** cool. A 19 year old mayor. Who would have thought?

    If only I lived in a small hick town, I'd run too. :(
    • theapplegod, on 05/15/2008, -1/+3Muskogee is far from hick....
      • psykiv, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1Muskogee, a city of 38,000 in the northeastern part of the state.

        Where I'm from, 38000 is considered hick.

        MY SCHOOL has over 38,000 students.
  • Celeron, on 05/15/2008, -2/+4Being the mayor will get him laid many times.
    • chrgrose, on 05/15/2008, -0/+2On his website he's talking to two hot Lewinsky's in his campaign video.
  • ThunderPigs, on 05/15/2008, -7/+5I go to college with him.
  • TinternAbbot, on 05/15/2008, -1/+13Ooooooooooklahoma.
    • abatch, on 05/15/2008, -0/+10Where the wind comes sweeping down the plains.
    • ahoyhoy, on 05/15/2008, -1/+5Oh! The farmer and the cowman should be friends!
    • zephyr42, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1Damn you classic movie we were all forced to watch or act in!!
  • mrzeero, on 05/15/2008, -5/+7I went to high school about twelve miles away from Hillsdale Michigan, were an eighteen year old beating the incumbent.
    http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-11-09-kid ...
    I love it. We need younger people in politics. We would progress much faster if all these old ***** weren't holing us back.
    • mrzeero, on 05/15/2008, -3/+2god damn it. I must have read that ten times before I posted it.
    • bratterscain, on 05/15/2008, -0/+4Some of the best presidents in history weren't necessarily the youngest. I wouldn't disregard the wisdom of age.
      • mrzeero, on 05/15/2008, -0/+2I don't disagree with that, but I think a better mix would make the country stronger.
      • Jashobeam5, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1With age comes wisdom, but it also means the politician has more history of dealings with special interest groups. This guy was not on the radar until now. Maybe he will run for president before age 25.
  • AzureRise, on 05/15/2008, -9/+5*****. I'm 19 and half way through college. I'm running for President! No p2p filtering, no DRM, if you Red Ring MS owes you a new console, and companies (CryTek) have to properly optomize their games or they'll be charged with conspiring with hardware companies! Oh, and I'll legalize it! And every store will have to offer Linux for free with your purchase (they can charge a small fee to install it)! Who's with me!
  • abatch, on 05/15/2008, -12/+4Boomer.
  • abatch, on 05/15/2008, -12/+2Boomer
  • abatch, on 05/15/2008, -14/+2Boomer.
  • rirroM, on 05/15/2008, -5/+2Hmmm...young men getting into office? Are the powers that be trying to tell us something about the fall elections??
  • aserer511, on 05/15/2008, -2/+1very cool! he has a surefoot in politics, should be pursue it later.
  • DaDrake, on 05/15/2008, -4/+12"I love it. We need younger people in politics. We would progress much faster if all these old ***** weren't holing us back."

    I am young (mid 20s) and the last thing I want is people my age running the country now.
    • active1x0, on 05/15/2008, -1/+4I'm 20, and I wish I could digg you twice.
    • tekkitan, on 05/15/2008, -3/+4I dont see a problem with it if they prove they are mature enough and can get the job done and well. I guess we'll see how this youngin' works out.
      • chambana, on 05/15/2008, -0/+2i'm 20 and have zero faith in myself or anyone in my generation to run anything. we have bursts where we're capable, but it's erratic and not what a town struggling with real problems needs
        • Jashobeam5, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1There are people who are 20 capable of being responsible 24/7.
    • TonyLocNE, on 05/15/2008, -2/+1The reply button is there for a reason.
    • duality, on 05/15/2008, -1/+3I won't vote for or against a black man just because he's black. (I have plenty of other reasons to vote for Obama.)
      I won't vote for or against a woman just because she's a woman. (I have plenty of other reasons not to vote for Clinton.)

      In the same way, I wouldn't vote for or against a young person just because he or she is young. All I need to decide whether or not to vote for someone is knowledge of what they have said and what they have done. I don't even need a picture of the person to decide whether to vote for them! And quite frankly, any 19-year-old who is good enough to get himself elected mayor of a medium-sized town like Muskogee has definitely earned my respect, especially when he has already said that he is starting his term by setting up an ethics committee in Muskogee.

      These next few years will determine if he was the correct choice.
  • Colindean, on 05/15/2008, -0/+2Chris Portman of Mercer, PA was the first young mayor, having won the election when he was 18 and being sworn in when 19. This was in 2002. He was a student at Westminster College for a while, before moving on. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/1740555. ... He resigned just before the end of his term. http://edition.cnn.com/2004/US/Northeast/02/14/you ... http://www.cjonline.com/stories/010305/pag_youngma ...
  • beloitpiper, on 05/15/2008, -4/+6He must be proud to be an Oakie from Muskogee.
    ...paging Mr. Haggard. Will Merle Haggard please report?
    • theapplegod, on 05/15/2008, -3/+3Spell it right you ASS. It's "An Okie from Muskogee."
  • visiblepulse, on 05/15/2008, -0/+6he's a Huckabee supporter
    http://forum.hucksarmy.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=125 ...
  • Vector713, on 05/15/2008, -5/+3I'd hit it.
  • chrgrose, on 05/15/2008, -3/+3I hate politicians.
  • Hillsfar, on 05/15/2008, -2/+11I'm an Okie from Muskogee, by Merle Haggard.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okie_from_Muskogee_(s ...

    We don't smoke marijuana in Muskogee;
    We don't take our trips on LSD
    We don't burn our draft cards down on Main Street;
    We like livin' right, and bein' free.

    I'm proud to be an Okie from Muskogee,
    A place where even squares can have a ball
    We still wave Old Glory down at the courthouse,
    And white lightnin's still the biggest thrill of all

    We don't make a party out of lovin';
    We like holdin' hands and pitchin' woo;
    We don't let our hair grow long and shaggy,
    Like the hippies out in San Francisco do.

    And I'm proud to be an Okie from Muskogee,
    A place where even squares can have a ball.
    We still wave Old Glory down at the courthouse,
    And white lightnin's still the biggest thrill of all.

    Leather boots are still in style for manly footwear;
    Beads and Roman sandals won't be seen.
    Football's still the roughest thing on campus,
    And the kids here still respect the college dean.

    We still wave Old Glory down at the courthouse,
    In Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA.
    • CamperBob, on 05/15/2008, -2/+1"Pitchin' woo"?
    • solid12345, on 05/15/2008, -0/+3Well I can tell you Merle Haggard is wrong, small towns in OK like Muskogee have more drug use than anywhere.
    • Ekdog, on 05/15/2008, -1/+5Wouldn't it be ironic if the kid legalized grass?
      • DM05, on 05/15/2008, -0/+2HA! Hammons is on the wrong side of the political spectrum to be doing that.
    • slayersotaku, on 05/15/2008, -1/+1oklahoma is the meth capital
  • antonycao, on 05/15/2008, -2/+2kids rule...
  • toenail, on 05/15/2008, -2/+3good to see American finally starting to see past age (this guy), gender (the chick that almost became our next president), and race (the guys whose gonna be our next president)...
  • rowlodge, on 05/15/2008, -0/+2i live 20 miles from there, in tahlequah okla. muskogee has been hit hard from tornadoes flooding and ice storms in the winter. even unemployment and the housing foreclosures, they probably want a fresh start. good town for shopping though and good restaurants too.
  • mateo60, on 05/15/2008, -1/+3I saw the story and thought "What poor hick sad-ass town voted a kid mayor?"......then I saw it was Muskogee, which is right by where I live. Damn.
    Muskogee has had it rough over the last few years, this kid has his work cut out for him. Good luck to him.
  • KitLove, on 05/15/2008, -0/+0Check out the local Muskogee newspaper Headlines forums at http://community.cnhi.com/eve/forums/a/frm/f/61410 ...
  • chambana, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1Speaking as someone that is his age, this is cool for him, bad for everyone else depending on if mayors have any power over there. He'll start off energized but then gradually lose interest and then let everything around him work itself out.
  • solid12345, on 05/15/2008, -2/+3He'll play Mayor for a week until he finds a new game to play like pogs, all children are like that.
  • chrisdancy, on 05/15/2008, -3/+1I'd tap that like elliot spitzer
  • Auryn, on 05/15/2008, -1/+1Justin Timberlake, and this guy.....Seperated at Birth?
  • lazyguy, on 05/15/2008, -0/+2Mmm. I'd love to pad my resume like that.
  • 04TL, on 05/15/2008, -0/+2good evening Mr. Mayor...have you finished your homework?
  • republicker, on 05/15/2008, -0/+2Charlie Wilson FTW
    • Foot56, on 05/22/2008, -0/+1"You can teach them to type, but you can't teach them to grow *****."
      :)
  • lhughey, on 05/15/2008, -0/+1I hope it wasn't that lil guy from American Idol. Yeah, I watched a couple episodes. I hope that doesn't mess up my street cred!
  • freedomwv, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1The youth will take over. This is happening more and more often in local government.
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