Roll Call Ranks OK Delegation 38th In Influence
Oklahoma ranked 38th in state congressional influence
BY RANDY KREHBIEL World Staff Writer
As defined by Webster, “clout” means “pull” or “influence.”
As defined by Roll Call, “clout” is something Oklahoma doesn’t have much of.
The Capitol Hill publication’s latest congressional “clout index” ranks Oklahoma’s delegation 38th, just behind Rhode Island and just ahead of Wyoming. That’s consistent with recent biennial rankings, but well below the No. 20 achieved in 2001.
Roll Call’s evaluation uses traditional hallmarks of congressional power and influence: seniority, party affiliation, committee leadership, delegation size and per capita federal spending.
This obviously favors larger delegations, and so it is no surprise that California has ranked No. 1 in total clout going back to at least 1999.