World Mag Profiles Lankford: “David and Goliath”
by J.C. Derrick
Posted: May 17, 2013
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Four chairs and a couch surround a glass-top coffee table in Rep. James Lankford’s Capitol Hill office. On it mementos sit neatly arranged: military coins, tickets to an Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State football game, and pieces from the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, which took place within his district. There’s also a Bible—Lankford’s mom gave it to him when he professed faith in Christ at age 8, and he was sworn into Congress on the same Bible in 2011—35 years later.
Some items don’t need explanation, but why the sling and five rocks? “A friend of mine made that sling and put five smooth stones around it, saying, ‘Go to Washington and take down the giants,’” the Republican lawmaker explained.
Lankford, 45, now in his second term, is taking on the biggest giants Washington offers: Attorney General Eric Holder over Justice Department scandals, and now former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over the Benghazi scandal—not to mention federal budget-cutting, human trafficking, and other issues.
Lankford has made a name for himself as someone who soaks up information, asks hard questions, and is helping to fill a leadership void in Congress—even though he arrived in Washington with no prior political experience. His work as a freshman prompted colleagues to unanimously elect him the Republican Policy Committee chairman—the fifth-highest House leadership position—for the 113th Congress.