Steve Russell

As a state senator Russell authored the Soldiers Relief Act that made Oklahoma’s serving military tax exempt, affecting over 50,000 soldiers and their families. He also authored the Soldiers Credentialing Act, a law allowing credit for soldiers skills through direct certification rather than additional schooling allowing them to quickly enter the work force. Additionally, Russell authored a number of bills that became law related to the 2nd Amendment. Shortly after the publication of his book, Russell announced he would not seek reelection and he decided to focus on his business, public speaking and veterans advocacy.

Russell reached the rank of lieutenant colonel in the United States Army, and played a significant role in the capture of Saddam Hussein during the Iraq War. He served in the Oklahoma Senate, and ran for the House of Representatives when James Lankford did not run for reelection. After winning two terms in the House, Russell was defeated for re-election in 2018 by Democrat Kendra Horn.

Russell was instrumental in blocking the privatization of air traffic control. Russell's criticism of privatization extended to national security concerns as well as keeping the national airspace open to all Americans. The Federal Aviation Administration's Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center is in Oklahoma City. Russell, along with Congressman Ralph Abraham, was recognized by several national aviation organizations for their efforts and received the 2018 Hartranft Award presented by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

On June 26, 2018, Russell was nominated as Republican candidate for a third term with nearly 84% of the vote. However, Russell lost to Democratic opponent Kendra Horn on November 6, 2018. Nearly every rating organization labeled Russell as the favorite, and FiveThirtyEight gave Russell a 93 percent chance of victory. Ultimately, Russell could not overcome a 9,900-vote deficit in Oklahoma County, home to three–fourths of the district's population–more than three times the overall margin of 3,300 votes.

Russell was the main sponsor of H.R. 194, Federal Agency Mail Management Act of 2017, which became law on November 21, 2017 during the 115th Congress, 1st Session (2017). This bill would require the General Services Administration (GSA) to provide guidance and assistance to federal agencies for effective mail processing, leading to a more efficient, cost-saving system.

On June 28, 2016, Russell won the Republican Primary in his bid for re-election to Congress with more than 80% of the vote, defeating Frank Volpe. On November 8, 2016, Russell was elected to a second term in Congress.

In January 2014, Russell announced he would seek the seat of the United States House of Representatives in Oklahoma's 5th congressional district , which was being vacated by James Lankford in his US Senate bid. On June 24, 2014, Russell led the field in the six-way Republican Primary. On Tuesday, August 26, 2014, Russell won the run-off despite being heavily outspent to win the Republican nomination. On November 4, 2014, Russell was elected to Congress with 60.1% of the vote, defeating Democratic State Senator Al McCaffrey and three Independent candidates, Buddy Ray, Tom Boggs and Robert Murphy.

Russell has also been a successful writer and author. His opinion pieces have appeared in many major publications, and he is the author of We Got Him!: A Memoir of the Hunt and Capture of Saddam Hussein, published by Simon & Schuster in December 2011. An earlier version of the work was published by Deeds Publishing that year. The book has received critical acclaim for its vivid portrayal of combat and the events surrounding the hunt for the Iraqi dictator and his capture. It received numerous endorsements to include General Tommy Franks and the foreword was written by General Ray Odierno.

Russell began his service to the public in 2008 when he defeated four opponents in one of the most contested races in the Oklahoma State Senate that year. Russell won the initial Republican primary with 42% of the vote, leading by 15 points. He won the Republican run off with 67% of the vote.

As a motivational speaker, Russell embarked on a successful speaking career in hundreds of cities since 2007. He has been featured as a keynote speaker at such notable events as the Ring Banquet at the U.S. Air Force Academy and was honored as the Paul R. Smith Award recipient for his distinguished service in Iraq at the American Veterans Center 15th Annual Awards Gala in 2012. He is managed by Premiere Speakers Bureau of Franklin, Tennessee.

Russell continued in command of the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry until June, 2005, when he was selected to become the Chief of Tactics at the US Army Infantry School at Ft. Benning, GA. Turning down a Queen's University Fellowship to Kingston, Canada for the U.S. Army War College and promotion to colonel, Russell retired as a lieutenant colonel in 2006. He returned to Oklahoma with his wife and five children.

During Operation Iraqi Freedom, Russell commanded the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry 'Regulars' and conducted combat in Tikrit, Iraq from the spring of 2003 to the spring of 2004. His task force was a part of Colonel James Hickey's 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division. Russell's battalion was broadly covered during the first year of the war by CNN, Fox News Channel, ABC, NBC, CBS, TIME, Associated Press and Reuters. His unit was a central player in the hunt and capture of Saddam Hussein and has been featured in the Discovery Channel's Ace in the Hole and BBC Panorama's 'Saddam on the Run' documentaries. Russell has also been featured in a documentary highlighting his military life and political transition in the American Patriots Unsung series called 'Sacred Honor.'

Russell also earned a MMAS in Military History with a focus on East Asia from the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in 1998. His other military education includes the Infantry Officers Basic Course, the Armored Officers Career Course, the Combined Arms Staff School and the Battalion Commanders Course.

Receiving his Infantry training at Fort Benning, Georgia, Russell married Cindy Myers, whom he met at Ouachita, on December 21, 1985. Russell would graduate from the U.S. Army Infantry Officers' Basic Course, Airborne School, Mortar School and a year later from the U.S. Army Ranger School in Class 11–87.

Russell is a fifth-generation Oklahoman. His hobbies include teaching Sunday school, reading and studying history, playing the guitar and singing, as well as collecting military antiques and firearms. Russell has been married to the former Cindy Myers of Columbus, Arkansas since 1985. They have five grown children, three of whom were adopted from Hungary. They are members of First Southern Baptist Church in Del City.

Russell is a graduate of Del City High, Class of 1981. He was inducted into the Del City Hall of Fame in its very first class along with professional football player Bob Kalsu who was killed in Vietnam and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist John Smith.

Russell attended school at Del City Elementary and Kerr Junior High. He became a Christian reading a Gideon's New Testament he picked up at Kerr in 1977. In 1980, Russell was an exchange student to Germany, living in Kasseedorf near Eutin in Schleswig-Holstein. Graduating from Del City High School in 1981, Russell was President of his senior class and voted most likely to succeed. After earning a four-year Army ROTC scholarship, Russell attended Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. After graduating with a degree in Public Speaking, Russell was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army infantry.

Steven Dane Russell (born May 25, 1963) is an American soldier and politician. He served in the United States House of Representatives for Oklahoma's 5th congressional district from 2015 to 2019, after serving in the Oklahoma Senate from 2009 to 2013. Russell is a member of the Republican Party.

Russell was born on May 25, 1963 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to Clyde E. "Gene" Russell and Donna J. Porter Russell. Russell grew up in Del City, Oklahoma. The youngest of three, Russell nearly died at birth due to an opposite blood type with his mother. After weeks of intensive care, he recovered and would face several other brushes with death. At the age of seven, Russell was nearly killed by the deadly tornado that hit near Lake Eufaula, Oklahoma on June 11, 1970 while visiting his grandparents. Later that year, Russell nearly died from a ruptured appendix and underwent two surgeries with weeks of intensive care at Midwest City Hospital.