Authors
Rick Farmer, Ph.D.
Dean of the J. Rufus Fears Fellowship
Dr. Rick Farmer is Dean Emeritus of the J. Rufus Fears Fellowship. Previously, Rick served as director of committee staff at the Oklahoma House of Representatives, deputy insurance commissioner, and director of the Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Commission. Earning his Ph.D. at the University of Oklahoma and tenure at the University of Akron, Rick can best be described as a “pracademic.” While working full-time in the Oklahoma government, he continued to teach and write. He served as president of the Oklahoma Political Science Association and chairman of the American Political Science Association’s Practical Politics Working Group. In 2016, he was awarded the Oklahoma Political Science Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Farmer has appeared on CNN, NBC, MSNBC, C-SPAN, BBC Radio, and various local news outlets. His comments are quoted in the Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, and numerous local newspapers. He is the author of more than 30 academic chapters and articles and the co-editor of four books.
Recent Articles
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Law & Principles
‘Quit fixing it, you’re only making it worse’: The case against the California ‘top two’ election system
Reforms designed to weaken political parties have consistently failed to deliver on their promises. The California “top two” election model, for example, has not increased voter turnout and has not reduced polarization.Rick Farmer, Ph.D. | October 28, 2025
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Culture & the Family
Five Fears Fellows have been elected to office
No fewer than five graduates of OCPA’s J. Rufus Fears Fellowship program have been elected to public office. In their own words, here’s what the fellowship meant to them.Rick Farmer, Ph.D. | June 3, 2025
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Culture & the Family
Fears Fellowship: A life-changing experience
In their own words, graduates of OCPA’s J. Rufus Fears Fellowship talk about the program’s impact on their lives.Rick Farmer, Ph.D. | May 8, 2025
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Culture & the Family
Preparing Oklahoma’s next generation of conservative leaders
The reputation that OCPA’s J. Rufus Fears Fellowship is developing—both in Oklahoma academic circles and in the national conservative movement—sets it apart from other leadership programs.Rick Farmer, Ph.D. | April 29, 2025
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Culture & the Family
The rising conservative populism
In this review of Patrick Ruffini’s book, “Party of the People: Inside the Multiracial Populist Coalition Remaking the GOP,” OCPA’s Rick Farmer sheds light on the emerging conservative populist coalition.Rick Farmer, Ph.D. | April 7, 2025
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Law & Principles, Good Government
California-style ‘top two’ election system doesn’t deliver on its promises
The California-style top-two system proposed in SQ 836 does not deliver on its promises. Instead, it makes it more difficult for Oklahoma voters to choose a candidate that represents their values and interests.Rick Farmer, Ph.D. | February 17, 2025
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Education
Oklahoma high-school students may now earn ‘civics seal’
Oklahoma high-school students now have an incentive to study civics and history—and to participate in OCPA’s Fears Fellowship.Rick Farmer, Ph.D. | February 4, 2025
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Law & Principles, Culture & the Family
With conservative populism ascendant, let’s rediscover this influential Oklahoman
With Trumpism ascendant in the GOP, now is a good time to rediscover a long-dead Oklahoman who was the premier American theorist for conservative populism.Rick Farmer, Ph.D. | December 27, 2024
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Culture & the Family
OCPA leadership program helps shape public policy
When it comes to building social capital and using it to implement conservative policies, OCPA’s J. Rufus Fears Fellowship program is a national leader.Rick Farmer, Ph.D. | December 4, 2024
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Education
For local school-board member training in Oklahoma, there’s now a conservative alternative
Oklahoma law requires local school-board members to complete annual training. There’s now a conservative alternative to the training provided by the OSSBA.Rick Farmer, Ph.D. | August 27, 2024
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