Authors

Rick Farmer, Ph.D.
Dean of the J. Rufus Fears Fellowship
Dr. Rick Farmer serves as OCPA’s Dean 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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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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Good Government
Convention delegates to pick the candidate
On Sunday, the delegates to the Democratic National Convention went from obscurity to some of the most powerful people in the country. Political scientist Dr. Rick Farmer, dean of OCPA’s J. Rufus Fears Fellowship program, reviews the process for selecting Oklahoma’s delegates.Rick Farmer, Ph.D. | July 22, 2024
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Education
Celebrating Oklahoma’s best teachers
OCPA is proud of the outstanding public school teachers in Oklahoma and is pleased to provide $14,000 in scholarships to public school students in the districts of the 10 Teacher of the Year finalists.Rick Farmer, Ph.D. | July 18, 2024
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Law & Principles
Oklahoma state legislative races in full swing
Oklahoma voters will go to the polls in June, August, and November to select their state legislators. Republicans will have large majorities in both chambers, but the size of those majorities and the specific individuals who will fill the seats are in most cases yet to be determined.Rick Farmer, Ph.D. | June 5, 2024
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Good Government
OCPA’s Fears Fellows are making an impact
The primary purpose of the fellowship is to identify and train the next generation of conservative leaders for Oklahoma. Over the past couple of years, the Fears Fellowship has become much more than training.Rick Farmer, Ph.D. | April 17, 2023
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