Andrew Monroe Rice is a civic leader and American politician from Oklahoma. He represented Senate District 46 in the Oklahoma State Senate. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for the United States Senate in 2008, losing to incumbent U.S. Senator James Inhofe. Rice serves as Foundation Fundraising Director of Variety Care health systems in Central Oklahoma, a non-profit group which serves moderate income families with health care. Rice resigned from his Senate seat January 15, 2012, citing an out-of-state career opportunity for his wife.
After winning the Democratic party's three-way primary for Senate district 46 on July 25, 2006, Rice won the general election garnering 69.5 percent of the vote. He was sworn into office on November 16, 2006. Rice's Senate district encompasses downtown and the urban core of Oklahoma City and covers approximately 71,000 people. In 2010, Rice was re-elected to the Oklahoma State Senate with 68 percent of the vote. For the 2011 & 2012 legislation sessions, Rice was elected by his colleagues to serve as the Senate Democratic Leader making him the highest ranking Democrat in state government. On October 18, 2011, Rice announced his resignation effective January 15, 2012, citing an out-of-state career opportunity for his wife.
Sponsored Legislation
Cosponsored and helped pass legislation called the "All Kids Act" to add 38,000 Oklahoma children to those eligible for government-sponsored health insurance.
Led a successful effort to make it easier for local governments to donate abandoned properties for use by Habitat for Humanity to construct affordable housing, especially in rural Oklahoma.
Co-author of the legislation creating the Hunger Task Force to tackle the problem of hunger in Oklahoma.
Authored legislation creating a state Veterans Health Insurance Program that provides coverage to uninsured Oklahoma veterans. The legislation was passed by the senate with 45–1 vote.
2008 U.S. Senate Election
Rice officially filed as a candidate for the United States Senate from Oklahoma on Monday, June 2, 2008. He won the Democratic primary against Jim Rogers on July 29, 2008 but was defeated in the general election on November 4, 2008 by incumbent RepublicanJim Inhofe, who won reelection to a fourth term in a landslide.
Personal
In 2004, Rice founded of the Progressive Alliance Foundation which worked throughout the state of Oklahoma advancing progressive, fair-minded and constitutional solutions to public policy problems. He also launched the Red River Democracy Project and was on the board of The People's Opinion Project. For 3 years, Rice was the Executive Director of Teen Recovery Solutions in Oklahoma City, which operates Oklahoma's only accredited recovery High School for teens dealing with addiction, Mission Academy. On September 11, 2001, Rice lost a brother in the 9/11 attacks. Rice is also a writer. He has published a novel, , and a collection of poems, . Rice is married to Dr. Apple Newman Rice who practices medicine in Oklahoma City. They have two sons and reside in Oklahoma City.
