Kevin Matthews (politician)

Kevin Matthews (born March 2, 1960) is an American politician who has served in the Oklahoma Senate from the 11th district since 2015. He previously served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from the 73rd district from 2012 to 2015.

Early life, education, and career
Kevin Matthews was born in Tulsa where he graduated from Booker T. Washington High School. He attended Central State University between 1978 and 1981. He later earned a degree in fire protection technology while working for the Tulsa Fire Department. He worked for 25 years for the department, retiring as the Administrative Fire Chief of the department. He was the first African American Administrative Fire Chief for the Tulsa Fire Department.

Oklahoma House of Representatives
Mathews was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 2012 and sworn into office on November 14 of that year.

Oklahoma Senate
Mathews ran in a special election to succeed Jabar Shumate in 2015. The Democratic primary decided the election since no non-Democratic candidates filed. He faced Regina Goodwin and Heather Nash in the primary election and won with 47% of the vote. He did not run for reelection in 2024 due to term limits.