Ervin Yen

Ervin Stone Yen is an American physician and politician who represented the 40th district in the Oklahoma Senate from 2014 to 2018.

Ervin Yen
Member of the Oklahoma Senate
from the 40th district
In office
January 2015 – January 2019
Preceded byCliff Branan
Succeeded byCarri Hicks
Personal details
Born
Ervin Stone Yen

1954 (age 68–69)
Taipei, Taiwan
Political partyRepublican (before 2021)
Independent (2021–present)
SpousePam
Children5
EducationUniversity of Oklahoma (BS, MD)

Early life, education and career

Yen was born in Taipei in 1954. His parents moved to the United States in 1959 and settled in northwest Oklahoma City.[1] Yen graduated from Putnam City High School in Warr Acres. Yen earned a Bachelor of Science degree in zoology from the University of Oklahoma and then a medical degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine.[2]

Career

Outside of politics, Yen works as an anesthesiologist. He witnessed Oklahoma's October 28, 2021 execution of John Grant with a three-drug lethal injection protocol and testified as an expert for the state Attorney General's office, at a rate of $250 per hour, that the prisoner was fully unconscious despite some witnesses claiming they observed him struggling to breathe, convulsing, and vomiting on the execution gurney.[3][4]

Oklahoma Senate

Yen ran for the district 40 state senate seat against Brian Winslow, Joe Howell, Steve Kern, David B. Hooten, and Michael Taylor in a Republican primary in 2014. He defeated pastor Steve Kern in a runoff.[5] He defeated Democrat John Handy Edwards in the general election. Yen is the first Physician in the Oklahoma Senate in 40 years. He is also the first Asian American in the legislature in Oklahoma history.[6]

Yen supports only medical exemptions to school vaccinations and introduced bills to that effect in the 2016 and 2017 legislative sessions.[7]

Yen was instrumental in passing a bill outlawing texting while driving and authored a bill which became law that kept children from using commercial tanning beds.

Yen lost his 2018 primary election to veterinarian Joe Howell, whose campaign was largely financed by the Oklahomans for Vaccine and Health Choice, an anti-vaccination group.[8][9]

In February 2019, Yen received the American Medical Association's Dr. Nathan Davis Award for Outstanding Government Service as a State Legislator.[10]

2022 Oklahoma gubernatorial election

Yen ran in the 2022 Oklahoma gubernatorial election.[11] During his campaign, he left the Republican Party and registered as an independent, citing the rise of COVID-19 misinformation and the widespread belief that Trump won the 2020 election in the GOP as well as the party's rejection of temporary mask mandates and vaccine mandates.[12] He placed fourth, receiving 1.36% of the vote.[13]

Electoral history
2022 Oklahoma gubernatorial election[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Kevin Stitt (incumbent) 639,484 55.45% +1.12%
Democratic Joy Hofmeister 481,904 41.79% -0.44%
Libertarian Natalie Bruno 16,243 1.41% -2.03%
Independent Ervin Yen 15,653 1.36% N/A
Total votes 1,153,284 100.0%
Turnout  %
Registered electors
Republican hold

References
  1. "About Ervin Yen". Archived from the original on April 12, 2018. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  2. KOCO Staff (November 8, 2020). "Former state Sen. Ervin Yen officially announces campaign for Oklahoma governor". KOCO. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  3. "Judge denies Oklahoma death row inmate's request for stay". November 23, 2020.
  4. Clay, Nolan (November 29, 2021). "Eyewitnesses to Grant execution give conflicting accounts". The Oklahoman. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  5. "Steve Kern Loses GOP Oklahoma Senate District 40 Runoff To Ervin Yen". KGOU. AP. August 26, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  6. Greer, Kate (November 24, 2014). "First Asian American Legislator Elected in Oklahoma history: Historical Marker, But No Milestone". KGOU. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  7. Hardzinski, Brian (October 17, 2016). "Oklahoma Lawmaker, Physician Ervin Yen Will Try Vaccine Mandate Again In 2017". KGOU. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  8. Felder, Ben (June 26, 2018). "Incumbent District 40 senator falls in OKC primary". newsOK. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  9. Molteni, Megan (November 5, 2018). "How Antivax PACs Helped Shape Midterm Ballots". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Archived from the original on February 5, 2023. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  10. "AMA presents government service award to former state senator".
  11. "Former state Sen. Ervin Yen officially announces campaign for Oklahoma governor". November 8, 2020.
  12. Savage, Tres (November 5, 2020). "Hello 2022: Dr. Ervin Yen forms committee to challenge Gov. Kevin Stitt". NonDoc. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  13. "November 08 2022 Oklahoma Official Results". results.okelections.us. Oklahoma State Election Board. Retrieved November 9, 2022.

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