OKLAHOMA CITY – State Senator Jessica Garvin has condemned a Republican colleague for his sexually suggestive comment about Vice President Kamala Harris when referring to a bill he proposed on paper straws.
Senator Nathan Dahm, R-Broken Arrow, said, “You can’t use a paper straw for a milkshake but maybe Kamala Harris could because of her vast experience.”
During an interview with an Oklahoma City television station, Dahm defended his comment and the implication that the vice president advanced her political career with sex. Since that time, Sen. Kay Floyd and other Democratic senators have filed a formal complaint against Dahm.
“Her way in getting to some of her early positions and where she is now, how she was selected and chosen,” Dahm told KFOR Channel 4.
However, Garvin, R-Duncan, said she was disgusted with Dahm’s comments.
“It is never appropriate or mature for a sitting legislator to make sexual remarks about men or women,” she said. “That type of comment should never be said when you live in a glass house. Senator Dahm had the opportunity to retract or clarify his remarks and he chose not to do so. His comments do not reflect how the rest of the Senate feels about women.”
Male counterparts in the Senate have treated Garvin with respect since she took office, the Stephens County lawmaker said.
“It is unbecoming to the Senate for this to occur,” she said, referencing Dahm’s comment about Harris.
Dahm’s comments may land him in hot water with Senate leadership who decides which senators are awarded committee chairmanships. Dahm is a member of three Senate committees, but was not awarded any chairmanships for the current legislative session. His bills, as well as his comments, have been a lightning rod of controversy. In 2020, Dahm introduced the anti-red flag measure that prevented law enforcement agencies from temporarily taking firearms from individuals who might pose a danger to themselves or others.
In the 2021 session, Dahm did not support mask mandates as COVID numbers surged. In addition, controversy has surrounded Dahm as a long time supporter of anti-abortion measures which were introduced and signed into law this year. Garvin said she supports the way Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat handled the situation with Dahm and his comments about the vice president.
In a prepared statement, Treat said, “I am disappointed in Nathan Dahm’s comments about the vice president of the United States. His comments were misogynistic, disrespectful, immature, and undermine the good work of the staff and other members of the Oklahoma Senate. As the leader of the Senate, I hold senators to a high standard of conduct and decorum, and Senator Dahm completely failed to live up to that standard.”
In their formal complaint against Dahm, Democratic Sens. Kay Floyd and Kevin Matthews cited the legislative conduct policy which states, “Every Senator shall conduct himself or herself to justify the confidence placed in him or her by the people and, by personal example and admonition to colleagues, shall maintain the integrity and responsibility of his or her office.”
Legislative rules for this session show any senator who believes the Senate standards have been violated by a senator or a staff member shall seek redress by submitting a complaint to the President Pro Tempore.
Dahm submitted his bill to ban paper straws on April 22, Earth Day, in honor of the day that celebrates environmental protection. Dahm said at the time he introduced SB 1065 to counter bans on plastic straws in states like California.
In a prepared statement, Dahm said, “You have states, like California, where the leftist loons have banned plastic straws because they saw a video on social media about a sea turtle that was harmed by ingesting a straw,” Dahm said. “So, under the guise of helping the planet, they’ve banned plastic straws, resulting in who knows how many trees now being cut down to make paper straws.”
He continued his snarky criticism of the plastic straw ban and Washington, D.C., politicians.
“Hatred of paper straws is nearly universal,” Dahm said. “I’ve never met a single person who enjoys using a paper straw. They fall apart and turn to mush quicker than Joe Biden trying to string together a coherent sentence. They collapse like Mitt Romney under the slightest amount of pressure, and even with Kamala Harris ... well, never mind.”