Humphrey first ran for the State House in 2016 as the Republican nominee. District 19 includes
Choctaw,
Pushmataha,
Atoka, and
Bryan counties. He won re-election in
2018,
2020, and
2022. He's served in the
56th,
57th,
58th, and
59th Oklahoma Legislatures. Humphrey was endorsed by
Donald Trump ahead of the
2024 United States presidential election.
56th to 58th Legislature On February 6, 2017, Humphrey introduced in the state House an
anti-abortion bill (House Bill 1441) to require women to obtain the "written informed consent of the father" before obtaining an abortion, except in cases of rape, incest and the mother's health. Humphrey's bill would also compel women "to tell her doctor the father's name and prevents the abortion if the father challenges paternity." On February 14, 2017, Humphrey's H.B. 1441 passed the state House Public Health Committee on a 5–2 party-line vote, with Republicans voting yes and Democrats voting no. The committee passed a second anti-abortion bill the same day. H.B. 1441 was never brought up for a vote in the House. Humphrey played a major role in SB2, a bill that would ban
transgender athletes from participating in women's
sports. In 2021, Humphrey, in an effort to bolster tourism, proposed an official
Bigfoot hunting season in Oklahoma, indicating that the
Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation would regulate permits and the state would offer a $3 million bounty if such a creature was captured alive and unharmed.
"Hosts" interview In an interview with
The Intercept in February 2017, Humphrey referred to pregnant women as "hosts" for the fetus, prompting outrage and criticism from many quarters. Fellow State Representative
Emily Virgin called the comment "incredibly disrespectful," Humphrey stood by his use of the term, saying he did not intend to offend anyone. In 2022,
Jon Echols amended a previous bill of Humphrey's about cockfighting that was later changed to include issues of loitering. Humphrey, along with
Kevin McDugle, have been outspoken against DAs and the
Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, especially in relation to the
Richard Glossip case. In December 2023, Humphrey accused DAs of possibly illegally collecting money during supervised probation and called for the attorney general to investigate. The
Oklahoma District Attorneys Council's chair, Christopher Boring, rebuked Humphrey's claims. On January 17, Humphrey introduced House Bill 3084, which proposed on banning
furries from schools. The proposed bill also went on to state that if a furry was determined to be at school,
animal control would be called to force the student out. Later that day, Humphrey retracted the provision of animal control coming to force a "furry" out of school, stating that he put the provision to make "a sarcastic point", instead wanting to send "furries" to mental health counseling. Humphrey referred to the bill the next day as "crazy but important," stating, "we ought to neuter [furries] and vaccinate them and send them to the pound". The same day, Humphrey introduced House Bill 3133. The bill proposed defining "any person who is of
Hispanic descent living within the state of Oklahoma" and "a member of a criminal street gang" as a terrorist. The bill proposed the forfeiture of all assets, including all property, vehicles, and money as punishment. has led to the outcry from animal rights advocates and the former attorney general. Oklahoma has been called the "Cockfighting Capitol of the United States". HB 2530, pushed by Justin Humphrey, died on April 13, 2023, for the second year in a row.
Tulsa District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler said he was glad cockfighting remained a felony. The
Oklahoma Gamefowl Commission, "a pro-cockfighting political action committee" donated $1,000 to Humphrey "and he is listed on one report as receiving support from the organization when it spent $178.12 on a checkbook from
First United Bank in Durant." In 2023
Dave Rader co-authored House Bill 1792 with
Mike Osburn that would lessen the penalties of and cockfighting dogfighting in Oklahoma, which sparked pushback from animal rights advocates. Also in 2023,
Lonnie Paxton authored Senate Bill 1006 which died in the Senate. It would have also lessened the penalties for cockfighting in the state, similar to House Bill 2530, authored by Justin Humphrey and Paxton, which also died in the same timeframe.
Opinions on LGBT and gender issues In an email responding to a
constituent Humphrey said "I understand transgender people have mental illness." This view is not supported by the
World Health Organization or the
American Psychiatric Association. In an interview published after the incident on April 15, 2021, Humphrey doubled down by saying "I want to tell your audience there is no transgender. There is male and there is female. And transgender would be a mental health issue... So those people that say I'm bigoted, I will say you're insane and you're doing the people wrong by doing that." Freedom Oklahoma, an
LGBT advocacy group, denounced Humphrey's comments calling them "a long-debunked myth." Humphrey was quoted as saying "You're dang skippy I'll take my kid to a chicken fighting before I'm gonna take them to see a drag queen." In 2024, he voted against HB 3329 which still passed the house floor. It is intended to provide free
menstrual products in school bathrooms. He voted in favor of a bill that would require adults to show an ID before accessing
porn sites. He has voted against legislation seeking to ban adults from marrying minors. Humphrey, along with Kevin McDugle and former Tulsa mayor
Kathy Taylor, signed a letter in support of April Wilkens and the Oklahoma Survivors Act. ==2026 lieutenant gubernatorial campaign ==