Russell Planning To Move In To Fifth District
Republican runoff candidate seeks to relocate to congressional district he’s running to represent
by Chris Casteel
WASHINGTON — Steve Russell, the retired U.S. Army Ranger who led all Republican candidates on Tuesday in the race to replace Rep. James Lankford, does not live in the congressional district he wants to represent but said Friday he has been trying for months to relocate within its boundaries.
Russell said his southwest Oklahoma City home, which lies in Cleveland County, outside the 5th Congressional District, has been on the market for several months, long before Lankford announced that he would vacate the seat to run for the U.S. Senate.
He and his wife had a contract on a house in a rural part of Shawnee, he said, but the contract was contingent on selling the Oklahoma City house and expired after 60 days.
Selling his house “had nothing to do” with his race for Congress, he said. He and his wife raised their five children in the house, he said, and were ready to move to something smaller, preferably in a rural area.
I thought there was a legal requirement to have lived in your district at least 6 months prior to filing for that district. Please educate.
That only applies in a state race. According to federal law, you only have to inhabit the state or district you represent by the day you are sworn in to office.