OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The chairman of the Republican National Committee is visiting Oklahoma and calling state House Speaker T.W. Shannon of Lawton a ``rising star'' within the GOP.
Chairman Reince Priebus met with Shannon and other state GOP leaders on Monday to discuss the party's plans to grow and have better success in presidential elections.
Shannon is a member of the Chickasaw Nation and is the first African-American to serve as House speaker in Oklahoma. Shannon joked that Priebus wanted to visit Oklahoma because ``he knows we do it right.''
Priebus praised the Oklahoma Republican Party for its efficient operation and says individual GOP leaders like Shannon, Gov. Mary Fallin, and U.S. Sens. Jim Inhofe and Tom Coburn are responsible for the party's success in the state.