The primaries on June 16 will feature statewide office races. Governor and Lieutenant Governor were covered last week. It will also have SQ 832 on the ballot as well.
The only statewide race to not have a republican primary is the race for State Auditor. Only one candidate filed, Melissa Capps, 52 of McLoud. She is currently employed at the State Auditors office as the Director of Performance Audit Division. She will not face any election as she has been elected by being the only one to file for the position.
The office of Attorney General is without an incumbent as the current Attorney General Gentner Drummond is running for governor. Two republicans and one democrat has filed. There will only be a Republican primary to decide between Jon Echols and Jeff Starling, the winner will face Democrat Nick Coffey in the fall.
Echols, 46, of Oklahoma City is a former state representative and from 2012 until 2024. He also served for eight years as the majority Floor leader, deciding the flow of bills and which bills where voted on and when. As judged by the Oklahoma Constitution newspaper her earned just a 65 percent on the cumulative conservative index. He has many endorsements from law enforcement and fellow legislators. He pledges to back the Blue, defend your liberties, to stand with Trump as he secures the border, to watch dog tax dollars, promote equality under the law, to defend private property rights, to protect women in sports, and to stand against environmental extremists according to his website.
Starling, 51, is not a politician, he is a lawyer who has worked in the courts and in the private sector. He was also appointed by Gov. Kevin Stitt to be the Oklahoma Secretary of Energy and Enviroment in 2024 and is still serving in that capacity. He will not allow endorsements from politicians as he feels that would put him in a compromised position as Attorney General. He claims real trial experience. He attended Wake Forest for both undergraduate and for a law degree. He came to Oklahoma in 2012. As Attorney General he says he will defend the Second Amendment, back the Blue, sanctity of life that he believes begins at conception. He says he will fight illegal immigration, defend us from the Chinese illegal operations (marijuana, fentanyl, influence peddlers and intellectual property theft), and he will cooperate with ICE and law enforcement to secure Oklahoma.
The State Treasurer race Republican primary fields two candidates: incumbent Todd Russ, 65, of Cordell and current State Auditor Cindy Byrd, 53 of Coalgate. The winner of this primary will face a Libertarian candidate, Kiefer Perry in the general election in November.
Russ is the incumbent and has had great success as the State Treasurer. He was awarded with the Heritage Foundation Inaugural Courage Award 2025: This new award honors public officials who demonstrate conviction in resisting institutional/political pressure, particularly in challenging corporate politicization (e.g., ESG initiatives) and upholding fiduciary duty, free enterprise, and shareholder priorities. Russ was recognized for his work with the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) and shareholder engagements. He has had a banking career rising from banking assistant to the president and CEO of a bank and then founding a bank management consulting company. His previous public offices were as a city councilor, and Oklahoma State Representative before term limiting.
Byrd is the current State Auditor, the first woman to be elected to that position in 2018. She is term limited at that position. In her position she exposed abuse of taxpayer funds which in 30 cases lead to removal of public officials from office. She has served on financial and investment boards for the state and wants to continue to serve Oklahoma.
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) has an open seat as Todd Hiett cannot run for reelection due to term limits. Two Republicans will meet in the primary: Justin Hornback, 42, of Broken Arrow and Brad Boles, 42 of Marlow. There are three Democrats in their primary as well.
Hornback is making his thrid run at the Corporation Commission, in 2022 he placed 3rd in the primary and in 2024 he placed 2nd. He has real experience in the energy industry as in several roles as pipeline welder, welder inspector and Specialist in Safety and Health. His education includes a business degree, an IT certification, certified welding inspector and specialist in Safety and Health. He would like to represent the constituents of Oklahoma, as well as balancing that with stakeholders of the industry, but emphasizes that all decisions that he would make would be in the public’s best interests. He would like to see more transparency in the OCC. His priorities would be to protect ratepayers, increase communication and see common sense regulations.
Boles has been a business man, mayor, school board member and is currently a state representative from 2018 to the present. He has a BS in Business and a Dual MBA in Finance. He is currently the chairman of the Oklahoma House Energy and Natural Resources Oversight Committee. If elected he says he would protect utility rate payers, ensure grid reliability, cut government red tape, support the oil and gas industry, and bring transparency, fairness and customer service to the OCC.
The Democrat candidates in their primary are Harold Spradling, 92, of Oklahoma City; Donald Anthony Clytus, 57, of Oklahoma City and Rhonda Eastman, 53 of Spiro.
Spradling has run unsuccessfully three times as a Republican and twice as a Democrat for this position.
Clytus is a black businessman who provides consulting service for project management.
Eastman says “I am not a politician. I am not wealthy.”
Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters resigned last year and Gov. Stitt appointed Lindel Fields to finish out Walters’ term.
There are nine candidates in all for an open seat as Fields is not running. Seven Republicans filed as well as two Democrats.
On the Republican side are:
Dr. John Cox, 63 of Hulbert has run twice as a Democrat in 2014 and 2018, he then switched parties and this will be his second run as a Republican. He holds twelve professional certifications – including Superintendent, Principal, Counselor, Computer Science, and all levels of Mathematics – and has taught future school leaders at Mid-America Christian University and Northeastern State University. For more than 40 years, he has served as a teacher, counselor, coach, professor, and superintendent. His priorities are Safe and Secure Schools (school safety funding, keep classrooms safe from indoctrination and vulgar content, and transparency of curriculum), Academic achievement (through phonics, every child can read by third grade, and math foundations), restoring trust (parents deserve transparency, teachers deserve respect and students deserve stability) and support for teachers (allow teachers to teach, cut bureaucracy so they have time to focus on teaching).
William Crozier, 79 of Union City, is a conservative activist, who has run five times unsuccessfully in different races as a republican since 1972. This is his third attempt at Superintendent. He has no official campaign.
Debra Herlihy, has been a registered republican for 20 years. She has 25 years of education experience and is a Senior Research Analyst and Adjunct Professor at Southern Nazarene University.
Her main issues are Accountability and Higher Education Alignment: Bring STREAM programs to education instead of STEM, Raise the Report Card: Increase reading and math scores by 25 percent by 2031, Student Well-Being: Provide 30-minute recess for all K-8 students and establish a food pantry, Curriculum and Academic Standards: Emphasize real-world problem solving and deep thinking and Teacher Support and Recruitment: Strengthen support and recruitment efforts for teachers.
Robert Franklin, 66 of Sand Springs has been a special education teacher, assistant principal, high school principal, assistant superintendent, Associate Superintendent at Tulsa Tech, and now teaches future school leaders at OU-Tulsa. He’s running because Oklahoma schools are falling behind. Franklin’s priorities are to take learning back to basics with discipline in the classroom, parental involvement, school transparency, not culture war distractions, demand results, stay focused on students, support teachers but expect results, and give higher education alternatives – CareerTech, college, apprenticeships, etc.
Toni Hasenbeck, 54 of Elgin was a teacher for almost 20 years. She is currently and Oklahoma State Representative being first elected on 2018. In her tenure at the State House she has earned a 62 percent on the Conservative Index as judged by the Oklahoma Constitution newspaper which is pretty moderate. Her top priorities if elected are: to restore academic excellence, empower parents, eradicate indoctrination, support teachers with classroom discipline and to prioritize school safety and religious freedom.
Adam Pugh, 48 of Edmond, is a sitting State Senator. Since he is not up for reelection he can continue being a senator if he loses the primary or the general election. His current term would expire in 2028. He is a veteran, a businessman and holds an MBA degree. He is currently the Chairman of the Senate Education Committee. He has a 66 percent cumulative conservative index from the Oklahoma Constitution newspaper. His priorities if elected are empowering parents, raising student achievement, and supporting teachers.
Dr. James Taylor, of Oklahoma City, has served as a classroom teacher, senior pastor, author, and community leader. His campaign is focused on better academic outcomes, stronger support for teachers, and partnership with parents. He is an author of the book “It’s Biblical, Not Political” which guides voters on how to judge candidates. He resisted the OKC Public School mask mandate during the pandemic and lost his job. He also has a DVD “Critical Race Theory vs. The Bible.” His campaign is focused on better academic outcomes, stronger support for teachers, and partnership with parents.
In the Democrat primary there are two Candidates Craig McVay, 65, of El Reno, and Jennettie Marshall, 67 of Tulsa.
McVay says he has had over a 35-year career, teaching at schools across Oklahoma, counseled and run district programs – roles that taught him how schools thrive and what students need to succeed. McVay is campaigning on focus on fundamentals, supporting teachers and retaining them, improving educational ranking, the safety of schools with reduced classroom disruptions, and transportation and nutrition.
Marshall has held many diverse jobs. She has worked as a pastor, for 32 years, a chaplain for the Tulsa Police Department, 17 years as a probation and parole officer and three years in the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. She was a Tulsa Public Schools Board member for eight years. She wants to clean up the state Department of Education, shift focus onto educating students, teacher retention, Special Education needs, school district accountability, and to strengthen partnership between parents and schools.
The Republican and Democrat primary winners will face each other in the November general election.
The Labor Commissioner race has no incumbent as Leslie Osborn is term limited. There are four Republicans in the primary, the winner of which will face the lone Democrat candidate Kevin Dawson and a Libertarian candidate, Mike Hall, in the November election.
Keith Swinton, 62, of Norman has run for this position twice before losing in the primaries of 2018 and 2022. He says on Ballotpedia that he is a “former USPS, NCED and MTSC Employee. Founder of Ref-Works llc and S&H Recording Studios LLC. Inventor, and Entrepreneur bring executive hands-on leadership focused on workplace safety.” Swinton is a mechanical engineer. He is personally passionate about “Workplace safety and higher pay for all Oklahoman’s.”
State Rep. John Pfeiffer, 40, of Mulhall has been in the State House since 2014. He will be term limited so this is his last term in the house. He is a veteran, and a rancher and has a degree in animal science from OSU. His priorities if elected are reducing bureaucratic red tape, growing and strengthening Oklahoma’s workforce, standing up against unnecessary and overburdensome federal interference and modernizing licensing processes. By the standards of the Oklahoma Constitution newspaper’s Conservative Index he is a very moderate Republican with an cumulative index of only 56 percent.
State Representative Kevin West, 58, of Moore has been in the State House since 2016. He has worked in the commercial cabinet industry and also owned and operated a cabinet shop. He is a conservative Republican with a cumulative 81 percent on the Oklahoma Constitution’s Index. His website quotes him as saying “Owning and working with local businesses my entire career has given me a passion for building success – I’ve literally worked hard building this state, and with your vote of confidence, I’m ready to work hard for you as your Labor Commissioner.” His priorities are listed as protecting the worker, empowering small businesses, and preparing Oklahoma for the future.
Lisa Janloo, 36 of Oklahoma City serves as the State Director of the L.U.C.A. Foundation (Latinos United for Conservative Action) which worked with the Trump campaign to engage minority communities. She is a small business owner, an active Republican and a grassroots leader. In order to help children have a good education during the COVID- 19 pandemic she founded a homeschool program. Her priorities if elected are expanding workforce development and skilled trade opportunities for Oklahoma youth, supporting small businesses by reducing burdensome regulations and improving access to resources and strengthening partnerships between education, industry, and local communities to create job pipelines. She says she will work hand-in-hand with businesses across Oklahoma to ensure they’re educated, supported and equipped with the tools to comply with labor laws before the state hands out penalties. My goal is to build partnerships, not punishments.
The Insurance Commissioner race is another open field as the current Commissioner Glen Mulready is term limited. Five candidates filed for this positions – four Republicans and one Democrat. The winner of the Republican primary will face the Democrat, Craig MacIntyre, 60, of Shawnee in November.
Marty Quinn, 66, of Oklahoma City who was a previous State Representative and Senator for the Claremore area. He was term-limited in 2022 and then ran unsuccessfully in the Republican primary for Second District and lost to Josh Brecheen. While in the State Senate he was Chairman of the Senate Insurance Committee. He has over 40 years in the Insurance business where he worked as an agent and manager. His priorities would be to improve affordability through increased competition and reduction in risk & costs, improve consumer protection thru awareness, education and transparency and to hold Insurance companies accountable to their promises.
Greta Shuler, 43, of Shawnee worked in insurance as an agent, and then has been a city councilor for Shawnee. She says her “mission would be to foster a transparent and accountable relationship between consumers and insurance carriers. “ Her priorities are consumer education, to lower rates and increase options, and accountability for insurance companies.
Bob Sullivan, 40, of Inola is a certified Insurance Counselor (CIC), a Certified Risk Manager (CRM), a Chartered Property & Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), an Associate in Fidelity & Surety Bonding and a Certified Environmental Specialist who has worked in the Insurance industry since 2006. He earned a B.S. in Finance from OSU. He believes that “Oklahoma families are paying the highest insurance rates in America while insiders and bureaucrats look the other way and… is running to change that — to fight for families, small businesses, and the homeowners who make this state strong.” On his website he states that he wants to cut costs and lower rates, hold big insurance accountable, restore competition and choice and protect homeowners and small businesses.
Chris Meridith, 51, of Edmond, has worked on the inside of the insurance industry across multiple states and in national industry boards at very high levels. He says he has seen every aspect of the insurance industry over his 23 years in it. Meridith says “he believes Oklahoma deserves an Insurance Commissioner who understands the system deeply enough to fix it; someone who can lower costs, increase transparency, protect consumers, and strengthen the insurance market so coverage remains available across all 77 counties. His campaign focuses on conservative leadership, free-market reforms, stronger building standards to reduce storm losses, litigation reform, and restoring trust between consumers, agents, and insurers.”
His priorities are to lower insurance costs for Oklahoma families, fix the broken roofing system by rooting out fraud, strengthen homes codes, address litigation abuse which drives up premiums and reduce uninsured motorists to increase accountability.