“Everything that happens politically affects each and every one of us,” said Hope Sutterfield. “If you want those effects to be good, then you need to stay connected and be proactive.”
Before she was old enough to vote, Sutterfield, owner/agent of Cardinal Consulting Services, LLC, became fascinated with the political arena. She credits a family vacation as the starting point in her interests and career choice.
“My family took a trip to Washington, D.C. when I was a kid,” she said. “We spent a week there, visited Senator Inhofe and Congressman Cole’s office, took a tour of the Capitol, saw all the monuments and all the touristy stuff. After that, I got really involved in the local GOP.”
Her passion for promoting the community and Republican values was not set aside. The Leadership Duncan Class XXII graduate was awarded the Oklahoma Republican Party Rising Star in 2015.
As a young teen, the Duncan native lent a hand in everything from door-knocking for candidates to folding the Stephens County GOP’s Patriot newspaper, she said.
Since high school, Sutterfield has worked for two different software companies, one of which, Sutterfield Technologies, Inc., her father began that provides payroll, utility billing, court and general ledger management software for municipalities and rural water districts. Beginning at age 17, she earned her way to become senior-level customer service lead and software sales lead.
In order to reach out to younger people in the area and support political candidates, she became involved in the state’s Young Republicans, where she was named vice chair for the 4th Congressional District Executive Committee.
“We were really trying to rebuild the Young Republicans and get more young people involved,” she said. “So, I helped with outreach and events to help different candidates around the state, particularly young Republicans.”
Her early involvement with the Stephens County GOP as well as the Young Republicans displayed her political stance and fortitude which helped pave the way to her becoming the state’s youngest serving county party chairperson at age 22.
As chair of the Stephens County Republican Party, Sutterfield oversaw partisan races within the district, supported state senators, representatives and county officials in their campaigns and built upon relationships with other party members. Promoting Republican values, Stephens County GOP’s main objective is to get Republican candidates elected; however, the party does not get involved until after the primaries and runoffs are over, noted Sutterfield.
During her term, Republicans became the majority in Stephens County’s voter registrations, she added.
“Stephens County actually became a Republican dominated county around 2015,” she estimates. “That’s actually very significant because ... it wasn’t that long ago, and we could lose that advantage very quickly unless we continue to be active.”
Much of the Republican influence throughout the county and across the state could be traced back to the organization’s events and networking. The annual GOP Fish Fry is the largest Republican based fundraiser in the state and its Republican attendance is second only to the State Convention, said Sutterfield.
“Stephens County is a little bit unique,” she said. “Comanche County is active as well, but Stephens County GOP is probably the most active Republican county party in the state. We have the Headquarters every year, the annual Chili Cook-off, and the Fish Fry outside of this year – and all of those really were created to get the community involved, which has been very effective.”
Among the recent postponements and cancellations, the 14th annual GOP Fish Fry was scheduled for May 19, but was called off to protect the public.
During her two-year term as chair for the Stephens County GOP, Sutterfield volunteered for Sen. Anthony Sykes, Reps. Dennis Johnson, Scooter Park and several others, she said. She later worked as volunteer coordinator on Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell’s 2016 campaign and was Rep. Trey Caldwell’s campaign manager and fundraiser, she added.
“More and more, at the state Capitol, it’s becoming rural versus urban so it’s imperative that we are sending effective leadership to the state Capitol to make sure that rural Oklahoma’s voice get heard and the issues that rural Oklahomans care about are addressed.”
Currently, Sutterfield’s campaigning firm provides consultation and fundraising efforts for 10 different clients, she said.
While politics covers a variety of topics, looking ahead, Sutterfield also believes that teaching and nurturing members of the community is vital to the wellbeing of southwest Oklahoma. And inviting others to see what each community has to offer can bring a new perspective.
“Any community that is going to thrive has to make sure it is bringing in, educating and raising up new leaders who can help provide support and continue what the community has going on for the future.”