Duncan incumbent to face two challengers

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State Senate District 43

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  • Oklahoma State Seal
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DUNCAN – A Republican state Senator will face two opponents in the June 30 primary election.

State Senator Paul Scott, R-Duncan, has held the Senate District 43 since 2016. Scott, 50, is being challenged by fellow Republicans Kaity Keith of Purcell and Jessica Garvin of Duncan. Senate District 43 covers a good portion of Southwestern Oklahoma.

The winner will battle Democrat Terri Reimer of Marlow in the November election.

Keith, a public school teacher, said she filed for the seat because she wanted to serve Oklahomans in the state Senate.

“I work as an autism teacher for elementary-aged, special education students. I’ve worked with our youth for many years in different capacities, including schoolteacher, church youth leader, girls’ home staff, summer camp counselor, and my favorite - community outreach,” she wrote in a posting on her campaign website. “My passion is to see justice for our children, which requires restored families working together within connected communities.”

Keith, 31, said local economies were the backbone of the state. If elected, Keith said she wanted to limit government regulations and taxes and “empower communities to be more self-sustainable.”

“Knowing you are intelligent and capable, I want to fight to ensure your right to make decisions for your family, your business, and your community is protected,” she said.

Garvin, 34, of Duncan, is the co-founder of Bison Health Management. She said she was a businesswoman who is committed to the vision of making Oklahoma a Top 10 State.

“We must capitalize on the momentum of our new state leadership by pushing for meaningful change that will build a better future for all Oklahomans,” she said. 

Gavin said that small business growth, developing a stronger educational system, decreasing wasteful spending and creating a stronger infrastructure to help grow local economics “were the keys to driving Oklahoma to the top.”

Scott, the incumbent, pointed to issues such as jobs, education and life and marriage as part of his platform. In a posting on his campaign website he said politicians at the state Capitol “talk a good game about our schools but they have failed to support Oklahoma’s students, teachers, their families as small-town communities.”

He said federal and state bureaucracy overreach in education is an ongoing problem. He said defending the human rights of the unborn should “always be a priority” and that believing in the 5,000-year-old Judeo-Christian definition of marriage doesn’t make a person a bigot.

The primary election is set for Tuesday, June 30. Polls are scheduled to be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.