DUNCAN – There appears to be a Republican runoff on Aug. 27 in House District 50 for a seat held by Rep. Marcus McEntire, Duncan. His term ends Nov. 20 and he chose to not seek reelection. The district includes Stephens and Jefferson counties.
The runoff determines the winner, as no Democrats filed to fill the position. Of the four candidates running in the June 18 Republican primary, no candidates received a majority of the votes. According to the unofficial results at the Oklahoma State Election Board, Stacy Jo Adams received 43.65% of the vote to Andrew Aldridge’s 31.12% – a difference of 542 votes.
U.S. Navy Veteran Clayton Pickard received 19.71% of the votes and Ringling City Councilman Jayce Daniel Miller received 5.52%.
Adams, an insurance agent and small business owner in Duncan, is from a military family and graduated from Cameron University in Lawton. She and her husband, Ricky, have been married for 14 years and they have seven sons. She has an “A” rating and is endorsed by the Oklahoma Second Amendment Association and by Oklahomans for Health and Parental Rights.
Aldridge is State Director of Peer Resolution for Oklahoma Students. He is a fifth-generation resident of Stephens County and is pursuing a master’s degree in public and nonprofit management from the University of Central Oklahoma.
He is a member of the National Rifle Association, Duncan Kiwanis Club, Comanche Chamber of Commerce, Duncan Chamber of Commerce and a Board member of Gabriel’s House, an after school program for Duncan and Empire children. Aldridge is endorsed by the Oklahoma Rural Schools Coalition and Oklahomans for Public Education. Senate District 43 A shakeup occurred in the state Senate race when Sen. Jessica Garvin (R-Duncan) lost to political newcomer Kendal Sacchieri, the McClain County Assessor from Blanchard in the June 18 primary election. Sacchieri received 52.21% of the vote to Garvin’s 47.79%.
Garvin was elected in 2020 and served one term. On her Facebook page, she encouraged everyone to support the Republican candidate. Sacchieri will face Democrat Sam Graefe, from Purcell, in the Nov. 5 general election. The district includes Stephens, Grady, Garvin, McClain and Cleveland counties. Senate District 31 As no Democrats filed for the seat to be vacated by Sen. Chris Kidd (R-Waurika), Spencer Kern will take the seat with a solid win in the June 18 Republican Primary. The district includes Stephens, Comanche, Cotton, Jefferson and Love counties.
Kern, from Duncan, received 58.55% of the vote compared to 22.45% for Rick Wolfe, Elgin, and Pamala McNall-Granier, Comanche, 19%. Kern was born in Victoria, Texas, and earned a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University in 1992, according to online documents. He is a small business owner and cattleman from southwest Oklahoma. He and his wife, Leslee, are owners of R&S Drug Store in Duncan.
“To my opponents, thank you for having the courage to run for office and sharing your views while highlighting the issues that our communities face,” Kern wrote on his Facebook page. “While we may have not agreed on the way to get there, I believe we all want the same end result - a strong, safe, and sustainable future for our rural district & great state.”
Congressional District Seat 4 Stephens County voted along with other Oklahomans to overwhelmingly support incumbent U.S. Rep. Tom Cole in the June 18 Republican primary. The county gave him 58.55% of their vote, according to the unofficial results at the state election board. In the Democratic primary, Mary Brannon received 56.81% of the county vote. Cole and Brannon will face each other in the Nov. 5 general election. Oklahoma Corporation Commission Brian Bingman was the top choice of Stephens County voters for Corporation Commission in the Republican primary. He will face two candidates in the Nov. 5 general election: Harold Spradling, Democrat, and Chad Williams, Libertarian.
Bingman is a former Oklahoma Secretary of State and president pro tem of the Okl ahoma Senate. He received 47.82% of the S tephens County vote. Opponents Justin Hornback received 35.03% and Russell Ray received 17.15%.
Sheriff Undersheriff Rick Lang came out the winner in the Stephens County Sheriff’s race against former Comanche Police Chief Bill Straily. Lang received 76.54% of the vote to Straily’s 23.46% and is succeeding former Sheriff Wayne McKinney.
A retirement reception will be held for McKinney from 1 to 3 p.m. on June 28 at the Stephens County Courthouse Ground Floor Lobby, according to the sheriff department’s Facebook page. He served for over 15 years.
County Commissioner No. 2 Todd Churchman was reelected as the District 2 Commissioner. He defeated Stephen Upchurch in the June 18 election with a vote of 64.62% to 35.38%, according to unofficial results at the state election board. City of Duncan Propositions Two propositions for the City of Duncan passed on June 18. Proposition 1 concerned a contract extension with electricity supplier PSO (Public Service Co. of Oklahoma). Online documents show that the 79.13% approval of the measure will allow the electric company to use public alleys and streets to build and repair lines. A percentage of the franchise fee will go into the City of Duncan’s general fund.
Although Proposition 1 received overwhelming support from voters, Proposition 2, which asked for a halfcent sales tax extension, was not as popular. It squeaked through with a 50.69% yes vote to a 49.31% no vote, according to unofficial results with the state election board. This represented a difference of only 45 votes.