OKLAHOMA CITY — Secretary of State Brian Bingman intends to resign his posts as Secretary of State and Native American Affairs to seek election to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.
“I will be transitioning out from the governor’s office to devote full time to running for Corporation Commission,” he said.
Bingman did not set a specific date for his resignation but said it would be “sooner rather than later.”
This will be the former legislator’s second campaign for a six-year term as a corporation commissioner. Bingman’s previous bid, in 2018, ended in a loss to veteran commissioner Bob Anthony in a GOP runoff. Anthony has been elected to the commission six consecutive times, and “terms out” in January 2024.
“I’ve been a champion for our energy industry my entire career, I know the importance of protecting our top industry, because I’ve been in it for all of my professional life,” Bingman said.
Bingman earned a Bachelor of Arts in Petroleum Land Management from the University of Oklahoma in 1976 and at one time was Vice President of Land and Operations at Uplands Resources Inc. in Tulsa.
Bingman, 69, served as mayor of Sapulpa from 1992 to 2004, when he was first elected to the Legislature.
He was a state lawmaker for the constitutional maximum of 12 years: one two-year term in the House of Representatives and 10 years in the Senate, including six years as the Senate President Pro Tempore (2011-16).
Gov. Kevin Stitt has already endorsed Bingman for the commission post. “The regulatory industry dramatically impacts our business environment and ability to recruit jobs. I need Brian Bingman because of his experience and his unquestioned integrity,” Stitt said.
Former state Senator Kim David was elected to the Corporation Commission last year. Chairman Todd Hiett was elected to the commission in 2014 and was reelected in 2020.