By staff reports DUNCAN – Republican legislative candidates vying for state seats will square off in the party primary election on June 18. If no candidate receives 50% plus one vote, a runoff will be held in August. The general election will be held Nov. 5.
House District 50 Four candidates will contend for state House District 50, which includes Jefferson and Stephens counties. The seat is currently held by Rep. Marcus McEntire (R-Duncan), whose term ends on Nov. 20, 2024. He decided not to run again and, since no Democratic candidates filed for the seat, the race will be decided next week in the primary unless a runoff is needed.
Of the four candidates, three from Duncan: Stacy Jo Adams, Andrew Aldridge and Clayton Pickard. Jayce Daniel Miller is from Ringling. Stacy Jo Adams Adams is from a military family, according to her website at adamsforok.com. She was born on a U.S. military base in Germany, where her father did three tours, and in between those overseas assignments she lived in Kansas, Texas and Louisiana. Her father, a 1st Sgt., was one of the first men deployed in Desert Storm.
After graduating from Cameron University in Lawton, Adams she opened her own insurance agency in Duncan. She has been married to her husband, Ricky, for 14 years and they have seven boys. The family attends the Grand Assembly Church in Corum, where she also teaches Sunday school.
Adams has an “A” rating and is endorsed by the Oklahoma 2nd Amendment Association and by Oklahomans for Health and Parental Rights.
Andrew Aldridge Aldridge is a fifth-generation resident of Stephens County, according to his website at andrewaldridgeforhouse. com. He attended both Duncan and Comanche Public Schools and was elected an Oklahoma FFA State Officer while at CHS. After earning degrees in journalism and forensic science from state universities, he is now pursuing a master’s degree in public and nonprofit management from the University of Central Oklahoma.
As founder of the Aldridge Group, he partners with local businesses to adapt to the everchanging demands of their communities. 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 also a board member of the Safe Center, a domestic violence center for adult and children victims of domestic violence which serves Stephens and Jefferson counties. He coordinates a “Pathways Program” to help Duncan High School custody kids learn work skills, get an internship and learn adult living preparation. He is also actively involved in The Comeback Kid Society, a nonprofit organization that mentors detained juveniles, foster care kids and kids aging out of the Department of Human Services system.
He attends New Hope Church in Duncan and is endorsed by the Oklahoma Rural Schools Coalition and Oklahomans for Public Education.
Clayton Pickard Pickard has been a Stephens County resident for 60 years, according to his website at claytonpickard.com. He graduated from Duncan High School in 1981 and, while in school, joined the Oklahoma National Guard and drilled with the 245th Medical Clearing Company in Oklahoma City. After graduation, he joined the U.S. Navy and began a 20-year career where he served in Florida, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Spain. He served on six ships as a Navigator achieving the rank of Petty Officer First Class.
After retirement, Pickard went into broadcast media full-time and returned with his family to Duncan in 2004. His last radio job was in Lawton. After leaving the air, he went into insurance then banking. He has served with the Kiwanis Club for more than 13 years as the train driver at Kiddieland. He is currently the President of the Board of Directors for the Stephens County Historical Society and Museum, President of the Board of Directors for the Stephens County Free Holiday Meal, which feeds about 3,000 individuals yearly. He also works with the Toy Shop as a spokesperson and volunteer, Crime Stoppers and the Stephens County Genealogy Society. Clayton is also in Leadership Duncan Class 28.
He and his wife have three grown children and four grandchildren. They are members of the Chisholm Trail Church of Christ where Pickard is on the worship team and serves as an adult teacher.
Jayce Daniel Miller Miller is a councilman for the Town of Ringling, and was elected in 2021. He is a sixth-generation Oklahoman, according to his website at millerforokstaterep.com, and comes from a farming and ranching family. He has an agriculture education degree and other certifications from the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University.
He is no stranger to the Capitol, as he worked in the state Senate as a legislative employee during 2022-23. He currently serves as the President of the Ringling Community Foundation and works at a local warehouse.
Senate District 43 For the Senate District 43 seat, incumbent Jessica Garvin will face contender Kendal Sacchieri from Blanchard in the Republican Primary on June 18. The district includes Cleveland, Garvin, Grady, McClain and Stephens counties. Jessica Garvin Garvin was elected in 2020 and her current term will end on Nov. 20. She grew up in rural Oklahoma and earned a B.A. degree in communications from the University of Oklahoma, states her biography at votejessicagarvin.com. Her career experience includes working as the executive vice president of and co-owning Bison Health Management, as a nursing home administrator.
According to ballotpedia. com, she has served as the vice president of Lions Club International’s Marlow Chapter, and is on the board of the United Way of Stephens County, a Marlow community liaison for the Beautiful Day Foundation and a volunteer healthcare consultant with Duncan Community Residence. She has also been affiliated with the Lindsay Chamber of Commerce, Duncan Chamber of Commerce, Newcastle Chamber of Commerce, Duncan Area Economic Development Foundation, Career Pathways and Pathways to a Healthier You.
Garvin lists her accomplishments at the Capitol during her first term as protecting women’s sports, protecting children from abuse and neglect, protecting the life of the unborn, reducing access to marijuana for minors, encouraging workforce development, supporting small businesses and manufacturing jobs, offered paid maternity leave for state employees and supported election security.
She and her husband Stephen have been married to for more than 15 years and they have three children.
Kendal Sacchieri Sacchieri was raised on a farm in Xenia, Illinois, according to her website at kendalforok.com. Her first two years of college were attended at Randall University in Moore. She then transferred to Southern Illinois University of Carbondale and earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish. She returned to Oklahoma and began her career teaching Spanish at Newcastle High School.
She left teaching in 2018 and ran for McClain County Assessor because of her perceived lack of transparency in the office and a need for someone who would listen to taxpayers’ concerns. She has held that position for six years. She and her husband Ray will celebrate eight years of marriage in July. They have three sons and have been members at Dibble Free Will Baptist Church since 2019. They have taught Sunday school for college age students.