OKLAHOMA CITY – Even though the field for the Lieutenant Governor’s 2026 Republican primary contest is crowded, a new poll shows former Oklahoma House Speaker T.W.
Shannon is far ahead in the race.
Released last week, the Sooner Survey poll by Cole, Hargraves, Snodgrass and Associates shows Shannon holding a 35-point lead over his nearest competition.
“Sitting at 42% with State Representative Justin JJ Humphrey at 7%, Shannon is simply dominating what would be considered a formidable field in other circumstances,” wrote CHS President Pat McFerron.
“In third place at 6% is State Senator Darrell Weaver, who has brought in more than half a million dollars to his account. New entrant, businessman and Stitt administration official David Ostrowe, who has now launched television commercials, is at 2%.”
Shannon’s lead, McFerron wrote, “is even more commanding among key parts of the primary electorate and those that tend to be the best predictors. Among Republicans with household incomes in excess of $200,000 a year, Shannon is at a remarkable 59%.”
Among those who have voted in each of the last five primaries, McFerron said Shannon’s total expands to 46%, 38 points ahead of Weaver, listed as second in this area.
Shannon, a Lawton native, announce his candidacy in his hometown earlier this year. A former member of the Trump administration, Shannon said he would run on a platform that promotes the state and pushes conservative values, tax cuts and economic growth.
“Right after the inauguration, I got a call to go serve in the Trump administration to fight every single day for the America First agenda,” Shannon said. “But now I’m happy to come home.”
Shannon said the job of lieutenant governor has the ability to shape the state’s direction, influence policy and leverage the position to drive the state’s economic development efforts. “From a perch like lieutenant governor, you have an opportunity to reel in the Senate sometimes, but also to set a platform of what due north is,” he said.
Shannon said he would focus on cutting taxes, reducing government size, and making Oklahoma more attractive to businesses leaving hightax states. He also called for reducing spending, saying the state needed to rein in spending because allowing people to keep more of their money is a way to grow the economy.
“The reason I came home is because I believe Oklahoma can be even greater,” he said.
“And, you know, I think about a lot — about how do we do that.
How do you start to make a place that’s a really good place to live, and we’ve got a lot of great things about it. How do you make it even greater? Well, the first thing is, you get active. You get involved. And that’s why I’m running for lieutenant governor.”
Shannon has had a lead for quite some time, McFerron wrote. He said Shannon was the immediate favorite, even when State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd was still in the contest.
“Our January study showed Shannon garnering 39% of the vote with Byrd at 23%, Humphrey at 6% and Weaver at 3%.
Shannon has taken as much advantage of Byrd’s departure as any candidate,” McFerron wrote.
In 2006, Shannon was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives. Seven years later, he became the first African American Speaker of the House. Shannon also has worked as a field representative for then-U.S. Rep. J.C.
Watts and for U.S. Rep. Tom Cole. He also served as the chief administrative officer for the Chickasaw Nation.
Shannon holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from Cameron University and a Juris Doctorate from Oklahoma City University Law School.