Legislative experience won the day for Republicans seeking the jobs of Oklahoma labor commissioner and attorney general. A GOP runoff will determine who runs the state’s Labor Department, and the longest-serving House majority floor leader will be on the Nov. 3 general election ballot.
Republicans narrowed a four-way primary race for Oklahoma labor commissioner to an Aug. 25 runoff between state Rep. Kevin West of Moore and state Rep. John Pfeiffer of Orlando. The winner will face Democrat Kevin Dawson and Libertarian Mike Hall in the November election.
The seat is open after Labor Commissioner Leslie Osborn terms out later this year.
West received the most votes at 42%, followed by Pfeiffer with 35%. Lisa Janloo of Midwest City garnered 15% and Keith Swinton got 8%.
West has represented House District 54 that includes parts of Cleveland and Oklahoma counties since 2016. As a lawmaker, he wrote bills to ban Oklahomans from changing the sex marker on birth certificates and driver’s licenses and to prohibit “adult performance which contains obscene material” on public property in view of children — a measure aimed at drag shows. He sponsored a bill to prohibit the governor from closing businesses during a pandemic “without documented scientific evidence.”
His priorities as labor commissioner are to rebuild the skilled trade pipeline, promote safety and support small businesses.
Pfeiffer serves as the Oklahoma House deputy floor leader and represents District 38, which covers Garfield, Grant, Kay, Logan and Noble counties. While in the legislature, Pfeiffer focused on rural issues, particularly in agriculture. He also backed efforts to speed up access to public records and remove discriminatory language from old land records.
He said his priorities would be to reduce bureaucratic regulations, strengthen workforce development, stop federal overreach, defend the Second Amendment in the workplace, support right-to-work laws and promote small businesses.
Jon Echols is GOP’s pick for AG
Republicans selected former lawmaker Jon Echols as their choice for attorney general with 55% of the vote over state Secretary of Energy and Environment Jeff Starling. Echols will face Democrat Nick Coffey, a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Western District, in the November general election.
The seat is open after Attorney General Gentner Drummond entered the governor’s race. He’s headed to an Aug. 25 runoff against former state Sen. Mike Mazzei.
“I believe in a safer, freer, stronger Oklahoma. I believe in an Oklahoma where everyone is treated the same, and the rule of law doesn’t matter whether you’re from the poorest parts of the city —where my mom and dad are from — or richest parts of city,” Echols said Tuesday night. “We took that vision and sold that vision to the citizens of the State of Oklahoma.”
Echols said his campaign was outspent 2-to-1 by his opponent.
“What you wanted was a vision of an attorney general’s office that backed law enforcement, stood for conservative principles and understood the attorney general works for you,” Echols said.
Echols served in the Oklahoma House from 2014 to 2024 representing District 90, which covers central Oklahoma County and the northern part of Cleveland County. As a lawmaker, he sponsored legislation targeting illegal marijuana grows, increasing access to hospice care and setting rules around name, image and likeness in universities. He holds the record for longest-serving majority floor leader, a post he held from 2016 to 2024.
Among his priorities for attorney general are supporting law enforcement, fighting diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, keeping men out of women’s sports, defending the border from illegal immigration, being a watchdog over tax dollars, working with tribal nations, protecting property rights and standing up to “environmental extremists.”
He is a founder of Turn Key Health, a provider in correctional facilities often criticized for inmate deaths at facilities where it has a contract. The company was sold but Echols serves as its president.
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