Two special elections draw 17 candidates

Seventeen candidates took the plunge this week and formally turned in paperwork to run in two special legislative elections.

The vacant House seat in Broken Arrow drew six Republicans and two Democrats. Gov. Mary Fallin called the special election after GOP state Rep. David Brumbaugh died in April. His widow, Shelley Brumbaugh, is one of the Republicans seeking to fill the post.

The other Republican candidates are Cliff Johns, Brian Elliot, Ross Ford, Suzanne Dodson and Jess Guthrie. Democrats in the race are Chris Vanlandingham and Forrest Mayer, all of Broken Arrow.

The resignation of Republican state Sen. Kyle Loveless in April created a vacancy in that southwestern Oklahoma City metro-area district. Loveless resigned amid an investigation into whether he reported all of his Senate campaign contributions to the Ethics Commission.

There are seven GOP candidates in the Senate race and two Democrats. Among those who filed this week is retired state trooper Kerry Pettingill, who led the Oklahoma Highway Patrol for three years.

The Mustang resident will be on the Republican primary ballot alongside Oklahoma City residents Brian Walters, Paul Rosino, Duane Smith and Diane Means; Scott Harris of Mustang and Mathew Hamrick of Yukon.

The Democrats in the race are Mustang resident Steven Vincent and Noah S. Ynclan of Oklahoma City.

According to the governor’s proclamation, the special primary elections will be held Aug. 8 with the general elections Nov. 14.

Whoever wins the general election will serve the remainder of that term — one year for the House district and another three years for the Senate seat.