Three seek lieutenant governor position
Three candidates are vying for Oklahoma's second highest office, with the winner potentially the last to run independent of the governor.
In the open seat for lieutenant governor, Republican Matt Pinnell, Democrat Anastasia Pittman and independent Ivan Holmes will be on Tuesday's ballot.
Pinnell, 38, of Tulsa, is a former chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party and wants to focus on bringing more privatesector companies and more workers to the state.
"We have to have more taxpayers in the state of Oklahoma," Pinnell said. "A growing economy is how we invest more in our state."
Pinnell also said he wants to increase the number of business accelerators across the state, which would assist business startups.
Pittman, 47, a current state senator from east Oklahoma City, said her experience in the Legislature and working with both parties would be useful as lieutenant governor.
"This is a year when voters want change," Pittman said. "But they also need someone who knows how to work with the Legislature to grow our economy for all Oklahomans."
A former chairman of the Oklahoma Democratic Party, Holmes, 82, of Oklahoma City, said voters are increasingly interested in an independent candidate due to growing frustration with both major parties.
Pinnell raised $1.4 million through Oct. 22; Pittman raised $15,585; and Holmes raised $5,939.
The lieutenant governor serves as president of the Senate, voting in case of a tie, and serves on multiple state boards and commissions.
The lieutenant governor often is used as a springboard into a race for governor. Current Gov. Mary Fallin was previously lieutenant governor, and current Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb lost a bid for governor during this year’s Republican primary.
Oklahoma's next lieutenant governor could also be the state's last to run independent of the governor as voters Tuesday also will decide a state question to have the governor and lieutenant governor run together on the same ticket.