Republicans and Democrats have set the stage for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission’s Nov. 3 general election. The GOP chose state Rep. Brad Boles, R-Marlow, with a little more than 55% of the vote, and the Democrats put forward Rhonda Eastman with nearly 70% of the ballots.
The three-member Oklahoma Corporation Commission enforces regulations on the state’s utility, oil and gas and transportation industries. It is responsible for the legal operation of motor carriers, pipelines, rail crossings and fueling stations. The commission is tasked with prevention and remediation of energy-related environmental pollution.
Commissioner Todd Hiett is term-limited and cannot run for re-election. The remaining members — both Republicans — are Brian Bingman and chairman Kim David, who lost her bid for Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District Tuesday night.
Boles is a small business owner and a state representative for House District 5, which covers Grady and Stephens counties in the south-central part of the state. He served on the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee. His priorities are to create protections for ratepayers, create grid reliability and support oil and gas while ensuring proper consumer protections.
Boles said he wants to give God all the glory and thank all the supporters he’s met over the last year.
“I’m looking forward to a spirited campaign between both of us and sharing my vision on how we can govern Oklahoma at the commission as a conservative, but pro-business and pro-job creation, economic development,” he said.
Boles’ sole competition for the Republican seat was Justin Hornback, who conceded the election and expressed gratitude to supporters in a statement.
“A short while ago, I spoke with Brad Boles to offer my congratulations on his victory,” he said Tuesday night. “While this is not the outcome we hoped and worked so hard for, I accept the will of the voters and wish our Republican Candidate for Corporation Commission nothing but the best as they take on the responsibility of running in the general election.”
He called for voters to unite behind the new Republican candidate.
Eastman worked for the state for 16 years and has more than 10 years of experience working in management in the private sector, including trucking, utilities and construction. Data center opposition is among her top priorities, and she’s been critical of the state’s numerous orphan and injection wells that contain hazardous materials.
Eastman said she’s humbled and overwhelmed with the support from across the state from the party and her family. She specifically thanked her nephew for helping with the campaign.
She described herself as coming into the race as a “nobody” with no political background. She’s going to keep doing the same thing as the race continues against Boles, she said.
“I came into this race because I worry about some of the large industries and their consumption, their consumption of energy, their consumption of our water resources,” Eastman said. “And this office regulates public utilities and so I wanted to be part of the solution.”
For more Election Day results from the Tulsa Flyer, click here.
This article was produced as part of a partnership between the Tulsa Flyer and La Semana, a Tulsa-based bilingual Spanish-English newspaper serving Latino communities in Oklahoma.
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