Utility costs are rising. Here’s what the Oklahoma Corporation Commission race has to do with it.

You might not be aware of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, but your utility bill certainly is.

Perhaps the most powerful state agency the public pays the least attention to, the OCC is a three-person board that regulates the state’s utility, oil and gas and transportation industries. On June 16, Oklahoma Republicans and Democrats will have the opportunity to select their party’s nominee to replace term-limited Republican commissioner Todd Hiett.

While the OCC does not typically receive as much attention as other races on the statewide ballot, the regulatory body has come under fire in recent years for its decision to pass some of the increased cost of natural gas during Winter Storm Uri on to ratepayers. That decision saddled Oklahomans with billions worth of securitized debt that will last for more than two decades through monthly surcharges from public utility companies.

Commissioners serve six-year terms and can serve a maximum of 12 years. Kim David and Brian Bingman are in the middle of serving their terms, but David is running for Congress after U.S. Rep. Kevin Hern vacated his seat to run for the Senate seat left open by Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin.

Two Republicans, three Democrats vying for seat

With Hiett term-limited, Oklahomans will choose between two Republicans and three Democrats in the June 16 primary election. 

Republicans will advance either state Rep. Brad Boles, a former mayor of Marlow, and Justin Hornback, a three-time Corporation Commission candidate. 

Boles co-authored House Bill 2992, which seeks to protect ratepayers from rising utility costs connected to data center infrastructure. During the 2025 legislative session, he authored Senate Bill 480, which allows large data centers to build their own infrastructure off the grid. Boles has received thousands in donations from political action committees backed by utility and energy companies he would regulate if elected.

He faces Hornback, who has over two decades of experience in the pipeline welding industry. While Boles has received about $53,000 from PACs in this election cycle, Hornback has not received any donations from PACs, according to their campaign finance reports.

In total, Boles has received about $515,000 from donations — including a $100,000 loan from himself and about $140,000 transferred from a previous committee. Hornback has raised just under $17,000.

Democrats will choose between Rhonda Eastman and Donald Clytus, a pair of first-time candidates who have not filed campaign finance reports, and Harold Spradling, who is making his fifth run for the commission. Spradling does not appear to have registered a candidate committee for the 2026 election cycle. Candidates are not required to file if they have not spent or raised $1,000.

Whoever is elected will replace Hiett, who has drawn additional scrutiny to the agency due multiple allegations of drunken misconduct. One incident occurred in June 2024, where two Kansas Corporation Commission employees accused him of groping an energy industry employee while at a Minneapolis conference. No charges were filed against Hiett, and the state’s Ethics Commission dismissed a complaint against him in May 2025.

The Corporation Commission hired law firm Riggs Abney to investigate Hiett’s alleged behavior and found no wrongdoing. However, according to NonDoc, the law firm’s inquiry focused on an allegation of sexual harassment during a party at an Oklahoma City steakhouse in 2023, not the 2024 incident in Minneapolis.

For key information on the June 16 primaries, check out the Flyer’s voter guide. The general election is set for Nov. 3. 

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