BENNETT BRINKMAN
NONDOC
Editors Note: Early voting for the May 13 General Election is underway at the Okmulgee County Courthouse. Registered voters can cast their ballots until 6 p.m. today. On Tuesday, precinct polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
– Voters in eastern Oklahoma south of Tulsa will have the choice between Republican Bryan Logan, Democrat Nathan Brewer and independent Steve Sanford at the polls Tuesday to represent them in State Senate District 8.
The SD 8 general election on May 13 will mark the third time Logan has appeared on a ballot this year, but just the first time for Brewer and Sanford. Logan – a pastor and general contractor from Paden emerged from an initial field of six to advance to an April 1 Republican runoff, during which he defeated David Nelson to clinch the GOP nomination for the open seat.
Neither Brewer nor Sanford – the Ward 1 member of the Henryetta City Council competed in a primary, and eastern Oklahoma’s conservative nature offers them an up-hill climb to defeat Logan.
SD 8 is open because former Senate Appropriations and Budget Committee Chairman Roger Thompson (R-Okemah) resigned last year after he was ousted as chairman of the powerful committee. Since then, tensions simmering between factions of Republicans in the Legislature’s upper chamber have left Logan in a position of potential power if he wins Tuesday.
Asked about the split in the Senate Republican Caucus, Logan said he was aware of the dynamic but declined to align himself with anyone in particular. Senate Republicans voted in November to select Sen. Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle) to be the chamber’s president pro tempore, or leader. Sen. David Bullard (R-Durant) – a member of the chamber’s more hardline conservative faction – finished second in a reported 20-19 vote. Lawmakers have until the final Friday in May to conclude regular session.
“I am going up there to represent my people,” Logan said. “Here’s the thing: Right now, Lonnie Paxton is the pro temp, and that’s my plans.”
Asked to elaborate on his “plans,” Logan said he was focused on next week’s election.
“My plan is to join the Senate right now,” Logan said.
Neither Paxton nor any other member of Senate Republican leadership endorsed a candidate in the GOP primary race for SD 8.
Asked about the dynamic, Brewer, who runs a parking lot maintenance business in Henryetta, said he has “a lot of bipartisan support.”
“I’ve got Republicans voting for me. I’ve got independents that are going to vote for me, and obviously, Democrats. So I have across the board bipartisan support because of the areas that I stand on,” Brewer said. “I really think I’ve got a very high chance. I can tell you this: I know I’m not going to come in last place. But at this point, I feel very confident that I’m going to win this one just because of the responses I’m getting from voters.”
Sanford, a truck driver and food truck owner from Henryetta, also discussed the Senate dynamic through the lens of seeking to bridge a gap between ideologies.
“I’m middle of the road. I care about us. It’s people over politics. I think I can work with anybody and everybody. As far as caucusing – I’ve been on city council. I have a little bit of government experience,” Sanford said. “I would just stay independent and work with everybody to try to do better for my community because at the end of the day, if I get voted in, those are people I work for, and that will always ring true for me.”
