Call it the power of incumbency, but for a whole different office.

With seven Republican members of the Oklahoma Legislature campaigning for statewide office, GOP leaders have kept those lawmakers in their leadership positions or as committee chairpersons, a reversal of policies instituted by previous House speakers or Senate pro tempores.

Among the lawmakers staying in their positions are Rep. Brad Boles, a Marlow Republican who chairs the House Energy and Natural Resources Oversight Committee, and Sen. Adam Pugh, an Edmond Republican who chairs the Senate Education Committee. Boles is running for an open seat on the Corporation Commission, while Pugh entered the race for state superintendent of public instruction.

Staying in leadership or chair positions, especially in issue areas where they seek higher office, gives lawmakers an advantage over their opponents in both fundraising and shaping policy. Committee chairs have wide latitude to hear bills at the committee stage, and they typically attract more campaign donations in those roles than rank-and-file members.

Still, the compressed campaign season in Oklahoma between candidate filing and primary elections makes it a challenge for current lawmakers to get away from the Capitol to campaign for higher office. Lawmakers also can’t accept or solicit campaign contributions from registered lobbyists during a legislative session.

Candidate filing is April 1-3, with the primary election on June 16 and runoff election on Aug. 25. The general election is Nov. 3.

Other lawmakers running for higher office are Democratic House Leader Cindy Munson of Oklahoma City, who is running for governor; Rep. Brian Hill, R-Mustang, Rep. J.J. Humphrey, R-Lane, and Sen. Darrell Weaver, R-Moore, who are all running for lieutenant governor; and Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore, and Rep. John Pfeiffer, R-Orlando, both running for labor commissioner.

Former House Speaker Charles McCall asked lawmakers running for statewide office to resign their committee leadership positions. In 2018, McCall appointed former Rep. Randy McDaniel as chairman emeritus of the House Banking, Financial Services and Pension Committee when McDaniel was running for state treasurer. McDaniel was previously the chair of that committee.

Similarly, McCall appointed former Rep. Leslie Osborn as chair emeritus of the House Appropriations and Budget Committee in 2018, after she led the committee the previous session. Osborn ran for her first term as labor commissioner in 2018. She won reelection in 2022 and is now term-limited.

McCall, an Atoka Republican who ended his legislative career in 2024 as the longest-serving speaker, is now running for governor. Through a campaign spokeswoman, McCall declined to comment on his policy as speaker regarding members running for higher office.

A spokeswoman for House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, said it was never the practice for House leadership to ask members to step down from chairs or leadership positions until McCall implemented it. House members face the voters every two years.

“House members are essentially always running for office,” said Caroline Estes, Hilbert’s press secretary. “If we prohibited members from being chairs while running for office, then everyone would be banned from being a chairman.”

Boles deferred to Hilbert on the current policy, but said he’d continue to do his job as a committee chair just as he had in previous years. Boles, who was first elected to the House in a special election in 2018, has been a committee chairman for seven years. If he hadn’t decided to run for Corporation Commission, he’d still be running for reelection to his House seat, Boles said.

“I take the responsibility of being a chairman very seriously, and I’m going to give 100% to that obligation just as I would any other role,” Boles said. “I’m not going to do anything differently than I did in previous years in trying to get good policy passed in Oklahoma.”

In 2021, former Senate Pro Tempore Greg Treat replaced Sen. Kim David as majority floor leader, the top gatekeeper of how and when bills are scheduled for votes on the Senate floor. At the time, David was running for the Corporation Commission. She was elected to that office in 2022.

“Kim did a great job as majority floor leader, and this change allows her to focus on other pursuits,” Treat said at the time. “I fully believe she will continue to be a talented and respected leader for Oklahoma in the days ahead.”

Former state Sen. Stephanie Bice voluntarily stepped down from her position as assistant floor leader when she decided to run for Congress in 2020. Bice remained chair of the Senate Finance Committee for that legislative session and later defeated Democrat Kendra Horn in the 5th District Congressional race.

Alex Gerszewski, spokesman for Senate Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton, said Paxton didn’t ask either Weaver or Pugh to step down from their roles. He said there’s nothing in the Senate’s rules that requires lawmakers to resign their leadership positions if they decide to run for statewide office.