State Senator Jabar Shumate resigned his seat on Jan. 6 of this year in order to work for the Oklahoma Federation for Children, a school choice group. He represented District 11, which covers parts of TU west of Delaware. The Democratic primary was held on April 7. Republicans did not field any candidates.
State Representative Kevin Matthews, who has served in the House since 2012, won with 47.35 percent of the vote. He beat Heather Nash and Regina Goodwin. Matthews received endorsements from former state senators Shumate and Judy Eason McIntyre and also from the Tulsa World.
Since no Republicans filed for the seat, there is no need for a general election. However, Mary Fallin will need to call for a special election to fill Matthews’ seat for House District 73, which covers most of Downtown Tulsa and also part of North Tulsa.
