Oklahoma Senate District 34, which is located to the north and east of TU’s campus and includes Owasso and Collinsville, will have a special primary election on November 10. Filing for candidacy ended on September 2. Two Democrats and four Republicans are running.
The seat was previously held by Republican Rick Brinkley.
Brinkley, who was first elected in 2010, resigned on August 20 due to allegations that he embezzled $1.8 million over a nine year period from his former employer, the Better Business Bureau of Eastern Oklahoma. The same day he resigned, Brinkley pled guilty to five counts of wire fraud and one count of signing a false tax return. All counts are felonies. Sentencing is scheduled for November 20.
J.J. Dossett and Lisa Franklin will compete in the Democratic primary. Mark Williams, John W. Feary, David McLain and Chuck Daugherty will compete in the Republican primary. Republican Greg Douglass has withdrawn from the race.
The winners of the primaries will go on to face off against each other in a January 12 general election. The deadline to register to vote for the primary is October 16. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is November 4. For the general election, voters have until December 18 to register and until January 6 to request an absentee ballot.
