(Update: On Tuesday, June 16, T.W. Shannon won the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor and advanced to the Nov. 3 general election.)
Four years ago, a Libertarian candidate for lieutenant governor campaigned on an ironic platform: “We don’t need a lieutenant governor.”
This year’s crowded Oklahoma Republican primary field seems to believe otherwise, with a whopping six candidates filing for the job and talking about all of the things they’ll do if elected. Lieutenant governors hold limited governmental power in Oklahoma, most notably presiding ex-officio over the Senate and casting tie-breaking votes when motions hang 24-24. And if the governor is capacitated, the lieutenant governor is first in line for succession.
Of course, the position saw its salary bumped to $150,000 for 2027, and term-limited Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell has proven that even a little barbecue sauce on your khakis can’t derail the cookout.
The race to be second banana to the governor opened with significant support for former House Speaker T.W. Shannon (R-Lawton), who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump after two failed campaigns for the U.S. Senate. Meanwhile, Gov. Kevin Stitt’s chief operating officer, David Ostrowe, has spent substantial money to build his profile, and a trio of legislators are garnering support in their current districts and other sectors. As a result, the race could reach a runoff despite Shannon’s early lead.
Rep. Justin “J.J.” Humphrey (R-Lane) is known for criticizing the Department of Corrections, advocating for former death row inmate Richard Glossip and contributing to Bigfoot lore. Rep. Brian Hill (R-Mustang) and Sen. Darrell Weaver (R-Moore) are the other legislators in the race, and businessman Victor Flores is making his first run for public office.
Whether the race heads to an Aug. 25 runoff or not, the eventual Republican nominee will advance to the November general election against Democrat Kelly Forbes, who is running unopposed.
The following cheat sheet offers an overview of the lieutenant governor candidates seeking the Republican Party’s nomination based on information from publicly available sources, such as websites, social media pages. Candidates are presented in alphabetical order.
Victor Flores
Age: 48
Profession/background: Victor Flores is running as a “Reagan Republican, not a Trump Republican,” according to his website. If elected, Flores has said he would eschew political theatrics and extremism in favor of common-sense solutions.
“I believe the Republican Party is at its strongest when it inspires people, not when it demands they perform outrage on command,” he wrote on his campaign website.
Flores is a small business owner and the president of the Oklahoma Tribal Finance Consortium.
Platform: If elected, Flores would work to market the state around the country and the world as a place to do business, while also trying to make sure small businesses in Oklahoma have the means to succeed. He supports curbing the influence of federal regulations and would prioritize defending the state’s energy producers from government overreach.
“When you show up to vote, you’re not just casting a ballot, you’re making a decision about opportunity, about growth, and about the direction of our state,” Flores wrote on Facebook. “That’s why I’m committed to a vision of Oklahoma as America’s Crossroads of Commerce…a place where businesses want to invest, where jobs are created, and where families can thrive. When we bring new opportunities into our state, we create stronger paychecks, stronger communities, and a stronger future for everyone.”
Brian Hill
Age: 49
Profession/background: Rep. Brian Hill has been in the Legislature representing House District 47 since his election in 2018. He is a youth pastor with a business background, including organization of the Navigate Conference series. In 2018, Hill organized one of those conferences that featured himself, fellow lieutenant governor candidate T.W. Shannon and now-convicted BBQ expert Brent Swadley as speakers. In 2022, Hill discussed getting to know Swadley, praised him for having “a great story” but said the company’s contracts with the Tourism and Recreation Department should be reviewed.
In the Legislature, Hill most recently served as an assistant majority floor leader and chairman of the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee.
He authored HB 2398 earlier this year, which passed both chambers and was approved by the governor to establish a statewide framework allowing the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education to designate certain degrees, certificates, licenses and industry-recognized credentials as “credentials of value.” It aims to provide students with more information when deciding which direction to take for their college or secondary education, based on future job growth potential.
Platform: If elected, Hill has said he would prioritize job growth in high-paying fields like aerospace, advanced manufacturing and engineering. Hill supports school choice and prioritizes the defense of religious freedom, the border and protecting Oklahomans from the Chinese government. In an interview with the State Chamber of Oklahoma, Hill said he wants to develop 10 distinct economic hubs throughout the state.
“I want to see us moving toward 10 distinct economic hubs by 2035, and I believe we are on that path already. Today, we have two distinct hubs, Tulsa and Oklahoma City,” Hill said. “But what you see is the traffic patterns that are growing in places like Ardmore, Durant, Lawton, all on the south side. And then seeing things happen over on the west side, going up from Elk City and Burns Flat, Clinton, and Weatherford. These areas are looking to thrive.”
Justin “J.J.” Humphrey
Age: 59
Profession/background: First elected in 2016, Rep. Justin Humphrey represents HD 19 in southeast Oklahoma. In the Legislature, Humphrey has served on the House Public Safety Committee and the Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight Committee. Humphrey has advocated for former death row inmate Richard Glossip, who is currently out on bond awaiting a new trial date. He has attended several of Glossip’s court appearances over the last year.
A former Department of Corrections parole officer whose tenure at the agency drew notable complaints and reprimands, Humphrey has been critical of the department’s operations for years. He has also lodged accusations of corruption and criminal activity against leaders of the Department of Human Services. In 2024, his conversations about a potential solar farm development and his legislative goal of banning foreign ownership of elements in Oklahoma’s power grid drew ethical questions, although Humphrey called the story “one big 100 percent lie.”
Humphrey pushed a bill during the most recent session to eliminate the state’s five-year manufacturer ad valorem tax exemption for solar generation and battery storage facilities. Humphrey also stirred controversy in April for his support of a bill that ended the prohibition on child marriage. He was reprimanded in April for recording a campaign video at the Capitol, he has been a proponent of cockfighting decriminalization, and he has campaigned with a Bigfoot mascot. A longtime friend of former House Speaker Charles McCall — who said during the COVID-19 pandemic that Humphrey would be his choice of a lawmaker to be quarantined with since it would be entertaining — Humphrey was removed from his Public Safety Committee chairmanship in recent years amid his ongoing feud with DOC leaders.
Platform: If elected, Humphrey has said he would push for a radical overhaul of how DHS handles cases, including moving the child protective services division under local sheriffs, restoring accountability within the agency and enacting stricter oversight across all child welfare systems.
Humphrey also supports broadband expansion in rural areas of the state. He has said he would also push for the construction of regional state-run DOC facilities with mental health pods for oversight and reduced transportation costs. In a recent interview, Humphrey said his time as lieutenant governor would see him attempt to preside over the Senate more often to act as a backstop, although the state constitution prescribes that the position only has “a casting vote,” or the ability to vote if it breaks a tie.
“The lieutenant governor is actually the head of the Senate,” Humphrey said in an interview with Fox 23 in Tulsa. “We’ve not had anybody in my lifetime who has actually gone in there and taken control of the Senate like I believe they can. And so for me, that’s what I wanna do.”
David Ostrowe
Age: 57
Profession/background: David Ostrowe is a fast food franchise owner with multiple restaurants who previously served as Gov. Kevin Stitt’s secretary of digital transformation. A multi-county grand jury led by former Attorney General Mike Hunter’s office indicted Ostrowe after hearing testimony only from one AG’s office investigator. Hunter dropped the indictment when he resigned months later in March 2020, with Ostrowe leaving Stitt’s Cabinet later that year. Current Attorney General Gentner Drummond ultimately wrote Ostrowe a letter of apology in which he said Hunter “weaponized” the law enforcement agency against Ostrowe for political purposes.
Ostrowe rejoined Stitt’s Cabinet last year, and he filed to run for lieutenant governor on the last day of the filing period in a move that surprised even some of his closest colleagues. Ostrowe has been endorsed by Stitt and has largely self-financed his last-minute campaign to air radio and TV ads promoting himself as a U.S. Navy veteran and successful businessman who put Oklahoma’s checkbook online for public review.
Platform: If elected, Ostrowe has identified his priority as aggressively recruiting manufacturers to relocate to Oklahoma, bringing high-paying jobs to the state. Ostrowe also bills himself as a political outsider, not a career politician — a man of faith who is committed to protecting conservative values. Ostrowe says he would work to trim government waste and promote accountability.
“As your new lieutenant governor, I’ll bring that same fight to deliver jobs, strong paychecks, and better schools,” he wrote on Facebook. “I know how to negotiate, and I know how to fight and win. I’ll hunt down good businesses to create thousands of new job opportunities, right here.”
T.W. Shannon
Age: 48
Profession/background: T.W. Shannon is a Chickasaw Nation citizen from Lawton who won four elections to House District 62 between 2006 and 2012, serving as House speaker for the 2013 and 2014 sessions. Shannon ran for Oklahoma’s open U.S. Senate seat in 2014, losing to James Lankford. Out of office, Shannon led Chickasaw Community Bank and served on the Oklahoma Transportation Commission, clashing with Gov. Kevin Stitt in 2021 over a highway interchange project and broader ramifications of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma. In 2022, Shannon again lost a Republican Party race for the U.S. Senate selt held by Sen. Markwayne Mull in 2022.
More recently, he served as senior advisor to the U..S. secretary of agriculture for rural prosperity at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He has been endorsed by President Donald Trump in his 2026 race. On June 10, Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin — who defeated Shannon in Oklahoma’s open 2022 U.S. Senate race — endorsed Shannon’s lieutenant governor campaign.
Platform: Shannon’s priorities as lieutenant governor include stopping “radical left” policies that he said raise costs and expand government bureaucracy.
He would also work to end regulations that he believes kill job growth while also making sure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely. Shannon also favors tax cuts and ending what he calls “woke” DEI initiatives.
“The way that you keep prosperity is to keep government out of your business,” Shannon said in an interview with News 9. “We’ve got to do better in Oklahoma in lowering our taxes. We’ve got to do better in making sure we’re a work-friendly environment.”
Darrell Weaver
Age: 64
Profession/background: Sen. Darrell Weaver has represented Senate District 24 for three four-year terms and is term-limited. Before electoral politics, Weaver worked for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs for 28 years, rising to the position of director. In his campaign for lieutenant governor, Weaver has seen a November 1990 disciplinary action from his early years at OBNDD become public. According to documents, Weaver was reprimanded for leaving the scene of an accident in a state vehicle “immediately after the social use of alcohol.”
In the Senate, Weaver passed legislation expanding the definition of aggravated DUI. This session, he carried a bill that would prohibit the use of NDAs in child sexual abuse cases, but the Senate’s floor leader declined to hear the proposal. Weaver has been endorsed by the Oklahoma State Medical Association, which has run Facebook advertisements in support of his candidacy.
Platform: Weaver wants to be the lieutenant governor for all 77 counties while improving the quality of life for the state’s 4 million residents, according to his website.
Weaver has also leaned into his law enforcement credentials and knowledge of how state agencies work. He said curbing the flow of dangerous drugs and cracking down on cartel operations inside and outside of Oklahoma are priorities.
“With my common-sense conservative approach to governing, I have championed legislation dealing with many issues, such as public safety, victims’ rights, small business, and Second Amendment rights,” Weaver said at the start of his campaign. “I have strongly advocated for our growing aerospace industry, and the need to enhance economic and workforce development and promote tourism opportunities.”
(Update: This article was updated at 8:25 a.m. Thursday, June 11, to include reference to Markwayne Mullin’s endorsement. It was updated again to clarify reference to David Ostrowe’s Cabinet service timeline.)
