(Update: On Tuesday, June 16, Heath Kufahl won the GOP nomination to represent House District 54 and advanced to the Nov. 3 general election.)
Three Republicans are vying to become the next representative for House District 54 in Moore as the incumbent runs to be Oklahoma’s next commissioner of labor. The GOP candidates include a construction business owner, a volleyball coach turned tech company executive and an Army veteran who has worked in public opinion research.
Rep. Kevin West (R-Moore) held the HD 54 seat since 2016, but his decision to forgo a sixth and final term has spurred a competitive race to replace him. The winner of the June 16 Republican primary between Heath Kufahl, Phillip Lancaster and Alexander Torvi will face Crystal Abram-Garcia, the only Democrat to file, in November’s general election.
HD 54 covers parts of Cleveland and Oklahoma counties, encompassing areas within Moore and south Oklahoma City. The district runs from Interstate 240 on the north down to parts of State Highway 37, which is also Southeast 4th Street in Moore and Southwest 134th Street in OKC. It mostly bounds Western Avenue to the west and Bryant Avenue to the east.
The following cheat sheet offers an overview of the Republican candidates running in the HD 54 primary election and is derived from publicly available information, such as campaign websites and social media pages. Candidates are listed alphabetically.
Heath Kufahl
Age:Â 50
Profession/background:Â Heath Kufahl is an Oklahoma Baptist University graduate who spent more than 25 years teaching and coaching in Oklahoma City-area high schools. According to his website, he is also one of the state’s most successful high school volleyball coaches, with more than 500 career wins and four state championships.
Kufahl now serves as national sales director and part owner of Echo, a technology company focused on real-time video and replay systems whose clients have included the University of Oklahoma, Duke, Harvard, Clemson and more than 150 other Division I programs, as well as U.S. Navy SEALs and the U.S. Naval Academy.
Kufahl and his wife live in Moore and have eight children and one grandchild. He has taught Sunday school at Southern Hills Baptist Church for nearly 15 years.
Platform: Listed on his website, Kufahl is running on a conservative platform centered on limited government, public safety and education reform. He supports cutting taxes, capping property taxes for seniors and promoting trade and skill-based career pathways for students. He backs strong law enforcement and opposes what he describes as indoctrination in classrooms.
Kufahl’s campaign has also drawn a complaint from fellow candidate Lancaster over a mailer that proclaims, “The U.S. Navy SEALs trust Heath Kufahl,” suggesting some sort of endorsement.
“With a heart for faith, family and freedom, Heath will bring his proven leadership skills to the Capitol,” Kufahl wrote on his website. “In the State House, he’ll work to advance the values that have Made America Great, values like limited government, personal responsibility and biblical truth.”
Philip Lancaster
Age:Â 31
Profession/background:Â Philip Lancaster was born and raised in Oklahoma and joined the U.S. Army in 2018, serving four years that included the COVID-19 pandemic and the Afghanistan withdrawal, according to his website.
After leaving the military, he completed executive production and security training before turning his focus to research and public opinion analysis. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Southern New Hampshire University. Lancaster has lived in the Moore and south Oklahoma City area for three years.
Platform:Â Lancaster’s campaign centers on parental rights, public safety and economic growth, which are listed on his website. He supports expanding vocational and technical training through partnerships with Tinker Air Force Base and Moore Norman Technology Center, increasing school resource officers and lowering taxes and regulations on small businesses. He also backs full funding of law enforcement and stronger mental health and addiction recovery programs.
In response to a mailer sent by Kufahl, Lancaster filed complaints with the U.S. Department of Defense and the Oklahoma Ethics Commission over what Lancaster calls an improper use of military imagery. The mail piece prominently states, “The U.S. Navy SEALs trust Heath Kufahl. WE CAN TOO!” alongside images of Navy special operations forces, with fine print clarifying there is no Department of Defense endorsement. In a post about the mailer, Lancaster said federal rules prohibit using military names and imagery in ways that create the appearance of DOD endorsements.
“You cannot shout ‘The U.S. Navy SEALs trust me’ in bold print and then hide a disclaimer saying they do not,” Lancaster wrote on Facebook.
On his website, Lancaster suggests that the fact his opponents are 20 years older than him is not relevant in the election.
“Strong leadership doesn’t come from age,” Lancaster wrote. “It comes from conviction, character and courage.”
Alexander Torvi
Age:Â 58
Profession/background:Â Alexander Torvi has owned and operated Torvi Construction for nearly 20 years, serving builders across Moore, Norman, Oklahoma City, Edmond, Yukon and Choctaw. According to his website, he got his start working in construction trades after high school before learning to run a business and eventually starting his own company.
Originally from Rhode Island, he and his wife have been married since 1989, raised three children in Moore and attend Life Church. Torvi has also served on the advisory board at Mid-America Technology Center and has volunteered with church worship teams across the metro area.
According to a 2021 Facebook post by Sassan Moghadam, owner of Aria Development and a Unite Norman group leader, Torvi attended the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. In 2022, Torvi ran for a city council seat in Norman but lost to Ward 6 incumbent Councilwoman Elizabeth Foreman by fewer than 300 votes.
Platform:Â Torvi is running on public safety, conservative values and economic opportunity. Listed on his website, he supports cutting taxes, capping property taxes for seniors and promoting job creating in the district.
Torvi backs law enforcement, opposes illegal immigration and supports parental rights in education. He also is an alumnus of the Norman citizens police academy.
“As your state representative I will always be available and defend our values, our constitutional rights — life, liberty and property; defend the Second Amendment and protect your parental rights,” Torvi wrote on his website.
Torvi has been endorsed by the Oklahoma Restaurant Association, which said he “is committed to fighting back against NYC banks and reining in credit card companies that continue to burden restaurants and small businesses with excessive fees.” Torvi has also been endorsed by the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Ag Fund.
