(Update: On Tuesday, June 16, GOP candidates Rick Koch and Jessica Winegeart advanced to an Aug. 25 runoff election.)
As one candidate with support from the insurgent Freedom Caucus takes aim at his two Republican opponents on social media, the Senate District 26 race to replace Sen. Darcy Jech (R-Kingfisher) will affect the tide of the Legislature’s upper chamber one way or another.
With Jech reaching his 12-year term limit, the seat representing Kingfisher, Weatherford, Clinton, Anadarko and surrounding area is up for grabs.
The Senate Republican Caucus has grown increasingly unstable over the past two years, as the Freedom Caucus continues to clash with Senate Republican leadership. The situation culminated during the final weeks of this year’s session when the Senate adjourned unexpectedly during a deadline week and President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle) was met with open rebukes from Freedom Caucus members.
Jech has supported Paxton in the Senate, but it’s no guarantee that SD 26’s next elected official will.
Brady Butler, formerly the executive assistant for Freedom Caucus Vice Chairman Dusty Deevers (R-Elgin), has criticized his opponents Rick Koch and Jessica Winegeart for past actions he deems non-conservative. For his part, Butler wrote, “I welcome the same sort of scrutiny for my own actions and statements.”
Senate District 26 encompasses a significant chunk of western Oklahoma, including all of Blaine, Caddo and Custer counties and parts of Canadian and Kingfisher counties. If no SD 26 candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote in the June 16 Republican primary, the top two candidates will advance to an Aug. 25 runoff. The ultimate Republican Party nominee will be the district’s next senator, as no one else filed for the open seat.
All three GOP candidates attended a June 2 forum hosted by Kingfisher County Republican Women, which was live-streamed and open to the public:
The following SD 26 GOP primary cheat sheet is based on information derived from public sources, such as campaign websites and social media accounts. Candidates are presented in alphabetical order.
Brady Butler
Age: 39
Profession/background:Â According to his website, Brady Butler is an Oklahoma native who has lived in Custer County for 17 years. He and his wife started a small oil and gas company in 2019, which they operate out of their home. Butler’s campaign committee is registered to a Greenfield in Blaine County.
Butler wrote he ran for SD 26 in 2022, but although he advanced past the primary election with 37.49 percent of the vote, he lost to Jech in the runoff with 47.7 percent support. During a portion of the 2024 legislative session, Butler served as Deevers’ executive assistant in the Senate.
In a 40-page campaign booklet on his website, Butler wrote he is thankful to Deevers and is more prepared because of his experience working with the senator. He also wrote that unjust legislative rules are the primary hurdle preventing conservative reform.
“The short story is that leadership in the Senate manipulates the members and the system to hear way too many moderate and liberal bills and way too few conservative bills,” Butler wrote.
Platform: Butler’s booklet is replete with maps, quotes and icons — and a 57-minute audio recitation on YouTube.
In it, Butler wrote that he will not accept money in exchange for favors, saying the Capitol is full of “secrecy and deception” and referring to Room 535 where the Senate Republican Caucus meets as “the smoke-filled backroom where all the shady deals take place.”
“My appeal to you is not that I am the best man in this race, nor the smartest, nor the most effective. If you vote for me, you are voting for ideas that are not popular within the walls of the Capitol,” Butler wrote toward the end of the booklet. “However, you would be voting for a man who knows and loves our history, knows the current situation in our state, and has the will and passion to fight to restore our conservative Christian heritage.”
Additionally, Butler pledged not to slander another candidate or get into their personal life, saying he would only engage other candidates when it pertains to policy positions. He has since posted on his Facebook critiques of both other SD 26 candidates as being “disconnected” from the residents of western Oklahoma. Under the heading, “Questions for the other candidates,” Butler’s concerns about his opponents are also included in a second, eight-page booklet referred to as “the shorter one” on his website.
Koch, Butler wrote, previously prohibited guns at the gas stations he owns. Regarding Winegeart, he noted a 2022 Facebook post she made that “expressed frustration that Roe v. Wade was overturned.”
“While it is not the norm for candidates to directly make these sorts of things known, it is my desire to set a different standard for campaigns in western Oklahoma,” Butler wrote in a June 1 Facebook post about Winegeart’s post. “It is not my wish to hide behind a third party, or an anonymous group. Rather, I would prefer to deal honestly and transparently with the other candidates and the voters, even when discussing difficult issues.”
In his longer booklet, Butler wrote he wants to “fight for transparency and open government,” “fight for rural representation and constitutional redistricting,” “fight against judicial supremacy” and “fight against federal overreach.” He supports the Second Amendment and wants to abolish abortion — a distinction from traditional pro-life policy positions. He also wants to eliminate income tax and the gross production tax, which combine for approximately a quarter of Oklahoma’s tax revenues, although GPT revenues fluctuate based on drilling practices.
Butler also wants to prohibit vaccine mandates and “fight against the green energy scam.” He is endorsed by the Oklahoma 2nd Amendment Association, the OCPAC Foundation and the Make Oklahoma Healthy Again PAC, which contributed $5,000 to his campaign. According to his reports with the Ethics Commission, Butler has raised more than $26,000.
In 2022, Butler drew some controversy for saying on his website that “the notion of ‘separation of church and state’ should have no place in the United States of America.” The argument does not appear to be featured on his campaign materials this cycle.
Rick Koch
Age: 65
Profession/background: Rick Koch — pronounced “Cook” — was born and raised in western Oklahoma, according to his website. He is the creator and owner of ASAP Energy, a fuel delivery and petroleum service that operates gas stations around the state, including the Lucille’s Roadhouse locations in Hydro, Weatherford and Clinton. Koch has been married for more than 30 years.
In a June 2 Facebook post sharing the endorsement of the Oklahoma Restaurant Association, Koch wrote that he has been a restaurant owner for more than 20 years.
Koch’s campaign has produced a 30-second video advertisement outlining his professional background.
“Before Rick Koch ever owned a business, he worked several months for $2-an-hour at a small gas station in Weatherford learning the customers (and) learning the business,” the narrator states. “Rick never forgot that lesson: work hard, keep your word, take care of people. That’s how you build something that lasts. That one gas station became a company — ASAP Energy, creating hundreds of Oklahoma jobs.”
Platform:Â According to his website, Koch wants to “lower taxes,” “secure the border” and “protect your job.” Additionally, he prioritizes election integrity and stopping “liberal overreach” in schools and businesses.
“I’m not a career politician — I’m a businessman, a job creator, and a lifelong conservative. I’ve seen firsthand how bad policies hurt families and small businesses. I’m running to stop the radical left, fight for our freedoms and put Oklahoma FIRST,” Koch wrote on his website.
Koch has promoted the endorsement of two western Oklahoma Republican legislators.
“As a Christian, husband, father, local businessman, and community leader, I know what matters most to the people who call this place home: lower taxes, good jobs, deporting illegal immigrants, stronger schools, protection for the unborn, and a government that stands with Oklahoma families,” Koch wrote in a June 11 Facebook post. “I’ve been endorsed by great local leaders like Representatives Dick Lowe and Anthony Moore.”
In a June 4 Facebook post, Butler wrote that Koch’s gas stations displayed signs in early 2025 reading “no firearms or weapons permitted on this property,” which were removed in October 2025.
“While I appreciate Mr. Koch’s contributions to our communities, the actions last year of installing these signs on numerous establishments after he had announced his run for the senate, in my opinion, either shows a significant oversight or a disconnection with the residents of the district,” Butler wrote.
While Koch did not post in response to Butler’s accusation, his website states he supports the Second Amendment.
“Koch is a proud gun owner who will never support gun control. He will protect your constitutional right to bear arms — no compromise, no exceptions,” his website states.
In addition to Lowe and Moore, Koch has support from Moore’s predecessor, former Rep. Harold Wright. Koch’s campaign finance reports filed with the Ethics Commission indicate a donation from Wright. In all, Koch has raised about $88,300 from individual donations and $2,000 from PACs. But the majority of his campaign’s massive financial lead in the SD 26 race has come from his own pocket. With an additional $50,000 loan reported June 11, Koch has provided $225,000 to his campaign already. His committee lists a Weatherford address.
Jessica Winegeart
Age: 42
Profession/background:Â According to her website, Jessica Winegeart is an Oklahoma native from Calumet. She worked as a seed and fertilizer saleswoman before joining the family hay brokering business in 2012, which she took over in 2013. Her Facebook states she studied mass communication at the University of Central Oklahoma.
Winegeart served on the Calumet School Board for more than five years. She currently resides in Calumet — although her campaign committee is registered in Okarche — where she lives on her family’s farm with her husband and daughters.
In a May 27 announcement, the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Ag Fund political action committee endorsed Winegeart. Of the 36 candidates they endorsed, Winegeart is one of 14 candidates to receive financial support from OKFB. She has also received financial support from the State Chamber of Oklahoma’s PAC, Nextera Energy’s PAC and the Oklahoma Manufactured Housing PAC.
Platform:Â Winegeart’s website states she is “against unnecessary taxes” and will prioritize “investment in education,” “infrastructure and public safety” and “rural heritage.” She says she is pro-life and pro-Second Amendment, but Butler has called that first statement into question.
In a June 24, 2022, Facebook post that has since been removed, Winegeart responded to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson that found no federal right to abortion services. In the post, she asked another user where a protest was taking place and wrote, “This is one I will NOT miss.”
In a June 1 Facebook post, Butler reshared Winegeart’s original post and said her reasoning for responding the way she did “comes from a value system that is not shared by residents of western Oklahoma.”
“Abortion is a crime against humanity that deprives human beings made in the image of God of the love, respect, and dignity they rightfully deserve. It is never OK to kill a child,” Butler wrote. “I welcome the same sort of scrutiny for my own actions and statements.”
In a video posted later that day, Winegeart responded to her opponent’s post and questions from others, saying her post had been misinterpreted and that Butler’s claims are “simply not true.”
“I am pro-life. The reason I reacted emotionally that day wasn’t because I don’t value life. It was because I am a woman. Like many women, I was trying to process what that decision meant. Those emotions were real. What Brady doesn’t seem to understand is that believing life is precious and caring deeply about women are not mutually exclusive,” Winegeart said. “I also believe women facing difficult circumstances deserve compassion, dignity, and understanding.”
In the same video, Winegeart said she is pro-life and supports abortion access in instances of rape, incest and when the life of a mother is in jeopardy. In a June 8 Facebook post, Winegeart responded to other claims that she is in favor of wind turbines and data centers.
“I don’t look at an issue and ask what label should we attach to it. I ask a different question. Is it good for Oklahoma? Will it make our communities stronger? Will it help our families succeed? Will it leave the next generation better off than we found it? Because that’s what I’m for,” Winegeart said. “I’m pro-Oklahoma.”
According to her campaign finance reports filed with the Ethics Commission, Winegeart has raised about $27,800 from individuals and $13,000 from PACs, also loaning her campaign $10,500.
Links:Â Website | Facebook | LinkedIn
