(Update: On Tuesday, June 16, Sen. John Haste won election to represent Senate District 36.)
Republican voters in Broken Arrow’s Senate District 36 have quite the dichotomy on their hands Tuesday, with two-term incumbent Appropriations and Budget Committee Vice Chairman John Haste facing an opponent whose only known prior public appearance came in 2020 after he was charged with a crime for chasing down a man who stole his vehicle.
Despite paying the $750 fee April 3 and being touted as the last official candidate to file for Oklahoma’s 2026 election cycle, Philip Weiland does not appear to have campaigned for office in the 10 weeks since. With no online evidence of him seeking votes, Weiland answered at a phone number listed on his declaration, but he hung up after learning his candidacy was the purpose of the call.
Weiland, 42, lives in Broken Arrow, and he was less shy with media in October 2020 after he was charged with a misdemeanor count of reckless handling of a firearm. According to court documents and news reports, Weiland was charged after he fired his gun into the ground while pursuing the person who stole his Dodge pickup truck.
In an interview with KOTV after he was charged, Weiland voiced his frustrations with the criminal justice system.
“They got the bad guy. I didn’t think they’d go after me on top of it,” Weiland said in the Oct. 29, 2020, story. “I wasn’t shooting like crazy. I just shot into the ground to scare him, and it worked. It scared him, and it stopped him.”
Records show Wagoner County District Attorney Jack Thorp dismissed the charge against Weiland weeks later.
Haste (R-Broken Arrow) agreed to an interview for this article ahead of the election in which he is seeking his third and final term representing SD 36. Despite the lack of a campaign by his primary challenger, Haste has received endorsements from the NRA, the Petroleum Alliance of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Farm Bureau.
The vice chairman of the Senate’s budget committee for the past two years, Haste said he is a man of faith who loves his family and cherishes the freedoms of living in America.
“Those ideals are often a part of my messages to constituents and voters because I believe in them and how powerful they are for thriving families and communities,” Haste said. “I am asking the voters of SD 36 to place their trust in me again, for my final term, because I have followed through and stood by these principles very consistently.”
Senate District 36 is one of 15 State Senate seats with contested in the June 16 primary, and it primarily covers Broken Arrow across the border line of Tulsa and Wagoner counties. The winner of Tuesday’s primary will advance to face Democrat Rick Laeson in November.
Haste: ‘We live in a wonderful area’
With new businesses and housing quickly developing in the rural areas of Tulsa and Wagoner counties, Haste said improving water resources remains a priority for him in SD 36.
“Right now, we do not have the water infrastructure to support growth, and that is just as important as roads and bridges,” Haste said. “I am placing a priority on this challenge and will work to address the needs. We live in a wonderful area, and I will make sure that our quality of life and safety are secured along with our growth.”
Haste’s time on the Senate’s budget negotiation team has seen both new investments in state services and projects, as well as an income tax cut.
Moving forward, Haste said he like to continue providing tax relief to Oklahomans, if future budgets allow for it. But prioritizing infrastructure and water needs is front of mind, with Haste noting that his most important priority is “education investments in reading proficiency for kids.”
“My promise to my constituents is that I will always represent their best interest versus seeking political gain,” Haste said. “If something isn’t good for Senate District 36, I don’t care how politically popular it sounds, I will not support politics over the people of Senate District 36.”
If elected to a final term in the Senate, Haste said he will work as hard as he can to not “push our problems” to the next generation of Oklahomans.
“I will make sure our needs are met, and the great people of Broken Arrow, east Tulsa and nearby communities are getting their representation and benefit of paying their taxes,” Haste said.
