(Update: On Tuesday, June 16, Sen. Grant Green won election to represent Senate District 28.)
Two years after Lincoln County voters ousted a powerful House incumbent, central Oklahoma Republicans in Senate District 28 will choose Tuesday between the incumbent chairman of the Senate Energy Committee and a furniture store owner looking to “drain the swamp” out of the State Capitol.
Sen. Grant Green (R-Wellston) is seeking a second term, but challenger Robert Trimble believes it is time for fresh blood. Senate District 28 — which covers all of Seminole and Lincoln counties, along with portions of Oklahoma, Pottawatomie, and Logan counties — is one of 15 contested State Senate Republican primaries that have left the body’s 2027-2028 leadership power balance anyone’s guess.
Both Green and Trimble agreed to interviews about their campaigns ahead of the June 16 election.
Green, 57, is a lifelong farmer and rancher who first won election to the SD 28 seat in 2022. He is the former owner of Green’s Propane, which he sold in 2020. Green boasts endorsements from the NRA, the Oklahoma Farm Bureau and American Farmers & Ranchers.
“I am the common-sense candidate that has run a local business here, knows the issues of rural Oklahoma, and I’m proud of all that I have gotten accomplished for my district in my first four years,” Green said. “I have lots of things left to do, and I am excited to return to the Capitol to accomplish those things for my district.”
Trimble, 59, lives in Shawnee and has endorsements from the Oklahoma 2nd Amendment Association and Make Oklahoma Healthy Again. He served more than 20 years with the U.S. Army and National Guard. After retirement, he entered the furniture business and currently owns Noah’s Amish Furniture Store in Norman. Trimble said he closed a store in Springdale, Arkansas, in order to run for SD 28 in the Oklahoma Legislature.
“I closed that store down to make myself (have a) 100 percent commitment to this race, because I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it,” Trimble said. “I mean, help is hard to find anyway. I just, bam, pulled the plug and said, ‘I’ve got to do this,’ so I closed it down so that I could focus on this race.”
The winner of the June 16 primary election for SD 28 will face off against Democrat Kevin Connor in the November general election.
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Trimble: ‘Once you take that money, they own you’
In challenging Green, Trimble has aligned himself with views of the state’s Freedom Caucus, a group of about 10 hardline conservative senators who have clashed with Senate Republican leaders over lobbyist influence and decisions about what bills get heard.
Trimble, who has loaned his campaign $100,000 in addition to raising about $36,700, said the influence of political action committees and lobbyists is one of the state’s biggest problems and pledged not to accept contributions from either.
“PAC groups and lobbyists control our legislators,” Trimble said. “My commitment is no lobbyist, no PAC money. I’m paying for my own campaign.”
Trimble argued that elected officials, like Green, become beholden to special interests when they accept campaign contributions and other benefits from lobbyists. He said if elected, his first piece of legislation would prohibit lawmakers from accepting money from lobbyists and political action committees to help “drain the swamp” from the Capitol.
“They’re welcome at my table. They’re welcome to come sit at my table,” Trimble said after telling a story of refunding a lobbyist who donated $50 to his campaign. “They’ve got ideas that help with laws. I get all that. But once you take that money, they own you.”
Trimble, however, has taken campaign donations from a few influential Oklahomans, including Claremore anti-wind farm advocate Frank Robson and longtime oil and gas industry politico Mike Cantrell in Ada.
Green, who has been labeled as part of the “Swamp 7” by OCPAC, defended his record in the Oklahoma Senate and pushed back against criticism from supporters of the Freedom Caucus.
According to Green, the Freedom Caucus has contributed to divisions within the Republican Party and has hindered the Legislature’s ability to address issues affecting the state.
“It’s unfortunate that the Freedom Caucus has taken the stance they have and hindered the Senate from getting work done for the people of Oklahoma,” Green said.
He argued that his hardline peers often oppose legislation for political reasons rather than policy disagreements and said their voting record has negatively affected rural communities.
“The Freedom Caucus ends up voting with the Democrats more times than not against rural fire departments, law enforcement and many of the essential services across Oklahoma,” Green said.
With the rift defining several Senate races this season, Green said his focus remains on serving constituents rather than engaging in political infighting.
“If me doing what is right for the people of Senate District 28 makes me part of ‘the swamp,’ then so be it,” Green said. “Constituents will always come before politics.”
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Green: ‘I will go to work for my district every day’
Green is seeking reelection as one of the best-funded legislative incumbents this cycle, reporting nearly $300,000 in total donations. In addition to transferring about $32,000 from his 2022 committee, Green has reported raising $176,000 from individual donors and tribal nations, as well as nearly $120,000 from PACs running the spectrum of industry, from energy and utilities to health care and public safety unions.
But when it comes to serving the Oklahomans living within SD 28, Green said voters should choose the person who has lived in the area his entire life.
“In the southern part of my district, the foreign-owned lands and illegal marijuana business are a huge issue, so continuing to crack down on those and write legislation against them is very important. I want to return that land back to the hands of Oklahomans and clean them up,” Green said. “Some of my constituents in the middle of my district are fighting data centers, wind and electrical transmission line projects, humanure, and infrastructure issues. The northernmost part of my district is struggling to have a quality water supply with the exponential growth going on there. So as you can see, the individual differences can be vast and take someone familiar with the area and the people to bring things together for the good of our communities.”
He said voters can hold him accountable for working for his district and Oklahomans.
“I will listen to their concerns and write effective legislation to address the issues facing District 28 today,” Green said. “I will continue to build on the relationships I have formed at the Capitol and work with other legislators across the state to ensure the best Oklahoma for generations to come.”
Trimble said that, beyond the ballot box, there is no way to hold Green accountable.
“I tried, I tried, I tried. I called him, I texted him, he wore me out, never did call me back, and he wore me down,” Trimble said. “Several months went by.”
Because of that experience, Trimble said he is making a commitment to personally respond to residents who reach out to him if he is elected.
“When a constituent calls me or texts me or emails me, they’re going to get a response back,” Trimble said. “They will get a response back.”
As he has campaigned across the district, Trimble said he has heard similar complaints from voters who say they have struggled to get responses from Green’s office.
“I can’t tell you how many people call me and say, ‘Mr. Trimble, I thought I was going to get a switchboard. I’ve tried to call Sen. Green, but he never calls me back. I don’t get a response,’” Trimble said.
Trimble also pledged to remain visible and accessible through public events, saying he will host town halls and participate in forums and debates.
“When there’s a forum or a debate, you can count on me being there,” Trimble said. “I’ve done nine forum-slash-debates since August of last year.”
