I am very pleased to endorse Randy Brogdon for Oklahoma Republican Party State Chair! I have known Randy and Donna for many years and am blessed to count them both friends.

The past 2 years of David Weston's mis-management of the OKGOP have left us more secrecy than inclusion. His administration has instituted changes which make it much harder for candidates to access the organizational structure in each district and all 77 counties.

It takes leadership to work with those you may not agree with 100% of the time. It takes leadership to uphold the rules of our Republican Party and to treat everyone in our party fairly. It takes leadership to reach those who have never been involved in the Republican Party while at the same time bringing back those who have been disenfranchised.

This Saturday in Oklahoma City, Republicans from around the state will gather to talk about important issues, discuss strategies to defeat Hillary Clinton in 2016, and to elect a new Chairman for the Oklahoma Republican Party.

I have known Randy Brogdon for many years. Randy has been someone that, through the years, was always willing to sit down and talk with me, even before I was elected to state office. Randy really set the example of what it means to be a citizen legislator. He was never afraid to do the right thing, even when it may have been unpopular. Even today I see the impact of the legislation he enacted. His attempts to get the government back to its proper role and limit its size in order to protect the people’s rights are still evident.

Canadian County Chair Julia Seay, Vice-Chair Carrie Krapff and Former Chair Robert Hubbard are joined by Executive Committee members Jason Timm, Danielle Patterson, Curtis Bold, Don Beighle, Tracey Montgomery, Carol Smith and Cathleen Rychner to endorse Randy Brogdon for State GOP Chair.

Congressman Steve Russell today released a statement regarding SB 233, the primary date change bill, which I debated against in committee last week. As you know, that bill was pushed through the Senate and into the House from the top down with no input by the elected members of our State Committee. Congressman’s Russell’s statement is below:

Statement from Congressman Steve Russell - April 7, 2015

"It has been a pleasure working in my home district this past week. During that time, however, a troubling issue has come to my attention. My understanding is that the current OKGOP Chair initiated and advocated for a change to the Presidential Preference Primary to later in the process, and with that the possibility of diminishing our state's influence and voter's voices with a winner-take-all system, without prior advice and consent by the governing body of the OKGOP - the State Committee. It is reported that the RNC gave guidelines back in August 2014 for this cycle, and despite multiple State Committee meetings, executive meetings, and conventions held in counties across the state, this issue was not brought forward for discussion until well after the legislative bill was requested and already moving through the state legislative process into law. Fortunately, the legislature listened to voices from party activists, past office holders, current party officials, and two candidates for OKGOP Chair - former State Senator Randy Brogdon and Pam Pollard - and had the wisdom to reject this ill-considered bill.

Tulsa, OK - Last week the Oklahoma Second Amendment Association announced their endorsement of Randy Brogdon for State Chairman stating, “We believe there are three critical things that the next chairman of the Oklahoma GOP must do: engage and educate the grassroots on the GOP platform, inform the party activists as to the legislators' performance relative to the platform, and get the state GOP's message of liberty, self-reliance, and personal responsibility in the media.  It was the consensus of our Board that Brogdon is the best candidate to get the job done.”

Today I joined OKGOP National Committeewoman Carolyn McLarty, Representative Bobby Cleveland, former Representative Mike Reynolds and a roomful of Republican grassroots activists from around the state in opposition to SB 233, the bill that would have moved Oklahoma’s primary into April.

Tulsa, OK – The coalition of Republican leaders for Randy Brogdon continues to grow. Representatives Pastor Dan Fisher and Dr. Mike Ritze are joined by former Rep. Charles Key in declaring their support for Randy Brogdon as the next State Chairman for the Oklahoma Republican Party.