Tulsa’s attorney, Gentner Drummond, defeated John O’Connor on Tuesday to secure the Republican nomination for attorney general in a highly contested race.
Drummond has a lead of about 6,000 votes over O’Connor in near-full election results late Tuesday.
Last July, Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed Tulsa O’Connor’s attorney to serve until the end of Mike Hunter’s term as attorney general after Hunter resigned.
“I was competing against the governor and his appointee,” Drummond said of his party in Tulsa. “I think what is being voted on tonight is that the majority of people want transparency and accountability.
“They want honesty and integrity.”
People said they were fed up with scandals and corruption, Drummond said.
O’Connor is campaigning to repel President Joe Biden’s policies and end abortions. Former President Donald Trump nominated O’Connor for the federal bench, a position he did not receive after the American Bar Association said he was unqualified.
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“I am honored to continue to serve for a few months and then there will be a very smooth transition,” O’Connor said late Tuesday. “… I want to thank the governor for appointing me and for giving me the opportunity to serve in this way during these months at a very critical time in the history of our country.
Hunter struggled to win Drummond by 271 votes in the 2018 primary.
“For a man who lost in 2018 with 271 votes, people, this is a landslide,” Drummond told the audience at his party.
Drummond is campaigning for independence from Stit and improving the state’s relations with the tribes following the decision of the US Supreme Court McGirt.
He also wants to stop illegal medical marijuana cultivation.
Drummond accused O’Connor of stepping into the background in several scandals in the state, refusing to get involved.
Drummond is a graduate of Hominy High School. He holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from Oklahoma State University and a law degree from Georgetown University.
He is a former pilot of a US Air Force fighter jet that flew 40 combat missions during Desert Shield and Storm.
He also owns a bank and a ranch.
No Democrat has run for office.
Drummond will face Linda Steele, a libertarian from Warr Acres, in the November 8 vote.
Photos: Tuesday’s primary election in Oklahoma
Minister of Justice
Candidate for Attorney General Gentner Drummond joins his party to declare victory for the VFW on Tuesday, June 28, 2022 in Tulsa, Okla.
Mike Simons, Tulsa World
Minister of Justice
Candidate for Attorney General Gentner Drummond was greeted by well-wishers as his wife Wendy watched after giving a victory speech at her VFW viewing party on Tuesday, June 28, 2022 in Tulsa, Okla.
Mike Simons, Tulsa World
Minister of Justice
Candidate for Attorney General Gentner Drummond spoke while his wife, Wendy, watched his VFW party on Tuesday, June 28, 2022, in Tulsa, Okla.
Mike Simons, Tulsa World
Minister of Justice
Candidate for Attorney General Gentner Drummond clenched his fist as his wife, Wendy, watched his VFW party on Tuesday, June 28, 2022, in Tulsa, Okla.
Mike Simons Tulsa World
Minister of Justice
Attorney General Gentner Drummond and his wife, Wendy, kiss at the end of his victory speech at his VFW viewing party on Tuesday, June 28, 2022, in Tulsa, Okla.
Mike Simons, Tulsa World
Minister of Justice
Candidate for Attorney General Gentner Drummond spoke while his wife, Wendy, watched his VFW party on Tuesday, June 28, 2022, in Tulsa, Okla.
Mike Simons, Tulsa World
Minister of Justice
Candidate for Attorney General Gentner Drummond spoke while his wife, Wendy, watched his VFW party on Tuesday, June 28, 2022, in Tulsa, Okla.
Mike Simons, Tulsa World …
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