Oklahoma could use more young politicians like Matt Pinnell.

Pinnell, 38, is a charismatic young leader and entrepreneur from Tulsa who is committed to public service, loves his native state and wants to make it a better place to live.

The Republican Party has two other strong candidates for lieutenant governor, which is a bit surprising since it’s a position with little responsibility outside of those assigned by the governor, rarely controversial jobs promoting tourism and executive leadership when the governor is gone.

Corporation Commissioner Dana Murphy is smart and brings diverse experience to the table. Her time in office has shown that she is able to understand complex issues and get along with challenging conditions.

State Sen. Eddie Fields beats the field in real political experience and know-how. If public policy issues of current interest — education funding and taxation — were the only factors, he would get our nod.

Read the complete story on tulsaworld.com

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, April 18, 2018 – Oklahoma Lt. Governor Todd Lamb announced the Twentieth Annual Oklahoma Small Business Day will be held Tuesday, May 1 at the state Capitol. Registration is from 8:30-9:30 a.m. on the second floor rotunda with the program beginning at 9:30 a.m. and ending at 11:00 a.m.

“By traveling to all 77 Oklahoma counties each year, I know firsthand that small businesses are not only the majority of Oklahoma businesses, but also the backbone of Oklahoma’s economy,” Lamb said.  “In order for Oklahoma to prosper economically, we must collectively create a pro-business, anti-regulatory environment in order for our thousands of Oklahoma small businesses to flourish.  Small Business Day provides a wonderful opportunity to showcase Oklahoma’s small employers and their employees to the legislature while allowing legislators a platform to visit one on one with leaders from across the state who represent a multitude of industries.”

The event will feature legislative updates from Speaker of the House Charles McCall and Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Schulz. The Lt. Governor’s Small Business Awards of Excellence will also be awarded.

Small Business Day partners include The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), The State Chamber of Oklahoma, The Tulsa Regional Chamber, The Northwest Chamber, The Oklahoma Business Roundtable and The Oklahoma Association of Career and Technology Education (OKACTE).

To register for Small Business Day, visit https://engage.nfib.org/events?state=OK

If you have any questions about the event please call the Lt. Governor’s office at 405-521-2161.

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As mentioned in my previous post, a record 794 candidates filed for office last week. In this post, I went through some statistics on the filings, but here I’ll break it down further and give some more details on races.

U.S. HOUSE RACES

1st District: 10 candidates filed to replace outgoing Congressman Jim Bridenstine. The five Democrats are seemingly led by attorney Tim Gilpin (who leads the field with $13k raised). The Republican side has the strong lead, with businessman Kevin Hern as the frontrunner ($1.1M raised), followed by former Air Force captain Andy Coleman ($230k raised), former DA Tim Harris ($250k raised), State Sen. Nathan Dahm (CPI of , $95k raised), and pastor Danny Stockstill ($25k raised). Hern has the big money advantage, but Harris may have better name recognition due to his tenure as District Attorney and Coleman has been endorsed by former presidential candidate Rick Santorum (who won the 1st District in 2012) and five Freedom Caucus congressmen.

2nd District: incumbent Republican Markwayne Mullin should be facing his toughest reelection yet, as he is breaking his oft-repeated term limits pledgeand seeking a fourth term in office. Mullin has the money lead as expected (60% from mostly out-of-state PACs), with just under $1M raised and $540k on hand. The three Republicans are former Army captain and 2016 GOP challenger Jarrin Jackson ($140k raised), 2016 Independent candidate John McCarthy ($115k raised), and economics professor Brian Jackson ($25k raised; no relation to Jarrin). Four Democrats also filed — Tahlequah mayor Jason Nichols ($33k raised), former Army colonel and schoolteacher Clay Padgett ($31k raised), Creek Nation official Elijah McIntosh, and perennial candidate Virginia Blue Jeans Jenner. Libertarian Richard Castaldo and Independent John Foreman also filed.

Read the complete analysis on muskogeepolitico.com

TULSA, Okla. – Appearing more-or-less relaxed in slacks and a button-down shirt and clutching a cup of coffee, the boyish Matt Pinnell, only 37, smiles as he greets the Red Dirt Report team at an eatery on Tulsa’s south side.

Pinnell starts off by noting the dark-red “46 Star Flag” T-shirt one of us is wearing and proudly noting that his campaign colors for his signs and such reflect the distinct look of Oklahoma’s first flag, which can now be seen on specialty license plates across the state.

Although very brand conscious, Pinnell said that the blue-and-white, standard-issue plates that say “Explore Oklahoma” and “TravelOK.com,” were not rolled out in the best way possible, alluding to criticism after the design was released to the public.

“I don’t think our brand is the ‘Twitter bird,’” cracks Pinnell, referencing The Hunger Games-esque, half-baked scissortail flycatcher design featured on the newly-issued plates, replacing the Sacred Rain Arrow plates, that featured the long-embraced “Native America” slogan.

But Pinnell has big ideas. You have to start somewhere and Pinnell has been plenty of places, bringing his conservative message to all parts of the U.S. in a national capacity and, before that, to all parts of Oklahoma during the Republican rise to power in the past decade.

That said, Pinnell is hoping to be Oklahoma’s next lieutenant governor.

Read the complete story on reddirtreport.com

2018 is heating up. Former OKGOP Chairman and RNC State Party Director, Matt Pinnell, has confirmed to The McCarville Report that he’s begun to make phone calls to county party leaders about the possibility of running for Lt. Governor in 2018.

With his national contacts and grassroots network in Oklahoma, Pinnell would be right in the mix in a wide open Lt. Governor race.

Pinnell was hired by Reince Priebus to serve as the chief liaison between the RNC and state parties in 2013. Since that time, the Republican National Committee has produced two of its most successful election cycles–2014 and 2016–in history. The culmination of which was the election of Donald J. Trump in November of 2016. In early 2017, newly-minted Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel tapped Pinnell to oversee her transition team at the RNC.

Prior to joining the RNC, Pinnell served as Chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party during the 2010 and 2012 election cycles. At the time of his election, Pinnell was the youngest State Chairman in the country. When Pinnell left that post for the RNC, the Oklahoma GOP held all five Congressional seats and every statewide elected office simultaneously; the first time that had happened in Oklahoma history.

He is a graduate of Oral Roberts University and lives in Tulsa with his wife Lisa and their four children. Matt and Lisa own a successful small business called “BinxyBaby.” A baby hammock line of products for shopping carts that Lisa invented and patented.