Incumbent Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell, a Republican, will face Democratic candidate Melinda Alizadeh-Fard and Libertarian Chris Powell in the upcoming election on Nov. 8.
Matt Pinnell (R)
Pinnell was elected as Oklahoma lieutenant governor in 2018 and said in an interview with the OU Daily that the ability to adapt was essential over the past four years. He has also served as secretary of Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage on Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt’s cabinet.
Pinnell said his focus is on Oklahoma's branding and his oversight role for Oklahoma’s Department of Tourism & Recreation. He said this focus on branding has saved the state close to $1 million a year.
“To have every agency aligned under a uniform brand and communication strategy was very important,” Pinnel said.
He said the process of rebranding was an effort of 200 volunteers from a variety of advertising agencies to help disorganization among state departments and represent the diversity of the state.
“Unfortunately, far too many people still believe and think that Oklahoma is a dust bowl and that we’re flat and that’s not true,” Pinnell said. “We’re actually an extremely diverse state in both our landscape and our people and that was something we wanted to demonstrate with our new brand.”
Pinnell said one of the highlights during his term as lieutenant governor was his office’s work promoting tourism for the state. If reelected, he said marketing for the state was one of his major initiatives going forward.
He said he was proud of projects like the Oklahoma Fishing Trail, #OKHereWeGO campaign, Oklahoma Road Trips series and Route 66 Passport program. He said these projects have generated $91 million for the state.
He also cited a focus on promoting career tech schools and opportunities as another one of his initiatives moving forward.
“We have a skills gap in the state from a workforce perspective. It is critical that our higher education facilities work with our high schools and career tech centers, so there’s no siloed off workforce programs but that we’re all working together,” Pinnell said.
Pinnell said he plans to become more involved in helping small business owners across the state if elected. He said he recently discussed this with the Oklahoma-based Independent Shopkeepers Association, which inspired him to be more involved with the group if elected for a second term.
“Revitalizing main streets and bringing back locally owned shops is very important for any thriving community. Norman is a good example of this,” Pinnell said. “That’s what employees want in towns and that’s another area we will be focused on.”
Melinda Alizadeh-Fard (D)
Alizadeh-Fard has served as a social worker, immigration attorney and administrative law judge and wants to increase transparency in Oklahoma’s government, if elected.
In an interview with the OU Daily, Alizadeh-Fard said she wants to increase unity between Oklahoma’s tribes and tourism industry and communication between state parks and their local communities.
“Those state parks should be talking to the communities they are in, and a lot of them are situated in areas where the tribes have a very strong presence and already have a lot of amenities,” Alizadeh-Fard said. “We need to work in partnership with them and have them at the table with us when we’re making those decisions about those areas.”
She said the lack of transparency and fiscal responsibility were concerns that influenced her running for office. She specifically noted Oklahoma’s Tourism & Recreation Department’s contract with Swadley’s Foggy Bottom Kitchen, which is currently under a criminal investigation and state audit. She said that commission directors are supposed to require documentation that supports expenses over $25,000, which was not done for the $1.5 million paid to Swadley.
She said ensuring transparency about where Oklahomans’ tax dollars are being spent was important to her, and she didn’t feel the current administration was accomplishing that.
“I have described the position of lieutenant governor as the watchdog for Oklahoma,” Alizadeh-Fard said. “You are serving on those commissions to be the eyes and ears of the people of Oklahoma to make sure those agencies are operating in the way they’re supposed to be.”
Alizadeh-Fard said there is a need for a mentality shift in state government to move away from being primarily focused on business.
“The state of Oklahoma is not a business. Its sole purpose is to provide services to the people of Oklahoma,” Alizadeh-Fard said. “We need to change that mindset, and I think sometimes there’s a resentment of the people that we provide services to or the fact that we do have to provide those services and that needs to change.”
Chris Powell (L)
According to a biography from Ballotpedia, Powell served as the chair of the Oklahoma Libertarian Party and has worked as a 911 dispatcher and evidence custodian. He is currently a member of the Bethany City Council and is running for Oklahoma lieutenant governor with the primary goal of removing the office entirely.
In an essay on Medium, Powell argued that the lieutenant governor’s office is unnecessary and serves primarily to boost a future campaign for governor. He also said that previous Oklahoma Lt. Gov. James E. Berry was able to maintain a job as a banker and National Guard member while being in office, adding this indicated that the role was not important.
In an interview with the OU Daily, Powell said he viewed his presence in this election as more of a petition against the office itself. He wrote on Twitter that the votes he gets in December will be indicative of Oklahoman’s desire to remove the office.
“This is very much an opportunity for Oklahomans to vote and send that message to the legislature,” Powell said. “I don't have to get 50 percent plus one, I just have to get enough votes so that there is some attention paid to the fact that this guy seems to have something that people are responding to.”
Powell said the office of lieutenant governor wasted money in certain fundamental areas. He argued against the office needing a motorcade when traveling across the state and that the office’s lack of authority and responsibility did not warrant a highway patrol security detail.
“It begs the question as to why somebody who really has some authority to do things. … They don’t have a security detail, but this office that has no real authority for much of anything does,” Powell said.
Despite viewing his role in the election as a “petition,” he said in the event he was elected, he planned on spending his time presiding over the Oklahoma state Senate and actively communicating the need to get rid of the office.
“In a lot of ways, both (Republicans and Democrats) are right, but that is not healthy politics in my view,” Powell said. “Healthy politics is when people see candidates talk about serious issues without getting into the attacks and mudslinging, it's about trying to find the best policy ideas and proposals for the voters to choose from.”
The general election is on Tuesday, Nov. 8. To check your voter registration, visit the OK Voter Portal.
