From Route 66 celebrations to statewide tourism campaigns, Matt Pinnell has turned the lieutenant governor’s office into one of the state’s most public-facing positions. Now, with Pinnell term-limited, candidates aiming to replace him are left to decide which department should be prioritized next.

With the primary elections taking place on June 16, Republican candidates, Justin Humphrey, Brian Hill, Victor Flores, David Ostrowe, T.W. Shannon, and Darrell Weaver are running against each other to see who will make it to the August run-offs.

Although the functions vary based on the person in office, the lieutenant governor serves as president of the Oklahoma Senate and plays key roles in statewide economic initiatives, public advocacy, and tourism efforts across the state.

The lieutenant governor also steps in as acting governor when the governor is out of state, and oversees commissions, boards and policy initiatives as assigned by the governor.

Serving Oklahoma as lieutenant governor and president of the Oklahoma Senate for the past eight years, Pinnell’s focus on tourism and economic development has increased tourism visibility across the state. And as chairman of the Oklahoma Tourism Commission, Pinnell has helped make Oklahoma a national destination for Route 66 tourism.

Pinnell highlighted Oklahoma’s more than 400 drivable miles of Route 66 and helped promote Route 66 revitalization grants designed to support developmental projects in communities along the route.

“To be able to essentially run the state of Oklahoma’s advertising agency, it really was a dream job for me,” Pinnell said.

Pinnell stressed workforce development after being appointed Oklahoma Secretary of Workforce Development in 2023, promoted CareerTech education and workforce training, focused on economic development and business recruitment with the Oklahoma Department of Commerce and supported entrepreneurship and small business growth throughout the state.

Candidates vying to replace him are left to decide what department should become the focus within the lieutenant governor’s office.

Brian Hill, the current state representative for District 47, has put emphasis on economic development and jobs, education and workforce development, energy development and conservative social issues during his campaign.

David Ostrowe, Oklahoma’s chief operating officer, has focused his campaign on economic development, government efficiency and job creation for the people of Oklahoma.

T.W. Shannon, Oklahoma’s former House Speaker and USDA advisor, has centered his campaign around cutting government regulations, economic growth and job creation, merit-based policies in government and education, and fiscal responsibility and accountability in government. Shannon received an endorsement from President Donald Trump.

Darrell Weaver, former narcotics bureau director and a state senator, has used his campaign to promote his focus points of public safety and crime prevention, support for small businesses, tourism promotion and aerospace industry growth.

Victor Flores, a businessman and managing principal at REDW, has focused his campaign around supporting entrepreneurship and small businesses, building generational wealth, infrastructure improvements, a unifying approach to government and keeping more economic activity in Oklahoma.

Justin Humphrey, the state representative for District 19, has taken a different approach than his opponents and has centered his campaign around government accountability and criminal justice reform.

“If we want to attract people, we’ve got to fix our state government,” Humphrey said.

Justin Humphrey’s background in politics and as a law enforcement officer has helped him develop his agenda.

“I’ve got a lot of ideas that are out of the box that we can do to not only promote Oklahoma, but to promote myself into that lieutenant governor office,” says Humphrey, as he discusses his plans for the upcoming election.

Gaylord News Reporter Brinklee Stegall contributed to this report.

Gaylord News is a reporting project of the University of Oklahoma Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. For more stories by Gaylord News go to GaylordNews.net.