Republican state senator announces bid for Oklahoma lieutenant governor
OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Darrell Weaver on Monday announced he will run as a Republican for lieutenant governor in 2026.
'With my common sense conservative approach to governing, I have championed legislation dealing with many issues, such as public safety, victims' rights, small business, and Second Amendment rights,' Weaver, of Moore, said in a press release. 'I have strongly advocated for our growing aerospace industry, and the need to enhance economic and workforce development and promote tourism opportunities.'
Weaver was elected to the Oklahoma Senate in 2018. He won reelection in 2022 without opposition.
He served for over 28 years in law enforcement with the Oklahoma Bureau of Dangerous Drugs Control. He served as the agency's director the last nine of those years.
Weaver holds a bachelor's in accounting and a master's in business administration.
A formal campaign kickoff is set for later this year.
Weaver joins Republican ticket that includes State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd of Coalgate and Chris White of Broken Bow.
Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell, a Republican, is term limited.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
13 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Republican bid to help Trump move past Epstein falls flat
On Monday, Representative James Comer, Republican from Kentucky, the chair of the House Oversight Committee, said the Justice Department would begin sharing its Epstein records with his panel by Friday. He also suggested the release of the documents would take some time, all but ensuring that questions about the Epstein affair will drag on for weeks. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up At the same time, Democrats, in some cases with the help of Republicans, have laid a series of procedural traps that will make it all but impossible for the GOP to avoid confronting the issue again when Congress reconvenes in September. 'We're going to keep the pressure up — 100 percent,' Senator Ruben Gallego, Democrat from Arizona, said at an event in Iowa this month. 'As often as we can, until we know exactly what happened, why it happened.' Advertisement Even with Congress in recess, the Epstein case continues to generate attention in Washington. On Monday, William Barr, who was President Trump's attorney general when Epstein died, testified in a closed-door deposition for the Oversight Committee. Lawmakers of both parties concede the Trump administration could quiet the furor over the Epstein files on Capitol Hill and nationwide by simply releasing them to the public. Comer's statement on Monday was the only public indication to date that it might do so. All the while, several efforts connected to Epstein, a disgraced financier who was found dead in his prison cell in 2019, have been percolating and threaten to disrupt a busy month in which Congress also faces a Sept. 30 deadline to fund the government and avert a shutdown. Chief among them may be a maneuver led by Representive Thomas Massie, Republican fron Kentucky, who is a frequent Trump critic, to try to force a floor vote on the release of the files. Such a vote would thrust Republicans into a politically thorny position between Trump and constituents who are unhappy with the administration's handling of the case. Before leaving Washington, Massie and Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, filed what is known as a discharge petition, which allows any member of the House to force legislation to the floor if a majority of members — 218 — sign on. Because of arcane procedural rules, the pair cannot start collecting signatures until they return in September, but they appear to have more than enough support to succeed. The timing all but guaranteed that the issue would hang over lawmakers throughout the August recess and that Republican leaders would be forced to address it when they returned. While they could try to table the effort, several rank-and-file Republicans earlier this year blocked a similar attempt to circumvent a measure that had majority support. Advertisement So far, 43 other lawmakers, 11 of them Republicans, have signed on to Massie and Khanna's initiative. Last week, the pair announced plans for a news conference with victims of Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, to be held outside the Capitol on lawmakers' second day back from their break. Democrats on the powerful House Rules Committee, a panel controlled by the speaker that determines which legislation reaches the floor, also plan to continue pressuring Republicans over the issue. Republican leaders never found a solution to the committee's impasse, which led them to send the House home a day ahead of schedule. But they seemed to take solace in the Trump administration's request that federal judges release transcripts of grand jury testimony in three cases related to Epstein and Maxwell. Both House Speaker Mike Johnson and Representative Steve Scalise, the number two Republican, suggested such a move might help alleviate concerns, adding that the House could not address the Epstein files while the courts were weighing in. 'That process is underway right now,' Johnson said last month. 'Now, we've got to zealously guard that and protect it and make sure it's happening. And if it doesn't, then we'll take appropriate action when everybody returns here.' Yet so far, federal judges in two of those three cases have denied the government's requests. A judge overseeing Maxwell's case said that the Justice Department's suggestion that grand jury testimony 'would bring to light meaningful new information' was 'demonstrably false.' A third judge, who oversaw Epstein's 2019 case, is still considering whether to unseal grand jury materials connected to that prosecution. Advertisement And Republicans and Democrats alike have argued that the grand jury testimony falls far short of the promise that Attorney General Pam Bondi and other top officials had made. Instead, they have turned to legal maneuvers meant to force the Justice Department to provide the Epstein files to Congress. This month, the Oversight Committee issued a subpoena to Bondi asking the Justice Department to give the committee its files related to Epstein and Maxwell by Tuesday. Comer, a staunch Trump ally, was forced to send the subpoena after a small group of Republicans joined Democrats in voting to approve it at a subcommittee meeting last month. On Monday, he told reporters he was confident that 'we're going to get the documents,' citing 'productive' conversations with the Justice Department. Senate Democrats have already started to pressure Republicans over the matter using a little-known and infrequently tested maneuver to try to force Bondi to turn over the Epstein files. Under a provision of federal law, government agencies are required to hand over relevant information if any five members of the Senate's chief oversight committee requests it. Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat from New York, the minority leader, and seven other Democrats had asked the Justice Department to give them Epstein-related materials by Aug. 15. They also asked that a briefing be held for the committee's staff before the end of the month. So far, the committee has not received any material, and the briefing has not been scheduled, according to two people familiar with the matter who said they were not authorized to discuss it publicly. Advertisement Schumer has said Democrats are prepared to seek legal recourse if the Trump administration does not meet the letter's deadlines. On Friday, he began publicly pressuring Senator John Thune, Republican from South Dakota, the majority leader, to appoint a lawyer who would defend the Senate's legal authority for congressional oversight. 'If he chooses complicity — we'll take them to court ourselves,' Schumer wrote in a social media post. This article originally appeared in .
Epoch Times
14 minutes ago
- Epoch Times
Mississippi to Send National Guard Troops to DC to Back Trump's Crackdown on Crime
Mississippi will send several hundred National Guard troops to Washington to assist President Donald Trump's effort to crack down on crime in the nation's capital, joining several other Republican-led states that have pledged military resources. In a statement posted on social media on Aug. 18, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves announced that he's approved the deployment of some 200 National Guard soldiers 'to support President Trump's effort to return law and order to our nation's capital.'
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Pennsylvania GOP treasurer launches challenge to Shapiro
Pennsylvania state Treasurer Stacy Garrity (R) is entering the gubernatorial race to challenge Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) as he seeks reelection next year. Garrity announced her candidacy Monday in a video posted on social platform X, making her the first major Republican seeking to face off against Shapiro in 2026. The video accuses Shapiro, viewed as a possible 2028 presidential candidate, of focusing on a potential White House run and fundraising in other states instead of addressing problems in the Keystone State like delays approving the state budget. 'Today, I'm announcing that I'm running to become Pennsylvania's next governor, and I'm giving you and your family my solemn oath that I will work hard every day to fix the problems Josh Shapiro has created,' Garrity said. The video emphasizes Garrity's status as a veteran, having served in Iraq and reaching the rank of colonel. It also promotes ties between Garrity and President Trump, calling her a 'strong ally' of the president. The state treasurer said she wants to work to make Pennsylvania more affordable and attract more jobs so young adults choose to stay. 'I'm not just going to ask for your support,' she said. 'I'm going to work hard every day to earn it.' Garrity is the first major Republican to jump into the gubernatorial race, but others could join. State Sen. Doug Mastriano, who was the GOP nominee against Shapiro in 2022, is considering another run. Mastriano had received significant attention over his far-right views and struggled in both fundraising and polling. Having been Democrats' preferred choice and viewed as easier to beat in the general election, Mastriano lost by nearly 15 points. But he could still gain traction in a Republican primary. A few possible candidates have already ruled out bids, including Rep. Dan Meuser (R), to whom Trump had said would give his support. An endorsement in the Republican primary from the president would be critical in boosting a candidate's chances of winning the nomination. Still, Shapiro will be difficult to beat. He's demonstrated himself to be a strong fundraiser and has enjoyed significant popularity throughout his term as governor. He was asked Friday about his views on Garrity's possible run, but he said he wouldn't get involved in Republicans' 'intramural fight.' 'You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to keep creating jobs here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,' he said. 'I'm going to fund our kids' schools. I'm going to make sure that we have more cops on the beat, and I'm going to focus on doing my job of bringing Republicans and Democrats together to get stuff done. That's my focus.' The Democratic Governors Association (DGA) slammed Garrity, accusing her of being 'as extreme as they come.' The organization criticized her on issues like her support of Trump's 'big beautiful bill' and the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade. 'Whether it's Stacy Garrity or another flawed and extreme candidate who emerges to challenge Governor Shapiro, Republicans' eventual nominee has an uphill battle to take on the Governor's strong record of working across party lines to cut costs, invest in public safety, fund public education, and deliver for all Pennsylvanians,' said DGA spokesperson Izzi Levy. Updated: 1:06 p.m. ET Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
