Two Democrats will compete for House District 97 seat during a special election

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2 days ago

Voters in northeast Oklahoma City will decide between two Democratic candidates to serve in the state House during a special election after the former representative resigned.
Legislative assistant JeKia Harrison and former District Judge Aletia Haynes Timmons will compete in the special primary election on Tuesday, June 10, for House District 97. No Republican or independent candidate filed for the seat, meaning the winner of the June 10 race will become the district's next representative.
The district encompasses a large swath of northeast Oklahoma City, Spencer, Forest Park and parts of Jones and Midwest City. The seat became vacant after the district's former representative, Jason Lowe, D-Oklahoma City, resigned in April after his election as an Oklahoma County commissioner.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
Harrison, 35, works in the Oklahoma state Capitol as a legislative assistant for Rep. Meloyde Blancett, D-Tulsa. She also owns a campaign consulting and management firm called Pen 2 Paper Consulting. Previously, Harrison worked as a child welfare specialist for the Oklahoma Department of Human Services.
She's a graduate of Millwood High School in House District 97 and earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee.
Timmons, 64, previously served as a district judge in Oklahoma County before she retired in March. Before her 2014 judicial election, she worked in the Oklahoma County District Attorney's office, as well as two separate firms working in civil rights and employment law.
Timmons graduated from John Marshall High School in north Oklahoma City before earning a bachelor's degree in political science from Oklahoma State University. She obtained her law degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law.
Here's what Harrison and Timmons had to say about why voters should choose them on the ballot:
Harrison told The Oklahoman that one of her top priorities is education, especially public education. She said the state hasn't done enough to properly fund public schools, and instead, has chosen to spend millions on private education through tax credits.
"We have to go back and adjust our priorities and where we are, especially when 92% of the private school vouchers that were given out went to students who are currently in private schools or were beforehand," she said. "I think that does a disservice because what was being sold to Oklahomans was that a lot more people would get the opportunity to actually be a part of the private school system with the voucher."
According to a report from the Oklahoma Tax Commission, more than 40% of the tax credits issued as part of Oklahoma's Parental Choice Tax Credit program for the 2025-26 school year went to families with an annual income of $150,000 or more. Of the recipients, about 8.2% were previously public school students.
Harrison added that the Legislature needs to ensure teachers are adequately paid, and that classrooms are equipped with proper infrastructure, books and technology.
Folks in Harrison's district, along with Oklahomans across the state, need more access to affordable housing, she said. Specifically, the state needs more single-family dwellings to sustain families long-term, Harrison added.
"In order to have grocery stores and shopping and retail and all of the things we really want in our area, the restaurants to come in, all of that, we can't do that without having the rooftops in the area to actually show that we can sustain it," she said.
Oklahoma City will host the canoeing and softball competitions during the 2028 Olympics, putting the city on the world stage, Harrison said. This means House District 97 needs more development to happen faster, as softball players will compete at Devon Park, she added.
"I am dedicating the time and effort into making sure I have those relationships with people within the Adventure District and within the development community, whether that be business retail, housing or whatever we need in our community," Harrison said.
Harrison said she's worked alongside legislators for almost four years as an assistant to Blancett, so she knows how to build relationships with lawmakers to achieve common goals.
She said she looks forward to continuing to be part of the community through service.
"I'm ready to work with others," Harrison said. "I'm ready to get the job done and use all of the tools that I have."
During a debate on June 3, Timmons said one of the biggest issues facing Oklahoma and House District 97 is the lack of affordable housing. She attributed part of the state's growing homeless population to the number of out-of-state people moving to Oklahoma.
"That has increased the rents of the places that people normally were able to live in," Timmons said during the debate hosted by NonDoc and News 9. She did not immediately respond to an interview request from The Oklahoman.
Older constituents in House District 97 are worried about property taxes, Timmons said during the debate. When legislators talk about funding public schools, that tax burden will be on seniors, she added.
"They're concerned about losing their houses," she said. "We're going to have to find another way to fund the schools. Not through property taxes, but another way to fund them so that we don't have seniors, especially in House District 97, whose demographic is older, losing those homes they fought their whole life to keep."
Timmons said during the debate that the quarter-point income tax cut signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt didn't go far enough. She added that the tax cut should have provided more targeted relief for low-income Oklahomans.
"The bill I would file would be one that dealt with the income tax burden on middle-class Americans and middle-class folks in House District 97, the older folks who are seeing increasing costs," Timmons said. "The governor has instituted a tax decrease for folks who are at the lower echelon. I don't think it's enough. I don't think it's enough to do any real good when we're looking at inflation, the cost of housing, the cost of food, gas and those things."
Through her professional career, Timmons said she's navigated difficult situations and spoken truth to power. She added that people who know her know she's been doing that her whole life.
"I'm ready on Day One," she said. "I ask for your vote, the honor of your vote, on June 10 for state representative for House District 97."
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma elections: What to know about House District 97 candidates