By Constitution Staff

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) regulates oil and gas drilling, electric and gas utilities, trucking, pipelines, and telecommunications in Oklahoma. There are three Corporation Commission seats with six-year staggered terms. So, every two years one of the seats is up for reelection. The seat held by Republican Bob Anthony is up for election this year.

Anthony is the longest serving member of the commission and is completing his sixth and final term. He could not run for reelection this year due to Term Limits. While the term limits law for state offices only allows two terms for members of the commission, the law did not apply to the seat until 2012 when Anthony was elected to his fifth term. He was elected to his final term in 2018. The other two commissioners are Republicans Todd Hiett and Kim David, and their seats will not be up for election until 2026 and 2028 respectively.

During his 36-year tenure on the Corporation Commission, Anthony has often been the lone voice speaking up for the utility consumers in Oklahoma. He was the only vote against the plan that passed the 2021 winter storm costs onto Oklahoma electric and natural gas customers.

Three Republicans, a Democrat, and a Libertarian filed for the open seat. The nominees of the three officially recognized political parties in the state will compete in the November election.

J. Brian Bingman, 70, of Sapulpa secured the Republican Party nomination in the June 18 GOP Primary election with 126,778 votes (53.42%). He began his career as a petroleum landman for Continental Oil Co. (now Conoco-Phillips) soon after graduating from college. He was later vice president of land and operations for Uplands Resources. He is a former mayor of Sapulpa, was a member of the Oklahoma House, and then served in the Oklahoma Senate. He ended his legislative career serving as the Senate Pro-Tempore for six years before being Term-Limited from office in 2016. He was one of the more moderate Republicans in the Legislature with a cumulative average of 59% on the Oklahoma Conservative Index published by the Oklahoma Constitution.

Bingman unsuccessfully challenged Anthony for the Republican nomination in 2018. Anthony finished in first place in the GOP Primary that year with 47% of the vote and went on to win the runoff with nearly 54% of the vote over Bingman. In 2020 Bingman was appointed to serve as Secretary of State and Secretary of Native American Affairs by Gov. Kevin Stitt. He resigned in 2023 in anticipation of his run for the Corporation Commission seat.

Harold Spradling, 89, of Oklahoma City is making his fourth race for a spot on the Corporation Commission, this time as a Democrat. Spradling has previously run as a Republican. He finished in last place in the 2022 the Republican primary with 12.59% of the vote. He also ran in 2018, and 2020. The retired businessman and social worker was also an unsuccessful candidate for the Oklahoma House in 1994.

Libertarian Chad Williams, 43, of Choctaw has served as chairman of the Libertarian Party of Oklahoma and served on the Choctaw City Council from 2019 to 2023. He is president of Automated Home Solutions, a home inspection and residential technology concierge service.