By Constitution Staff

On April 20, former Oklahoma Republican Party Chairman and small business owner Matt Pinnell formally began his campaign for Lt. Governor of Oklahoma by filing a statement of organization with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission. State law allows potential candidates for office to file an exploratory committee while they determine if they will run for office, but Pinnell is forgoing that stage. “I don’t need a poll or exploratory committee to tell me my skill set and experience can help Oklahoma grow stronger,” said Pinnell.

“Following months of encouragement from my family, friends, and fellow Oklahomans, I am excited today to announce I am running for Lt. Governor in 2018,” said Pinnell. “As I’ve traveled the state in various capacities over the past several years, I have met so many Oklahomans who share my vision for an innovative, prosperous, and forward-looking state.”

Pinnell’s record of fighting for conservative candidates and causes across Oklahoma and the nation includes his most recent experience leading the transition of the newly-appointed Republican National Committee Chairman and serving as Chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party during the 2010 and 2012 election cycles.

The youngest state Republican Party chairman in the country at the time of his election, Pinnell helped the party secure all five congressional seats and every statewide elected office simultaneously for the first time in Oklahoma history.

In 2013, former Republican National Committee Chairman and current White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus appointed Pinnell as the RNC’s National State Party Director to serve as the chief liaison between the RNC and state parties. In that role, Pinnell traveled to all 50 states and played an integral role in Republicans taking control of the United States Senate in 2014 and helping Donald Trump win the White House in 2016.

“I’ve crisscrossed the country campaigning for conservative candidates and causes the last 16 years, but Oklahoma has always remained home,” said Pinnell. “This is why I am raising my family in Oklahoma, why Lisa and I started our small business here, and what has led me to run for Lt. Governor today. I believe in this state and will fight to make it a place our children and grandchildren can continue to call home for generations well into the future.”

A graduate of Oral Roberts University, Pinnell lives in Tulsa with his wife, Lisa, and their four children. The Pinnells are the owners of Binxy Baby, a successful small business selling a patented baby hammock line of products invented in the kitchen of their home. Today Binxy Baby sells both nationally and internationally and has become their American Dream.

Tulsa businessman T. Hastings Siegfried will serve as Campaign Chairman for Friends of Matt Pinnell. Siegfried is Vice Chairman of NORDAM, a global aerospace manufacturing, and repair firm employing nearly 2,000 people in the state of Oklahoma. Rick Nagel, Managing Partner of Acorn Growth Companies, based in Norman, will serve as Campaign Treasurer.

“I am honored to have these two next-generation Oklahoma businessmen as a part of my campaign,” said Pinnell. “As Lt. Governor, bringing high-paying, quality jobs to Oklahoma will be a top priority. Given their track record growing businesses and employing countless Oklahomans, I can think of no better individuals to help lead my campaign than Hastings and Rick,” concluded Pinnell. To learn more about Matt Pinnell and his campaign, please visit www.MattPinnell.com

Other candidates are expected to enter the race. Speculation centers on several secondary state office holders who are term-limited and cannot run for their current office again. Those names include state Insurance Commissions John Doak, state Treasurer Ken Miller, and state Auditor and Inspector Gary Jones. In the case of Jones, he currently considering making the race for Governor, but has not ruled out Lt. Governor. State Corporation Commissioner Dana Murphy has been considering the race. Murphy was reelected to a six-year term last year. Those potential candiates are all Republicans. Thus far, no Democrats have been mentioned.