Piper leads District 1 commissioner primary

Retired college president Dr. Everett Piper on June 28 led a four-candidate field in the Republican primary for District 1 commissioner of Osage County.

In unofficial results, Piper received 871 votes, or 46.08 percent of the total. Randall Jones, the incumbent commissioner, finished second with 721 votes, or 38.15 percent.

Clay Hughs was third with 156 votes, or 8.25 percent. John Brazee was fourth with 142 votes, or 7.51 percent.

Piper and Jones will face one another in an Aug. 23 Republican Party runoff. The winner of that runoff will advance to the general election in November versus Democratic candidate Thomas Trumbly.

In other Osage County election results, Joe Williams won the Democratic Party primary for District 3 county commissioner. Williams received 775 votes, or 62.65 percent of the total. Jimmy Grigg was second with 331 votes, or 26.76 percent. Ted S.Smith received 131 votes, or 10.59 percent.

Williams will advance to the general election, where he will face the winner of a Republican Party runoff between Charlie Cartwright and Chad Ray.

Cartwright led the Republican primary for District 3 county commissioner June 28 with 501 votes, or 42.67 percent. Ray was second with 388 votes or 33.05 percent. Joshua Bennett was third with 285 votes or 24.28 percent.

Darren McKinney, the incumbent District 3 commissioner, did not run for re-election.

In state legislative races of local interest, District 10 Sen. Bill Coleman, R-Ponca City, handily defeated challenger Emily DeLozier, winning 74.44 percent of the vote.

Representative Ken Luttrell, R-Ponca City, defeated Joe Vaden Jr. in the House District 37 Republican primary. Luttrell won 63.78 percent of the vote.

There were also two statewide Republican primaries June 28 that included candidates with roots in the Osage County town of Hominy.

In the GOP primary for Attorney General, Gentner Drummond defeated John O’Connor by a little more than 6,200 votes. Drummond received 50.88 percent of the vote to 49.12 percent for O’Connor.

O'Connor had been appointed to the position of Attorney General by Gov. Kevin Stitt after the resignation of Attorney General Mike Hunter. Drummond lost a runoff primary to Hunter in 2018 by fewer than 300 votes statewide.

In the statewide GOP primary for Labor Commissioner on June 28, incumbent Commissioner Leslie Osborn received 47.82 percent of the vote. Sean Roberts of Hominy, who is terming out of the Oklahoma Legislature, finished second in the three-candidate field with 38.27 percent of the vote.

Osborn and Roberts will face each other in a runoff Aug. 23.