Voters cast their ballots on Nov. 5, 2024, at an polling location in Edmond. (Photo by Janelle Stecklein/Oklahoma Voice)
OKLAHOMA CITY – Three men are on the ballot in Tuesday’s special election to fill a vacant Oklahoma Senate seat that represents constituents living in five counties.
The Senate District 8 seat, which represents Okmulgee, Okfuskee and McIntosh counties and portions of Creek and Muskogee counties, has been vacant all session, following the resignation of former Sen. Roger Thompson, R-Okemah.
Republican Bryan Logan of Paden, Democrat Nathan Brewer and independent Steve Sanford, both of Henryetta, are on the ballot.
Logan, 41, is self-employed and a pastor at Paden Holiness Church.
He said he is running “to make a difference in the district.”
He said his top issues are education, health care, roads and infrastructure.
Brewer, 41, said the murder of his daughter at the hands of a sex offender motivated him to run.
Brewer, who is a small business owner and works full time for Okmulgee County, said not enough is being done to protect children and the community from sex offenders.
Brewer’s 15-year-old daughter, Brittany, was one of seven people killed in a murder-suicide on a rural property in May 2023. Authorities said Jesse McFadden, who was a registered sex offender, killed his wife and five teenagers before killing himself. Brittany was visiting the property when the slayings occurred.
Brewer said he plans to prioritize increasing mental health care availability in rural communities and growing funding for volunteer and rural fire departments.
Sanford, 58, is a member of the Henryetta City Council and owns Rustler’s BBQ.
“If you want to make a difference, you have to put yourself in a place where you can,” he said.
He would like to increase the availability of vocational education and help the community grow.
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