Democrat in lieutenant governor’s race hopes to bridge divides, fix Oklahoma’s big problems 

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Democratic candidate running for lieutenant governor hopes to reshape the oft-ignored role into one that brings Oklahomans together to create policies that can help solve the biggest issues affecting the state.

Kelly Forbes said he wants to change the perception that the job of lieutenant governor is merely to fill in for the state’s chief executive when they’re out of town or break a tie in the rare event of a deadlock in the Republican-dominated state Senate. 

“People would joke with me sometimes, the role of lieutenant governor feels like you just pick up the phone and you call and you say ‘Hey, is the governor alive today? Yeah, perfect. All right,’ and they hang up and don’t do anything whenever we could be out and about and being a representative of people,” he said.

Forbes, 42, of Oklahoma City, will face Republican T.W. Shannon on the Nov. 3 ballot for lieutenant governor. Matt Pinnell, who has held the role for the past eight years, cannot run again due to term limits. Republicans currently control every statewide elected office and the last Democrat to win election to the lieutenant governor’s office was Jari Askins. Her term ended in 2011.

Shannon, 48, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump, declined interview requests earlier this month to talk about his priorities.

Shannon, of Oklahoma City, was elected to the state House in 2006. In 2013 became the first Chickasaw and Black legislator to serve as Oklahoma’s House speaker. He held the position for about a year before stepping down as speaker to run for U.S. Senate. He’s launched two unsuccessful bids for U.S. Senate, losing to U.S. Sen. James Lankford and former U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin.

A former community bank CEO, Shannon’s campaign website says he serves as a “senior advisor” in Trump’s administration. Shannon plans to focus on “growing Oklahoma’s economy and creating opportunity,” according to his campaign website.

This marks the first run for office for Forbes, 42, of Oklahoma City.

The owner of an education consulting business, Forbes is fluent in Spanish and holds a doctorate degree in education and administrative leadership.

He said his education background will be critical because educators and support staff make up the state’s largest workforce and everyone that enters the workforce first receives an education, he said.

If elected, Forbes said he will continue to travel the state to meet with constituents when not at the Capitol or attending board or commission meetings.

The lieutenant governor chairs the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Commission, a nine-member board that oversees the Tourism and Recreation Department. Tourism is the state’s third largest industry, Forbes said.

The lieutenant governor also serves on the state Board of Equalization which, among other things, determines how much money the Legislature has to appropriate.

They also serve on the Commissioners of the Land governing body, which manages state lands and mineral interests. The board distributes over $100 million each year to public education.

They also chair the Oklahoma Film and Music Advisory Commission, which advises on the state’s film and music incentive programs.

And they serve on the Oklahoma Linked Deposit Review Board, which helps farmers and ranchers and other entrepreneurs connect with local banks to help obtain lower-cost loans.

Forbes said the next lieutenant governor has the opportunity to continue the great work that Pinnell has been doing in tourism as “an ambassador and cheerleader for the state” but also envisions the role as one that ensures that the voices of Oklahomans are being leveraged and represented in the Capitol.

Forbes said as he’s toured the state, he’s discovered officials aren’t doing enough to help communities have access to broadband internet. Community leaders said that federal internet maps that show connectivity rates are inaccurate, which hinders economic development, education, public safety and healthcare outcomes, he said.

He’s also heard complaints that the Legislature has been passing unfunded mandates down on municipal governments, which is something he believes needs to be addressed. He believes the lieutenant governor, whose scope of power extends across the legislative and executive branches, can help bridge that divide.

Forbes said Oklahomans have delivered a consistent message on his trips: They just want people who can work together to solve the “big needs” confronting the state.

“There’s so much division right now, and people are really just tired of that,” Forbes said. “They just need us to be able to do hard, good work to make sure that we’re always asking ourselves: Is this the best decision that we’re making for Oklahomans?”