House District 31 incumbent Rep. Garry Mize (R-Edmond) is aiming to secure a second legislative term in a one-on-one matchup against his only challenger: Karmin Grider. The race underscores volatility between competing factions of the state’s Republican Party, particularly in Logan County.
Mize has posted on his personal Facebook page multiple times in 2020 about misleading attacks against his campaign, including a document that features Mize’s face photoshopped onto the neck of a person being hugged by former President Barack Obama.
On another occasion, Mize pushed back on an inaccurate statement about campaign finances made by Newkirk Mayor Brian Hobbs, who ultimately apologized. In February, Hobbs had posted a photo of Mize on Facebook and called him a “jerk” who is “disrespectful and needs to go.” On May 8, Mize posted that he and Hobbs had met and had agreed to move forward with their “civil discourse” in a more positive manner.
Grider previously served as the Logan County Republican Party’s vice chairwoman and currently works as a “freelance leadership coach and consultant.” She and her husband were highlighted in a Southwest Ledger story about how 12 adults are registered to vote at a single Guthrie residence. The article quoted Grider’s response on Facebook to criticism of the Logan County GOP’s current administration.
The following information was derived from publicly available sources. The primary election will be held June 30. There will be no general election, as no candidate from another party is running.
HD 31 at a glance
Current office holder: Rep. Garry Mize
Zip codes represented: 73007, 73012, 73016, 73025, 73027, 73034, 73044, 73054, 73058
Counties represented: Logan, Oklahoma
Cities/Townships represented: Cashion, Cedar Valley, Cimarron City, Edmond, Guthrie
Republican candidates
Rep. Garry Mize (R, incumbent)
Profession: State representative, owner and operator of Mize & Associates, an Edmond retirement-income and financial planning firm
Platform: On his campaign website, Mize describes himself as “a finance guy for a finance job,” writing that his financial experience working for employers like JPMorgan Chase, Fidelity Investments and Morgan Stanley give him the background needed to help manage Oklahoma’s budget.
According to his campaign website, Mize’s Christian faith “always guides his decisions at the capitol.” Mize writes that he will “push back against unreasonable taxes” and regulations he says stifle job growth, and that the state must “cut wasteful spending in areas like welfare” to provide additional education funding.
Mize writes on his campaign site that he is a pro-life Second Amendment supporter. He also states he will “always back the blue,” supporting law enforcement he says are “under attack.” On his campaign website, Mize also states he will “stop all handouts, like welfare, to illegal immigrants.”
Along with former KOKC program director Mac Mullings, Mize has been producing a podcast called Mac & Mize. Mize has been endorsed by the Oklahoma Association of Nurse Anesthetists, and he was one of three legislators to be named a 2020 champion by the Oklahoma Alliance for Healthy Families.
More Info: Website | Facebook | Twitter
Karmin Grider (R)
Profession: “Freelance Leadership Coach and Consultant, involved in ministry.”
Platform: According to her campaign website, Grider is a pro-life Second Amendment supporter. She writes that she opposes “any government intrusion in religious establishments” and “rejects” the removal of religious beliefs from “the public square.”
An opponent of tax increases according to her campaign website, Grider writes government should be limited to its “proper role of protecting life and property.” Grider states she supports divesting more control of education policies to local leaders and revamping the process for changes to “curriculum and policies” to allow public input.
Grider has been endorsed by the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee and has received “A” ratings from the National Rifle Association and the Oklahoma 2nd Amendment Association.
More Info: Website | Facebook | Twitter
