On June 26, Rep. Cynthia Roe (R-Lindsay) announced on Facebook that she had been diagnosed with COVID-19 and would be “suspending further public appearances and campaigning.”
“I will not even get to vote in my own election on Tuesday or attend my own watch party,” she wrote in the Facebook post. “I am quarantined at home per health department guidelines, as is my husband.”
Roe, who first won the central Oklahoma seat in 2018, is in the homestretch of a campaign against challenger Nicole Stevens, who runs a business renting oilfield equipment with her husband and is running as “a truly conservative Republican.”
With no other candidates in the race, the result of the June 30 primary will determine the winner of the seat. The following information is taken from publicly available sources.
House District 42 at a glance
Officeholder: Rep. Cynthia Roe
ZIP codes represented: 73010, 73052, 73057, 73074, 73075, 73080, 73093, 73095, 73098, 73433, 73434
Counties represented: Garvin, McClain
Cities/municipalities represented: Blanchard, Cole, Dibble, Elmore City, Erin Springs, Foster, Goldsby, Katie, Lindsay, Maysville, Paoli, Pauls Valley, Purcell, Washington, Wayne
Candidates
Rep. Cynthia Roe (R, incumbent)
Occupation: Nurse practitioner
Town: Lindsay
Platform: Roe is a nurse practitioner and co-owns a medical practice in Pauls Valley. Her campaign website touts her professional background as a basis for dealing with health care policy, saying, “She’ll use her inside knowledge to help save taxpayers money on programs like Medicaid.” She told NonDoc in August 2019 that she opposes expanding Medicaid through State Question 802.
Roe is the vice chairwoman of the House Public Health Committee and serves on the A&B Health, Children, Youth and Family Services and Health Services and Long-Term Care committees. This past session, she authored legislation to regulate midwifery, to require prenatal and postnatal classes to provide information on the risks of drugs and alcohol, and to create a state registry of concussions among student athletes. Her full legislative record can be found here.
Roe’s campaign website says she is a Christian, opposes abortion and welfare dependency and has an “A” rating from the NRA. She also “wants to see more dollars reach the classroom, and not wasted on bureaucracy.”
Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter
Nicole Stevens (R)
Occupation: Hospitality, agriculture
Town: Blanchard
Platform: The slogan of Stevens’ campaign is, “She’s one of us.” Stevens previously worked in the hospitality industry and as a flight attendant and now operates “a 300-acre cow/calf operation” with her husband, according to her campaign website.
According to her website, Stevens’ “top three” priorities are “fiscal responsibility,” “reducing red tape” and “constitutional values.” She wants to cut government spending and reduce government regulation. Her website specifies, “She actively supports parental rights, health choice, and the 2nd amendment. She is pro-life to her core.”
Her website lists endorsements from the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee, the Constitutional Home Educators Alliance and former Republican county chairman for McClain County Leon Lacy, who says he gives her opponent “an F rating on the conservative index.” She has also been given stamps of approval by the NRA and the Oklahoma 2nd Amendment Association.
Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
