(Update: Watch the House District 39 debate here: https://www.news9.com/videolivestream?liveStream=https://live.field59.com/kwtv/kwtv4/playlist.m3u8)
Ahead of the Feb. 13 special election, candidates seeking Edmond’s open House District 39 seat in the Oklahoma Legislature have agreed to participate in a debate hosted by NonDoc at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 31.
Titled the Edmond Engagement, the debate will feature all three candidates: Republican nominee Erick Harris, Democratic nominee Regan Raff and Libertarian candidate Richard Prawdzienski. The debate is free and open to the public, and it will be held in the auditorium of Edmond Santa Fe High School, 1901 W. 15th St.
Where to park, enter
Attendees should enter gates on either side of Edmond Santa Fe and park in the north lot, using the easternmost double doors on the north side of the building before turning right into the auditorium.
News 9 will stream the debate on its website and the Facebook pages of News 9 and NonDoc, with Tres Savage and Joe Tomlinson serving as moderators. All questions will be written and asked by professional journalists. Charitable sponsors for the Edmond Engagement include the State Chamber of Oklahoma and AARP Oklahoma.
House District 39’s boundaries stretch as far north as Waterloo Road and as far south as 15th Street in Edmond. The district has Bryant Avenue as an eastern boundary and Western Avenue as the western boundary.
The special general election is scheduled for Feb. 13, which falls in the second week of the 2024 regular legislative session. Whoever prevails that day will be seated for the 2024 legislative session but will face a reelection effort for a full two-year term later in the year.
Those wishing to be reminded of the Edmond Engagement on Jan. 31 can RSVP to its Facebook event page.
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Candidates vie for open HD 39
House District 39 came open in fall 2023 following the resignation of Rep. Ryan Martinez, an influential Republican who had become vice chairman of the powerful House Appropriations and Budget Committee.
In the Dec. 12 special primary election for HD 39, Harris topped six other Republican candidates with 27 percent of the vote. A former assistant attorney general, Harris is a lawyer with a focus on civil litigation, business litigation and transactional matters.
According to his campaign website, Harris is a proponent for limited government, pro-life policies and fighting “the radical left’s attempts to indoctrinate our children in the classroom.”
In the Democratic primary election, Raff beat opponent Paul Timmons with about 82 percent of the vote. She owns a small bookkeeping business and jointly owns a real estate business with her husband.
A first-time candidate, Raff is a proponent for increased access to health care and for making sure public school teachers are paid competitive salaries, according to her campaign website.
Prawdzienski, a Libertarian candidate, served in the U.S. Marine Corps and is a veteran of the Vietnam War, according to his Facebook page.
Prawdzienski has unsuccessfully run for political office on multiple occasions. In 2018, he ran for House District 39 as an independent. In 2016 and 2012, he ran as a Libertarian candidate for Senate District 41. He was an independent candidate for governor in 2014 and an independent candidate for lieutenant governor in 2010.
