Six Republicans are campaigning in Senate District 15, where Republican incumbent Rob Standridge (R-Norman) is unable to seek re-election owing to term limits. If no Republican attains more than 50 percent of the June 18 primary vote, the top two finishers will face each other in a runoff election Aug. 27.
The Republican nominee will advance to the Nov. 5 general election to face Elizabeth Foreman, a former Norman City Council member and the only Democrat seeking the Senate District 15 seat.
Senate District 15 falls within Cleveland County and surrounds the city of Norman, covering the city’s edges and its Brookhaven neighborhood. The following overview of the GOP candidates is derived from publicly available information and presented in alphabetical order. For additional information, The Norman Transcript published a summary of a recent candidate panel, video of which appears below.
Kyle Chapman
Age: 36
Profession/Occupation: Chapman is an attorney and practices law at his firm Chapman Law. His experience includes an extensive career in the U.S. Army. He holds a degree in political science from Georgia State University and a law degree from the University of Oklahoma. In 2023, he graduated from the U.S. Army Ranger School.
Priorities: Chapman’s campaign website says his motivation to run for office is his belief “in serving his community with the same dedication and commitment he gave to the Army.” Some issues Chapman briefly outlines on his website include government accountability, low taxes and economic development. Chapman is pro-life and supportive of the Second Amendment. On his website, Chapman states that Oklahoma needs to improve its education system, and he says “teacher pay raises are a start, but throwing money at the problem doesn’t solve the issue.”
Links: Website
Tommie Herell
Age: 41
Profession/Occupation: Herell graduated from Oklahoma Christian University with a degree in business and public affairs and played on the golf team. He is the chief development officer at AquaNyx Midstream water management company, and he serves on the executive committee for the Petroleum Alliance of Oklahoma.
Priorities: Herell lists several points on his campaign website without much detail. Some of the points include lowering taxes, standing for the Second Amendment, protecting the unborn and traditional values. Herell states that he is running “to give back to the community that supported me and make a difference for all those who call our great state home.”
During the primary campaign, Herell has been receiving support for an outside organization called Energy Engaged, Inc., which has launched a separate website for Herell that uses some of the same photos and language from his own campaign site. The entity has also produced and distributed a video advertisement supporting Herell.
Robert C. Keyes
Age: 65
Profession/Occupation: Keyes is the president and CEO of Associated Environmental Industries, his second drilling company. His first drilling company, Robert Keyes Drilling, was founded in 1984 and has been dormant for more than 30 years. He served as the Norman stake president for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On his campaign website, Keyes references his “faith-based charity, the Morning Dove Foundation.” While the purpose of the Morning Dove Foundation is unclear, tax forms show it is a private foundation with Keyes listed as the only personnel member and the only donor. Keyes is a board member and treasurer of the National Ground Water Association.
Priorities: On his campaign website, Keyes lists several issues that are important to him, including lowering taxes to help Oklahomans during times of high-inflation rates. Keyes seeks to support locally owned businesses, veterans and the oil and gas industry.
“Oklahoma must remove the incentives for illegal immigrants to come to our state,” Keyes writes on his website.
Keyes said he will “push for a complete diagnostic work-up of the entire (Oklahoma government) system through performance audits.” He is pro-life and advocates for “conservative criminal justice reform.”
Kelly Lynn
Age: 44
Profession/Occupation: One of Lynn’s many roles listed on his campaign website is his service “as the lead counsel for Bethesda Inc., the leading provider of counseling services to child sexual assault victims in Oklahoma.” He also sat on the Norman City Council for Ward 3 until he was defeated in 2023 while facing potential removal from the council for holding a dual position, his other being a municipal judge for Wewoka. During his time as a city council member, concerns were raised over a physical altercation with a grandmother and Lynn’s response to research presented by the Center for Policing Equity pertaining to the use of force by police on African Americans. As a veteran of the U.S. Army, Lynn founded a nonprofit called 22 Shenanigans to help discharged veterans find purpose. His campaign site references a second nonprofit, the Jarvis Sportsman Foundation, though its purpose and Lynn’s involvement are unclear.
Priorities: Lynn wrote that he is pro-police funding in a post on Facebook with a photo of him posed in front of Norman police cars. On his campaign website, Lynn said he will stand up for the Second Amendment “because criminals will get their guns, so government must never disarm law-abiding citizens.” Lynn is pro-life and seeks to “support our local schools and teachers, require accountability and discipline, and oppose critical race theory and other Marxist initiatives.”
Brandon Nofire
Age: 41
Profession/Occupation: Nofire, a former Marine, works as a lead technical specialist at Booz Allen Hamilton. After some delays in his educational pursuits, Nofire is “on track to graduate” from the University of Central Oklahoma in 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
Priorities: Nofire’s campaign website highlights his top goals as improving “Oklahoma’s infrastructure and education system, advocating for reforms on issues such as eminent domain and civil asset forfeiture.” His website says he wants to get Oklahoma schools “into the top 15 in the nation for teacher, support staff, and per-pupil spending.” He is pro-Second Amendment because of his time as a Marine, according to his website.
Lisa Standridge
Age: 53
Profession/Occupation: Standridge works in pharmaceuticals at Blanchard Drug & Gift, which she owns and operates alongside her husband, Sen. Rob Standridge, the current District 15 incumbent who is ineligible for reelection owing to term limits. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Standridge gave her pharmaceutical patients hydroxychloroquine, which was in the early stages of testing at the time. She said it was a “gamble” to try the drug on the pharmacy patients.
Priorities: Standridge’s campaign site describes her as “a mom, businesswoman, health care professional, and unwavering conservative Republican.” She lists several issues on her website without much detail. Some of the points include eliminating the state income tax, strengthening “local control” in education and “abolishing porn/drag queens from schools.”
“Lisa Standridge believes in standing up for the victims of crime, and not coddling perpetrators of crime as many in politics do today. Lisa stands with our police and all those involved in keeping our families safe,” according to her website.
Links: Website
(Update: This article was updated at 11:35 a.m. Thursday, June 6, to update information regarding Robert Keyes Drilling after Keyes contacted the Oklahoma Tax Commission to request reinstatement of the dormant company.)
