One of the two remaining candidates for the open House District 53 seat in Moore says his business skills are needed in the Oklahoma Legislature, while the other declined repeated requests to discuss his campaign and recently resigned from his seat on the Moore City Council.
Republicans Nick Pokorny and Jason Blair are competing in the Aug. 27 runoff to succeed Rep. Mark McBride (R-Moore), who has served as chairman of the House Appropriation and Budget Subcommittee on Education. McBride was ineligible to seek reelection owing to term limits.
Blair, an insurance agent who received 33.25 percent of the primary vote, canceled two scheduled interviews with NonDoc and did not reply to subsequent requests to learn about his priorities. During a Moore City Council meeting Aug. 5, Blair suddenly resigned from his position after 15 years as the councilman for Ward 3.
Pokorny, who orchestrates name, image and likeness product agreements for Fanatics, received 32.4 percent of the vote in the primary election. In an interview, he said his business experience will be helpful in the Legislature.
“I want to use my skills as someone coming from a high-paced business environment, where change is constantly happening and you have to stay on your toes and be able to adapt quickly,” Pokorny said.
Blair’s website describes him as a “community leader,” noting his membership in the Moore Chamber of Commerce and Rotary International. Blair has not posted on his Facebook page since June 11, one week before the primary election.
Both candidates say on their websites that they are guided by Christian faith and are pro-life and pro Second Amendment.
With no other candidates in the race, whoever comes out on top in the runoff will win the HD 53 seat.
Blair resigns abruptly during Aug. 5 meeting
While Blair’s 15 years on the Moore City Council offer him more governmental experience than Pokorny, his sudden resignation has been accompanied by little explanation.
A city official told NonDoc that Blair submitted no formal letter or email about his departure. Instead, he simply announced his departure during the Aug. 5 meeting.
“Why’s everybody looking at me? (…) I do have something to say,” said Blair, whose four-year term runs into 2026. “After a little over 15 years serving on this council, tonight is my last meeting. It has been an absolute honor and privilege serving this community and the residents of Ward 3. It’s actually a lot tougher to walk away than I though it was going to be. I have enjoyed every second of this serving with each and every one of you, and the council members who I’ve served with in the past. I’m extremely proud of everything we’ve accomplished as a council, and I’m excited to see this council move forward and the great things you’re going to do for the community.”
Pokorny said he became interested in politics because of how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the company for which he worked at the time.
“With all sports shut down, we weren’t selling any product, and it drove the company out of business. I saw a lot of our employees struggle during that time. It made me very upset to see that,” Pokorny said. “I said to myself, ‘We can’t let that happen again.’ The only way I could make sure that [didn’t happen again was] to get involved myself.”
When he attended his first Republican Party meeting, Pokorny said he realized he was the youngest person there.
“I was, at that time, deeply, deeply concerned that we weren’t preparing a rising new generation of conservative leaders. So, I set out to do that. In my spare time, I began volunteering. I became the chairman of the Cleveland County Young Republicans and was eventually named the vice chairman of the Cleveland County Republican Party, a role that I still have,” Pokorny said. “I’ve been doing that for almost three years now — helping other candidates get elected, making sure I show up to every event I possibly can throughout the county to make sure that there’s always party representation there. But also to make sure that if a young Republican or young conservative shows up to an event, (…) that they have somebody they can come to and feel like they can get involved.”
Blair’s uncle, Paul Blair, is a pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in Edmond. In 2016, Paul Blair sought but lost Senate District 41 to Sen. Adam Pugh (R-Edmond). His church’s highly political activities have drawn concerns related to IRS tax codes.
Pokorny said people asked him if he would be interested in running for office when McBride’s seat became available.
“It was a pretty easy decision to say, ‘Yes.’ I think when you feel called to do something, you answer the phone,” Pokorny said. “You pick up the call, and that’s what I did.”
Pokorny said he wants to make sure Oklahoma is a great environment to grow and retain a business.
“I want to focus on tax reform, particularly beginning to get us on a path to zero percent income tax,” Pokorny said.
Blair’s website says he is pro-business and opposes tax increases, although he has been criticized for supporting City of Moore bond packages over the years.
Pokorny said he wants to make sure Oklahomans are provided with the best education possible.
“I’m a firm supporter of school choice. I think that program should be expanded. But at the same time, I want our public schools to be the best that they can be,” Pokorny said. “I want us to invest in those schools, but also give them the flexibility that they need to meet the needs of their students.”
Blair’s website says he will support schools and teachers.
Pokorny said the needs of students change from school to school because of their community.
“There are some communities where kids are going to go be a rancher when they graduate. They need to be able to have an education that prepares them for that while still maintaining the basics of writing, math and social studies,” Pokorny said. “The classes you take in school that you remember, the best that you enjoyed, are the ones that you use later on in life. Giving them that real-world experience and feeling from the materials they’re learning, I think it’s gonna help them retain information better and overall improve our state.”
Pokorny said he has learned the importance of showing up for a community you want to represent.
“I don’t want to be one of those people who only shows up during an election. I want to be out there as often as I can — hearing from people, learning their stories and seeing what issues are top of mind for them,” Pokorny said. “The job is to represent the people of this district, and you can’t do that if you’re not out there listening to them.”
Pokorny said he has enjoyed meeting district voters during the HD 53 runoff.
“I personally knocked over 4,000 doors throughout the district. We get to sit down at people’s kitchen table and hear their views on issues. I always enjoyed getting to hear from the voters themselves, what their thoughts and opinions were, their ideas,” Pokorny said. “I’ve enjoyed over the past year getting to sit down and hear people tell me what issues mattered to them and what their ideas are. It’s always good to get those perspectives and take them with you.”
