In the Oklahoma City media market, the main Aug. 27 election garnering televised advertisements is the House District 32 runoff between Rep. Kevin Wallace and challenger Jim Shaw, whose campaigns for the Lincoln County seat have grown even more heated on social media since Shaw finished first in June’s Republican primary and pushed the incumbent House appropriations chairman into a fight for his political career.
Wallace, a 10-year legislator seeking a final term in the House, has clapped back against the anti-incumbent sentiment propelling his opponent. He has also responded to concerns about the hyper-local issues for which he has been criticized: proposed wind farm projects in Lincoln County and past use of human-waste-based fertilizer on his ranch near Wellston.
While Shaw supporters have criticized Wallace as an entrenched State Capitol insider friendly with lobbyists, Wallace has questioned Shaw’s recent move to the area and has shared a Facebook post dubbing his opponent “No Show Shaw.”
Shaw declined to participate in a debate against Wallace co-hosted Aug. 5 by the Lincoln County Republican Party and NonDoc. Shaw’s campaign manager said his candidate’s decision not to debate Wallace stemmed from a desire “to keep the message going straight to the voters.”
Wallace, meanwhile, attended the Aug. 5 event — which also featured a debate between Lincoln County sheriff candidates — and answered questions regarding the criticisms lodged against him. Pressed to analyze Shaw’s absence from the debate night in Chandler, Wallace said he “can’t speak for him, and I won’t.”
“I have a feeling that I’ve never spoken to my opponent before — not a phone call, not an email. (He) literally moves from Oklahoma City to a rural district. When I first got elected, I believed that the biggest fights would be R vs. D. That’s not true. It is urban versus rural. I believe somebody wants to buy a rural seat that is actually an urban individual,” Wallace said. “But it’s very straightforward on how much money has been spent, for somebody who has their own money that has never had a conversation with me. If you had the best intentions or interest of House District 32, I can’t believe you wouldn’t talk to the member that has one term left to talk about what is best for this district. I know I’m the best candidate and the best member for House District 32.”
Audio of the questions answered by Wallace (R-Wellston) on Aug. 5 is embedded below.
With no Democrats, Libertarians or independents filing for House District 32, the winner of Tuesday’s election between Wallace and Shaw will become the next representative of the district, which covers all of Lincoln County as well as the communities of Perkins in Payne County and Meridian in Logan County.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
Shaw: ‘Proud to offer a grassroots alternative’
Asked if he would conduct a phone interview about his House District 32 campaign or whether there was anything specific he wanted voters to know, Shaw texted that his “voters are incredibly energized.”
“We expect this race to be very close, and are working hard to bring our supporters and their friends and families to the polls,” Shaw said in a statement. “Many Republicans are seeing that Kevin Wallace’s record does not live up to his rhetoric. Our campaign is proud to offer a grassroots alternative to establishment politics for House District 32 voters.”
A longtime energy industry employee, Shaw moved to Chandler from Oklahoma City in 2021. A former employee of Chesapeake Energy, Shaw co-owned a company called Land Information Services, which was sold to PakEnergy where “Jim currently leads more than 80 employees in the software and business unit he helped create,” according to his website.
While his campaign financing has lagged behind Wallace’s, Shaw has raised more than $322,000 — buoyed by $275,000 in personal loans — according to his Ethics Commission reports.
“As a grassroots candidate I have a lot of support from freedom loving organizations from around the state who are on a mission to get true conservatives into office,” Shaw wrote on Facebook on Aug. 7.
In his House District 32 runoff effort to unseat the powerful House budget chairman, Shaw has been joined by Jason Shilling, the former mayor of Perkins who received 12.4 percent support while finishing third in the June primary. Shaw has also been endorsed by the Oklahoma 2nd Amendment Association, which initially gave Wallace an “A” rating but “graded down” the incumbent to “C,” according to a letter endorsing Shaw written by organization leader Don Spencer.
Wallace: ‘I’m a hard worker — an honest broker’
The owner of several businesses — SWT Construction, The Wilderness Refuge and Wallahacie LLC — Wallace notes online that he was “born and raised” in House District 32.
Wallace has been endorsed by U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Gov. Kevin Stitt, Lincoln County District 1 Commissioner Will Fine and a variety of organizations, including the Oklahoma Rifle Association.
As Election Day has drawn near, Stitt has knocked doors for Wallace, appeared with him at events in HD 32 and released videos endorsing the chairman of the House Appropriations and Budget Committee.
In his Aug. 21 video, Stitt countered a Shaw advertisement that says Wallace “killed a bill that would have criminalized China from owning Oklahoma farmland.” While the ad references House Bill 3125 not receiving a vote in 2024, Stitt pointed to Senate Bill 212, which passed in 2023 to do much of the same thing.
“Just wanted to set the record straight because I’ve seen a bunch of stuff that’s not true about Kevin Wallace, and I wanted to let you know exactly what the truth is. Kevin Wallace supported me when we ran a bill banning foreign nationals from owning farm land in Oklahoma,” Stitt said. “You know me, I’m not going to let that happen. So we passed that in 2023, you can check the vote. Wallace voted for that. So to say that he’s for Communist China is simply not true. It’s just those people — the political animals — who are trying to take him out and not send him back to the Capitol.”
Wallace’s campaign has also aired TV ads promoting him as a conservative champion and criticizing Shaw for being “from Oklahoma City.”
To air such ads, Wallace has raised a significant amount of money — more than $745,000, according to his Ethics Commission reports — from dozens of fellow legislators, prominent lobbyists and political action committees representing a variety of interests. Those donors include current Attorney General Gentner Drummond, former Attorney General Mike Hunter, current University of Oklahoma President Joe Harroz and PACs for police, firefighters, hospitals, oil and gas companies, and more.
Asked about the perception that he is supported by powerful special interests, Wallace said during the Aug. 5 debate that his work ethic and institutional knowledge are valued at the State Capitol.
“I am truly honored that there are a lot of people and organizations that invest in my campaign from all different walks of life,” Wallace said. “We don’t always agree, definitely not on every issue, but those people invest in my campaign because they know that I’m a hard worker — an honest broker. I’m going to show up every day to represent my district and the state of Oklahoma and vote what I believe is the right thing for the state of Oklahoma, period.”
Wallace also discussed the criticism he received from some State Senate leaders during this year’s budget negotiations.
“The Senate does love to hate on me. I will say this, though. During budget negotiations, I show up — I am a member of the House, but I am the House District 32 representative every day,” Wallace said. “It is true that I’ve been the appropriations chair longer than any other appropriations chair in state history, even before term limits, even when the Democrats were in control. So I have a ton of institutional knowledge. I think a lot of that goes back that they feel like somehow they lose in the budget negotiations.”
Wind farm drama whipping down the Plains
Questions about renewable energy have spurred significant drama in the House District 32 runoff, with Shaw criticizing Wallace for not stopping wind farm projects — Cedar Run (by Enel) and Sandstone Hills (by Apex) — proposed within Lincoln County.
Wallace has responded by releasing correspondence between himself and Oklahoma Adjutant General Thomas Mancino discussing how the wind farm proposed near Chandler could interfere with the Oklahoma Military Department’s new Joint Operations Center being built in Lincoln County, a prominent project Wallace has supported while serving as the House budget chairman.
Wallace’s time leading the House’s appropriations committee has also seen Lincoln County investment in the form of a massive new training center for the Department of Public Safety.
Nonetheless, the blustery conversation about renewable energy efforts has become heated in HD 32. While Wallace points to a fight he helped lead in 2017 to end certain tax rebates on wind projects, his detractors have pointed to campaign donations from renewable energy company representatives.
Wallace was asked about the topic Aug. 5.
“I do not support wind turbines. Sen. (Grant) Green and myself have agreed to run legislation for setbacks from wind turbines, from homes and nonparticipating landowners. There is a private property landowner’s right. If you don’t want them, don’t sign them. When you deal with private property, I don’t want — especially the government — telling me, ‘Can I raise cattle on my property?’ ‘How many cows per acre can you run on your property?’ ‘Am I allowed to shoot my guns on my property?’ Or no, ‘You can only shoot this caliber and lower on your property.’ ‘Am I allowed to sign an oil and gas lease?’ ‘Am I allowed to sign a wind turbine lease?’ I believe, once we get back in session, that we will be able to have legislation. I believe we’ll get something passed. Currently, what we have in the setback right now is 1,320 foot, which is a quarter mile — that is both from homes and nonparticipating landowners. There will be some fights. I’m not sure exactly where we’re going to end up, but I’m going to carry that legislation, and it will take a strong member to get that legislation passed.”
With questions about who supports controversial renewable energy projects drawing high scrutiny in the House District 32 runoff, Wallace recently made a Facebook post showing photos and aerial pictures of Shaw’s property containing solar panels.
But Shaw responded by sharing that post and saying Wallace doxed his home address. He said the solar panels are for his personal use.
“My wife and I are homesteaders. These solar panels are for personal use. I have NEVER had an issue with personal use of any electricity generation to help make you and your family self-sustaining. My issue is the same issue that my neighbors have: INDUSTRIALIZATION OF OUR LAND and our state’s reliance on less reliable energy sources. I have ALWAYS campaigned against INDUSTRIAL wind and solar,” Shaw wrote. “These are property rights that DO NOT affect my neighbors, unlike my opponent’s use of human waste for fertilizer.”
The “waste” Shaw referenced is called biosolids, a nutrient-rich fertilizer derived from wastewater treatment plant sewage that is regulated in Oklahoma but has drawn criticism owing to its smell and chemical constructs.
During the Aug. 5 debate, Wallace was asked about his application of biosolids on his property.
“Biosolids is approved and regulated in 41 states in the U.S. It is true I’ve used it twice on my farm. I quit using it because my neighbors complained and had concerns about the smell. I truly believe in being a good neighbor, so I didn’t use it. I am thankful that it’s heavily regulated, and I mean heavily regulated by DEQ and also by the (…) EPA,” Wallace said. “But the bottom line — and I want everybody to think about this — (is) if you don’t use it as a land application, the only other place you can put it is in a landfill. When you fill up the landfill in southeast Oklahoma County down there, they’re going to have to find another landfill, and I do not want one more landfill — we only have one right now — in House District 32. I do not want another landfill in the House District 32, but that’s what the reality will be. They will be looking for another landfill.
“There is technology coming along. If we could actually get rid of the smell, we wouldn’t be having this problem. And so I am definitely going to advocate for DEQ and the company to work on trying to figure out a way to eliminate this odor, and then at that point, I think that we can move on down the road and still do what’s right and still regulate it like they do and move forward.”
Hear the House District 32 runoff debate from Aug. 5
