The two candidates for the open State Senate District 47 seat have agreed to participate in an Oct. 16 debate ahead of Oklahoma’s Nov. 5 general election.
Retired U.S. Army Col. Kelly Hines and business owner Erin Brewer are looking to succeed term-limited Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat (R-OKC). Brewer, a Democrat, faced no party challenger in the SD 47 primary. Hines defeated OKC nurse anesthetist Jenny Schmitt in an August Republican primary runoff.
The SD 47 debate is set to take place at 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16, at Francis Tuttle Technology Center’s Rockwell campus, located at 12777 N. Rockwell Ave. in Oklahoma City. The debate, co-hosted by NonDoc and News 9, is free and open to the public. Questions will be written and asked by professional journalists.
NonDoc editor in chief Tres Savage and News 9 State Capitol reporter Haley Weger will moderate the debate, which is set to be live-streamed on the News 9 website and Facebook page.
The Talon, Oklahoma Christian University’s student newspaper, is also serving as a media partner for the debate. The OKC Young Professionals organization is also an event partner.
The boundaries of SD 47 reach from West Edmond Road on the north to Northwest 122nd Street to the south, and from North County Line Road on the west to about South Kelly Avenue on the east.
SD 47 debate to be held at Rockwell campus of Francis Tuttle
Brewer, the owner of Bricktown’s RedPin Bowling Lounge, was the only Democrat to file for the open State Senate seat. According to her campaign website, Brewer has an extensive career in the nonprofit sector, previously working for the United Way of Central Oklahoma. She formerly served as the board president for Camp Fire Heart of Oklahoma and as a member of City Care’s capital campaign committee.
Hines, who finished atop the initial field of three GOP candidates in the June primary, won the Republican runoff with 60 percent support. According to his website, Hines graduated from the U.S. Army War College with a master’s degree in strategic studies in 2014 before taking command of the 110th Aviation Brigade in 2015. He finished his Army career by serving as the 10th commandant or “dean” of the U.S. Army Warrant Officer Career College in Fort Rucker, Alabama, from 2017 to 2019.
Hines and Brewer are set to appear on the ballot of the Tuesday, Nov. 5, national general election.
AARP Oklahoma and the State Chamber of Oklahoma are charitable sponsors of NonDoc’s 2024 public debate series. Since October 2017, NonDoc has partnered with other media and organizations to organize and host 29 political debates among candidates for elected office.
