A whopping eight candidates have filed for the vacant Senate District 8 seat representing Okmulgee, Okfuskee and McIntosh counties in eastern Oklahoma.
Republicans Bryan Logan and David Nelson formed their committees months ago, while Edward Jolly became the third Republican to form a campaign committee in mid-December. Hoss Durrett became the fourth candidate to form a campaign committee a week later, while Jeff Ramsey made it five when he filed Monday. Steven Baldridge added his name to the crowded GOP field in the last hours of the filing period Wednesday.
On the Democratic side, Nathan Brewer is the lone candidate to file for that party’s nomination. Steve Sanford is running as an independent.
The special primary election for SD 8 has been set for Tuesday, March 4, with a primary runoff set — if necessary — for April 1. The general election is set for May 13.
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Senate District 8 candidate backgrounds
Logan is a lifelong resident of the district and is a pastor at Paden Pentecostal Holiness Church, according to his website. He operates a small custom carpentry business and also raises cattle. Logan has served on boards for state construction associations, and he is also on the board of the Gordon Cooper Technology Center.
Nelson is a former U.S. Army Ranger helicopter pilot who participated in four combat deployments, according to his website. He currently lives in Morris, where he operates a tag agency. Nelson is also president of the Morris Lions Club and leads his church ministry team.
Jolly is an instructor at Gordon Cooper Technology Center in Shawnee, according to his LinkedIn. According to a piece published in The Henryettan, he lives in Okemah and has promised to run his campaign with a grassroots approach that will focus on individual freedoms, fiscal responsibility and support for conservative values.
Durrett operates a pair of motorsports dealerships in Muskogee and on the north side of Checotah. He has served as vice chairman of the Checotah Industrial Development Authority. Durrett lives in Checotah and describes himself as a “MAGA conservative” who lists opposing windmills among his biggest priorities.
Ramsey is a Paden resident and a former U.S. Marine who later spent 28 years with the Oklahoma City Police Department. Ramsey earned several honors while a police officer, including the Medal of Valor for his work during the 1995 OKC Bombing and Officer of the Year. He also spent 13 years as a city marshal in OKC following his retirement from the police department.
Baldridge lives in Okmulgee where he serves on the City Council and previously served as the city’s mayor. According to his LinkedIn, he is a systems administrator for the College of the Muscogee Nation.
Brewer, the lone Democrat, lives in Henryetta. According to his personal Facebook page, he missed the deadline to change parties before running for office, so he had to run as a Democrat. (Brewer did not say what party he would have selected had he changed his registration.) Brewer’s daughter was one of six murder victims in a 2023 mass murder-suicide in Henryetta, and in a press release, Brewer said he is running to strengthen public safety laws protecting children.
Sanford, the independent candidate, lives in Henryetta where he serves on the City Council as vice mayor and the Ward 1 representative.
SD 8 was vacated by former Senate Appropriations and Budget Committee Chairman Roger Thompson, who resigned in 2024 after being removed from that powerful chairmanship in the middle of negotiations.
Special elections on the way for HD 74, HD 71
There are more special elections for legislative seats on the way. HD 74 will be up for grabs following the resignation of Rep. Mark Vancuren. HD 71 will hold a special election after Rep. Amanda Swope resigned. Gov. Kevin Stitt set the filing period for HD 74 has Jan. 27-29, but the filing period for HD 71 has yet to be announced, as Swope’s resignation will not take effect until later this month.
The Oklahoma Legislature is set to convene for its 2025 regular session Monday, Feb. 3.
(Update: This story was updated at 2:29 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9, to provide additional information about a candidate.)
