HD 71 and 74
Located in the Tulsa area, Oklahoma's House District 71, left, and House District 74, right, both feature special elections in 2025. (NonDoc)

From a comedian to a Marine Corps veteran and a Pennsylvania Republican field organizer, candidate filing at the State Capitol concluded Wednesday with a baker’s dozen running for two Tulsa-area special elections in House District 71 and House District 74.

Former Reps. Amanda Swope (D-Tulsa) and Mark Vancuren (R-Owasso) both resigned their seats before the start of this year’s regular session, the former accepting a position in Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols’ administration and the latter accepting a position as Tulsa County Commissioner Lonnie Sims’ deputy. Seven candidates filed for Swope’s Tulsa-based seat, including four Democrats and three Republicans, while six candidates filed for Vancuren’s Owasso-based seat, including five Republicans and one Democrat.

In HD 71, the candidates who filed are:

  • Dennis Baker, a Democrat;
  • Amanda Clinton, a Democrat;
  • Hudson Harder, a Democrat;
  • Ben Riggs, a Democrat;
  • Beverly Atteberry, a Republican;
  • Heidemarie Fuentes, a Republican; and
  • Tania Garza, a Republican.

In HD 74, the field includes:

  • Amy Hossain, a Democrat;
  • Kevin Wayne Norwood, a Republican;
  • Brad Peixotto, a Republican;
  • Johnathan Shepherd, a Republican;
  • Maggie Stearman, a Republican; and
  • Sheila Vancuren, a Republican.

As prescribed in Gov. Kevin Stitt’s special election proclamations, the primary elections will occur Tuesday, April 1. With broad candidate fields for both seats, it is likely that the general elections will occur Tuesday, June 10. However, if either seat avoids May 13 primary runoffs by a candidate receiving more than 50 percent support in April, the general election would occur May 13.

Three of the candidates are familiar faces who have run for office before: Atteberry and Peixotto are running their third and fourth campaigns for the Legislature in HD 71 and HD 74, respectively. Baker, who ran against Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK1) in 2024, is making a run for HD 71.

A familiar name with a new face in HD 74 is Sheila Vancuren, the wife of the outgoing representative. Politicos also may recognize three names from the campaign world. Clinton, a Cherokee citizen and most recently Nichols’ campaign communications director, filed for HD 71, while Republican field organizer Stearman filed for HD 74. Hossain, the sole Democrat running for HD 74, holds leadership roles in multiple Asian American and Pacific Islander organizations in the state.

Political newcomers throwing their hat in the HD 71 race include Harder, Riggs, Garza and Fuentes. In HD 74, Shepherd and Norwood both filed for their first runs for the Legislature.

HD 71: 3 Republicans, 4 Democrats file

House District 71 runs along the Arkansas River and encompasses part of south Tulsa. (Provided)

Swope’s resignation triggered a special election in the urban and increasingly Democratic-leaning House District 71. Formerly a Republican stronghold, like much of Tulsa, the district has followed national trends of urban districts voting increasingly Democratic and flipped parties in 2018.

On the Democratic side, Clinton, 46, was the first to file for the race to succeed Swope on Monday morning. Clinton grew up in Rose before graduating from Oklahoma State University in 2001. She worked for KWTV, KTKA and KTUL before starting work in the Cherokee Nation’s communications department in 2005, according to her LinkedIn. She worked for the nation until 2020, and since, she has operated her own communications firm. She also serves as the vice chairwoman of the board of directors for the Oklahoma Hall of Fame and the steering committee for the Tulsa Local News Initiative.

Harder, 24, is a teacher and comedian. If Harder successfully transitions from the standup stage to the legislative arena, he would become the Oklahoma Legislature’s youngest member.

Riggs, 36, was the first candidate to file Tuesday. Riggs is from Sand Springs and a Charles Page High School teacher. The Tulsa World interviewed him in 2022 after he completed an Ironman marathon in Maryland. While he no longer appears in the Sand Springs Public Schools staff directory, he previously worked there as a sophomore world history teacher and football coach.

Baker, 70, is a former FBI agent. While he lost his congressional election with about 35 percent of the vote, he led in most of precincts in the western half of HD 71.

On the Republican side, Atteberry, 57, filed Monday. Atteberry is an attorney who ran for the seat in 2018 and 2020, but lost the Republican runoff in both of her prior runs. After graduating from the University of Tulsa College of Law in 1992, she worked for the Tulsa County Public Defender’s Office until starting her own firm in 1998, according to her LinkedIn. She is also a scrapbooking advisor.

Garza, 35, filed Wednesday. Garza has worked for Tulsa Remote since October 2021 and is active with both TYPROS and the League of Women Voters, according to her professional biography. Tulsa Remote helps remote workers relocate to Tulsa by providing a $10,000 grant to move. Garza is a member integration specialist who works as a “cultural connector” helping Tulsa Remote grantees integrate into the community.

Fuentes, 73, filed on Wednesday afternoon.

Tulsa County Democratic Party Chairman Bruce Niemi, who served one term in the Legislature after the 1990 election, previously announced a campaign but did not file.

HD 74: 5 Republicans face off, sole Democrat awaits

Oklahoma’s House District 74 encompasses most of Owasso and straddles Tulsa and Rogers counties. (Screenshot)

Mark Vancuren’s resignation triggered a special election in the suburban and staunchly Republican House District 74, which includes much of Owasso and a sliver of Collinsville while spanning Tulsa and Rogers counties.

Sheila Vancuren, 57, launched her campaign on the same day her husband announced his resignation. Vancuren has worked for Keller Williams Realty in Owasso since 2007 and is also a certified teacher. She graduated from Bishop Kelley High School, a Catholic high school in Tulsa, before earning a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University and a master’s degree from East Central University.

Shepherd, 47, was the first to file Monday morning. A nonprofit founder and Marine Corps veteran, Shepherd served in the military from 1997 to 2002, according to the metadata for a Library of Congress interview. He founded Eagle OPS, a nonprofit focused on helping veterans transition back to civilian life.

Norwood, 57, is the senior pastor at the Owasso First Assembly of God. Norwood first moved to Owasso in 1994, and he previously worked as the church’s youth pastor. He holds a doctorate in leadership from George Fox University and offers a weekly coaching session for $299 per session.

Stearman, 26, rounded out the Republican candidates filing Monday. Stearman is a mother and Republican political activist. In 2022, she moved to Pennsylvania to work as a Republican field organizer, and she has promised to take no money from lobbyists during her campaign.

Peixotto, 52, joined the field Tuesday. This is at least Peixotto’s fourth campaign for the Legislature after losing the Republican primary for District 74 to Vancuren in 2018 and 2020, and losing the Republican primary for Senate District 34 in 2022 to Sen. Dana Prieto (R-Tulsa). Peixotto is a military veteran and businessman from Tulsa, according to a 2022 campaign biography. He published the The Cannabiz Owner’s Bible: Cultivating Leadership in Cannabis Retail last March.

Hossain, 49, was the sole Democratic candidate to file for HD 74. Hossain was born in South Korea, adopted into a family of Kansas farmers and has spent her career working in human resources. She is the board president of the Khan Ohana Foundation and the president of the Oklahoma Asian American Pacific Islander Hawaiian Federation, according to her Linkedin.

Controversial preacher Jackson Lahmeyer teased a campaign, but he ultimately declined to file.

(Correction: This article was updated at 6:45 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 29, to reflect that Ben Riggs remains a teacher.)

  • Tristan Loveless

    Tristan Loveless is a NonDoc Media reporter covering legal matters and other civic issues in the Tulsa area. A citizen of the Cherokee Nation who grew up in Turley and Skiatook, he graduated from the University of Tulsa College of Law in 2023. Before that, he taught for the Tulsa Debate League in Tulsa Public Schools.

  • Tristan Loveless

    Tristan Loveless is a NonDoc Media reporter covering legal matters and other civic issues in the Tulsa area. A citizen of the Cherokee Nation who grew up in Turley and Skiatook, he graduated from the University of Tulsa College of Law in 2023. Before that, he taught for the Tulsa Debate League in Tulsa Public Schools.