Former Jenks City Councilman Brian O'Hara wins Republican Primary for Senate District 37
/Brian O'Hara speaks at a Sand Springs Chamber of Commerce candidate forum. (Photo: Scott Emigh).
The Republican Party of District 37 nominated their choice for State Senator Tuesday in a crowded primary election with seven candidates. Former Jenks City Councilman Brian O'Hara won the special election with 41.86% of the vote. He will take on Democratic nominee Allison Ikley-Freeman in a November 14 general election.
O'Hara has worked as the Deputy District Director for Congressman Jim Bridenstine in Oklahoma's First District for the past four years. In the past he has served as a Jenks City Councilman and an Oklahoma Aquarium Board Member.
O'Hara was endorsed by Congressman Bridenstine, who called O'Hara "a friend, a conservative, and a man of integrity."
Ikley-Freeman ran unopposed in the Democratic Party and will be a heavy underdog in the general election. In the 2016 election, Republican Dan Newberry handily defeated Democrat Lloyd Snow by more than 15% of the vote in a three-way election.
Second among Republican candidates was Sand Springs City Councilman Phil Nollan with 32.13% of the vote, followed by Sand Springs Municipal Judge R. Jay McAtee with 11.12%. Nicole Nixon received 6.75%, Rick Hardesty received 5.21%, Sand Springs City Councilman Brian Jackson received 2.33%, and Grady Grant received 0.6%.
