A small gathering at Steak and Eggs on Wednesday morning was all that was needed to spark life into a position that’s been overlooked for most of the season.
With the mud-slinging happening over the Governor’s seat, and a larger focus on local elections, Lieutenant Governor is a position that hasn’t gotten the notice it’s deserved.
Candidate Matt Pinnell obviously feels it’s one of the most important positions one can hold in the state. “It’s the only elected position responsible for producing income for this state,” he said.
Pinell said he decided to run about 18 months ago, when he was serving as the state party director for for the Republican National Committee. He gave speeches in all 50 states; when he would mention being from Oklahoma, he would see people begin to snicker. “Our branding is not great. We need to work on that,” he said.
As Lt. Governor, Pinell says that his focus on tourism and the next generation will pave the way for some improvements in the state from an economical basis.
Though he’s an ORU grad himself, Pinell calls himself as “a big believer in CareerTech,” and says that Oklahoma stands to gain a lot by doing more to embrace that path and shrinking the skills gap.
“We tend to demonize kids that don’t pursue a four-year degree,” he says. “We need to let folks know that it’s not the only option; that they can go to Central Tech or one of our other CareerTech schools and come out of there after a year and a half making $70,000 a year as a plumber or electrician.”
Diversification of the job sector is another thing on Pinnell’s mind. “I don’t want to get rid of oil—would love to see it, 24/7/365, but if we’re relying on it completely…”
“We also need to have more incubators and accelerators, and other methods for getting young people started in business. I was surprised; as a state, we only have one program like that.”
Small business is a particularly strong point of interest for Matt Pinell and his family. Matt’s wife Lisa invented a product called the Binxy Baby Shopping Cart Hammock. Now, the Pinnells’ homegrown venture has turned into a successful international business.
Pinell says that what sets him apart from the current Lt. Governor or any of his candidates is his passion for the tourism and economic outlook of Oklahoma, and his willingness to be “daily involved” with not only promoting the state as a whole, but working with legislators to pass bills that will enforce accountability measures like state audits and zero-based budgets.
To that end, Mark Lawson, who is running for a second term as State Representative, and was present for this meeting, spoke up about need for this type of legislation: “This would allow us to be able to make data-based decisions, instead of arbitrary ones,” pertaining to a departments budgets.
Pinell points himself towards an Oklahoma that works for “our families, not special interests.” His campaign website proclaims “Matt Pinnell knows what it takes to fight for smaller government, less regulation, and a pro-growth business environment. As our Lt. Governor, he will achieve that and more for Oklahoma families and job creators.”
For Matt Pinell, it’s the only job he’s interested in. “It’s not as though I’d be running for congress if I weren’t doing this,” he says. “This is the one, this is the job I want. It’s the one that I believe I can make the most difference in.”
Matt Pinell will be running August 28th against Dana Murphy, who is currently serving a second term on the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. The winner of that race would go on to face Democrat Anastasia Pittman in November.
Learn more by visiting MattPinell.com
Featured Image: Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinell, left, stands with Jerry Mortazavi and State Representative Mark Lawson for a photo at a meet-and-greet at Steak and Eggs.
