Speaker Election Set For Monday
Oklahoma House speaker vote set for Monday
By Randy Ellis
The Oklahoma House of Representatives voted Wednesday to elect its new speaker Monday — defeating a confrontational effort by Rep. Mike Reynolds to force an immediate vote on the selection of a successor to Rep. T.W. Shannon.
Shannon, R-Lawton, announced Tuesday he was stepping aside as speaker to run for the U.S. Senate. He will continue to serve as a representative.
A two-way race has developed to succeed him between Republican state Reps. Jeff Hickman, of Dacoma, and Mike Jackson, of Enid.
State Rep. Jason Nelson, of Oklahoma City, was initially in the race as well, but he announced Wednesday that he was dropping out because he didn’t think he had enough votes.
“We’re all friends, which made the whole process miserable, anyway,” Nelson said.