Hilliary political machine dumps major money into SD32, backs Curtis Erwin over conservative Sen. Dusty Deevers

Candidate Curtis Erwin flanked by major donors Dustin (l) and Michael Hilliary (r)

There's a new big-time player on the Oklahoma political scene. The Hilliary family of southwest Oklahoma, known best for their broadband company (Hilliary Communications) and a growing statewide media network (Hilliary Media Group), rose in recent years from relative obscurity to being among the biggest political donors in Oklahoma and garnering appointments to key governmental roles and boards. 

Now, they are setting their sights on Lawton area's State Senate District 32, backing political blank-slate newcomer Curtis Erwin against one of the most conservative Republicans in the Oklahoma State Senate, Dusty Deevers. This is the second election in a row that they have heavily backed a candidate in this Senate seat, having flushed tens of thousands of dollars into a candidate who lost to Deevers in the 2023 special election.

Voters in Senate District 32 need to recognize this for what it is: a brazen attempt by powerful special interests to oust a vocal conservative reformer.

The Hilliarys are the financial backing for establishment Republicans across the state, making one or more recent max donations to most of the moderate/liberal Senate GOP members currently running for office: Tom Woods, ($26,000), Grant Green ($24,500), Adam Pugh ($10,000), Brenda Stanley ($3,500), Kristen Thompson ($4,000), Ally Seifreid ($13,000), John Haste ($10,000), and Todd Gollihare ($9,600). Five of "Swamp" senators are being targeted for defeat by grassroots conservative groups such as the Oklahoma 2nd Amendment Association.

Notably, the Hilliarys have played both sides of the aisle (even recently!) by also donating tens of thousands of dollars to very progressive Democrats over the years including House Minority Leader Cindy Munson ($5,800), the Oklahoma House Democratic Campaign Committee ($3,500), gubernatorial nominee Joe Dorman ($4,250), Corporation Commissioner Jim Roth ($3,250), former Senate Minority Leader Kay Floyd ($500), former House Minority Leader Emily Virgin ($500), and State House candidates Liz George ($14,600), Brandon Thompson ($2,300), and Ashley McCarter ($500). What values are the Hilliarys wanting to promote exactly, those of San Francisco or those of small-town Oklahoma?

These numbers represent only money donated directly to candidates and do not take into account the Hilliarys' spending on dark money advertising, which is unknown but likely very, very hefty. Katie Smith at V1SUT (a Substack blog worth checking out) recently reported that the Hilliarys' new Super PAC, “Oklahoma Conservative Coalition”, is loaded with $2.3 million in contributions from two Virginia organizations. Former State Rep. Jason Murphey has talked (at his excellent Substack) about this nebulous super PAC, which carries the same name as an old group tied to former House Speaker Charles McCall - likely in an effort to confuse and misdirect inquisitive voters.

All of this money is apparently well-spent, because the Hilliarys' political giving has ingratiated them into Oklahoma’s crowded political establishment. Dustin Hilliary was one of a handful of individuals mentioned as being on Gov. Kevin Stitt's short-list for filling out the remainder of Markwayne Mullin's U.S. Senate term. Three Hilliarys now sit on appointed boards across the state including the State Workforce Commission (Edward Hilliary Jr.), Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Commission (also Edward Jr.), State Regents for Higher Education (Dustin Hilliary), OU Board of Regents (also Dustin), Wildlife Conservation Commission (Michael Hilliary), and State Board of CareerTech (Edward Jr., again). 

Perhaps most importantly, the company’s Executive Vice President Michael Hilliary sits on the Oklahoma Broadband Expansion Council, an entity tasked with, in part, advising the Broadband Governing Board regarding the awarding of government grants to broadband companies. Company CEO Dustin Hilliary was also appointed chief advisor to Governor Kevin Stitt in September 2025.

According to Jonathan Hewitt at Oklahoma Statehouse Secrets, Hilliary Communications and other Hilliary entities have been the recipient of more than $250M in taxpayer funded grants over the years. He who controls the legislature and boards controls the flow of money, and the Hilliarys certainly wield significant influence over both. 

One would be forgiven for judging, based on the data, that the Hilliarys' political operation is an extensive ploy to perhaps obtain the power to direct the flow of taxpayer dollars into their own pockets. As Hewitt puts it: "Hilliary companies receive public funding. That money supports business growth. The network contributes heavily to political campaigns and PACs. Those political relationships lead to appointments and access. Those appointments place the same network inside the structures that influence future funding decisions. Donations flow in. Appointments follow. Grants flow out. And the cycle repeats."

Which brings us back to southwest Oklahoma politics. The Hilliarys made six separate max donations to Senate District 32 candidate Curtis Erwin totaling $21,000, in addition to thousands more spent supporting Erwin via their PAC, according to reporting from Marvin Goodman at the Sooner Sentinel (another great Substack blog).

(Last named erroneously misspelled by Erwin's campaign in campaign finance reports)

Their target, State Sen. Dusty Deevers, has been a consistent conservative in his three years in the Senate, earning endorsements from Oklahoma 2nd Amendment Association and the National Rifle Association, Make Oklahoma Healthy Again PAC, and more. The Hilliarys allegedly played a significant role in the unprecedented dark money attacks against Deevers when he first ran for office in 2023.

As I mentioned in a post last week, this year's GOP primary is about who will control the direction of the Oklahoma State Senate through 2028. Given the size and clout of the Hilliary political machine, the question has to be asked: why do they want a strong conservative like Dusty Deevers out of office so badly?

Voters in Senate District 32 need to reject this blatant effort by deep-pocketed special interests (who benefit from taxpayer dollars!) to oust a vocal conservative reformer. Vote to re-elect Dusty Deevers.