Showing posts with label Brian O'Hara. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brian O'Hara. Show all posts

Friday, November 30, 2018

Congressman Hern announces key staff hirings


Congressman Kevin Hern Announces Key Staff

Washington, DC -- Congressman Kevin Hern (OK-1) released the following statement announcing the hiring of numerous staff for both his DC and District offices.

“I have worked hard since Election Day to assemble a team that will help me as I work for the people of Oklahoma’s 1st District,” said Congressman Hern. “The best thing I can do is surround myself with quality people, and I have full confidence that my staff is more than capable of helping me represent my district and my constituents in Congress.  We’ve already hit the ground running and I look forward to what we’ll accomplish with this talented team.”

Congressman Hern hired Cameron Foster to serve as his Chief of Staff. Foster is a former congressional staffer, served on Ben Carson’s Presidential Campaign, and recently consulted on Hern’s campaign as an advisor with Axiom Strategies.

Other hires in the Congressman’s DC office are Miranda Dabney, Chrissy Liotta, and Karen Schmitt.

Dabney will serve as Press Secretary. She is a graduate of the University of Tulsa and recently worked for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).

Liotta will serve on the Congressman’s legislative team. Liotta is a Tulsa native and graduated from Oklahoma State University. She was the Administrative Director on Hern’s campaign and previously worked in the Tulsa County Treasurer’s office.

Karen Schmitt is the DC Office Administrator. She previously served in the same role for Congressman Jim Bridenstine.

In the Tulsa District office, Congressman Hern hired Robert Aery to serve as the District Director. Aery is a native from Oklahoma’s 1st District. He recently served as the campaign manager for Glen Mulready’s successful bid for Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner and previously served as the Deputy State Director for Americans for Prosperity and as a staffer for the OKGOP. Aery is a graduate of Oral Roberts University, holds a master’s degree from John Hopkins University, and earned a law degree from the University of Tulsa.

Brian O’Hara has been named Deputy District Director. He is also a former staffer from Congressman Bridenstine’s office and is a former city councilman from Jenks, OK. 

Johnny Moyer will serve as Special Advisor to the congressman. He served as Hern’s campaign manager and previously with Senator James Lankford, Oklahoma’s Attorney General and other congressional offices. Moyer is a graduate of Northeastern State University and earned a Master of Public Administration from Mid-America Christian University.

Adam Jones will serve as Field Representative. Jones is native of Catoosa and graduated from the University of Oklahoma. Jones also worked on Hern’s campaign and previously worked in the Tulsa County Sheriff’s office.

Ashley Wells will serve as a Caseworker focusing on military and veteran affairs issues. Wells previously worked for Congressman Jim Bridenstine, Congressman John Sullivan and Senator Jim Inhofe.  Wells is a graduate from Oral Roberts University.

Cam Thomas will serve as a Caseworker. He is also a former staffer from Congressman Bridenstine’s office. Thomas is a graduate from Oklahoma State University

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Democrats flip SD37, GOP holds HD76 and SD45



Three legislative special elections were held today - House District 76 (vacated by Rep. David Brumbaugh's death), Senate District 37 (vacated by Sen. Dan Newberry resigning for a private sector job), and Senate District 45 (vacated by Sen. Kyle Loveless' resignation over campaign finance violations).

All three seats were Republican-held. Democrats last won SD37 in 1996 (although Nancy Riley switched from Republican to Democrat in the middle of her final term in 2006), SD45 in 1976, and never in HD76.

In HD76 (Republican District Rating of 61.9), Republican Ross Ford won with 68.35% of the vote . In SD45 (RDR of 59.5), Republican Paul Rosino got 56.78% of the vote.

In a nailbiter of a race in SD37 (RDR of 57.6), Democrat Allison Ikley-Freeman defeated Republican Brian O'Hara by 31 votes, 2234 (50.35%) to 2203 (49.65%). The vote was close enough that O'Hara might seek a recount; either way, due to Newberry's resignation date being January 31st, 2018, the winner won't be sworn in until February 1st, 2018.

Ikley-Freeman (a therapist at a nonprofit mental health agency) defeated O'Hara (a former Jenks city councilor and district director for Cong. Bridenstine) by virtue of receiving 60 more votes on election day, while O'Hara led the absentee and early voting total by 29. Ikley-Freeman becomes the third openly homosexual individual (she is married to another lesbian) to be elected to the Oklahoma Legislature, and the first outside of the HD88/SD46 area in Oklahoma City.

Democrats have now won 4 of the 7 special elections held this year (HD46, HD75, SD37, SD44).

Monday, June 12, 2017

Cong. Bridenstine endorses Brian O'Hara for SD37 special election

Congressman Jim Bridenstine sent out the following email this evening, endorsing his Deputy District Director Brian O'Hara's run for Dan Newberry's newly-vacated State Senate seat:



I am happy to support and endorse Brian O'Hara in his run to serve the people of State Senate District 37. Brian O'Hara is a friend, a conservative, and a man of integrity. I am confident he will serve his constituents with honor in the Oklahoma State Senate, and I am proud to endorse him.

Please join me for a O'Hara for Oklahoma kickoff event at Los Cabos in Jenks on Monday, June 19th, at 6:30 PM.



With Brian O'Hara, we will be electing a conservative that we can trust to get the job done in Oklahoma City.

God Bless,

Jim Bridenstine

State Rep. Chuck Strohm is the only other publicly-announced candidate that I'm aware of.