Mike Dobrinski of Okeene will succeed House Majority Leader Mike Sanders (R-Kingfisher) as the next House District 59 representative, subject to certifica tion of the official vote on Friday.

Unofficial result totals show Dobrinski carrying 72.73% of the votes cast to opponent Adam Masters’ 28.27%. Dobrins-ki’s total vote was 4,376 district-wide to 1,728 for Masters of Kingfisher.

In Kingfisher County, Dobrinski carried 62.74% (1,396) of the total votes cast to 37.26% (829) for Masters.

“It’s a relief that my plans were affirmed by the voters and I look forward to working for and with everyone that I can,” said Dobrinski, who has co-owned and operated family auto-mobile dealerships in Okeene, Kingfisher and Watonga.

“I am excited to be able to get back to work for the folks of Kingfisher County and northwest Oklahoma in District 59.

“The relationships I have formed the last 35 years throughout the dis trict will be very helpful in representing everyone at the capitol.”

Dobrinski commended his opponent, a 25-year-old former Kingfisher High School valedictorian, for running a solid and positive campaign.

“I spoke to Adam (Tuesday) night and he was very gracious and supportive,” he said. “We respect the way that we each ran our races and that’s the way politics should work.

“He pledged to help me in any way and I plan to use him. I feel he has a future in this arena and I’m excited about his passion.”

Dobrinski, who was endorsed by Sanders, former State Sen. Mike Johnson and other local leaders, said he realizes he has some big shoes to fill, particularly in the eyes of his Kingfisher County constituents, who will be without a county resident in the House for the first time in decades.

“Being in business in Kingfisher for 30 years and serving on the Pioneer (Telephone Cooperative) board of directors for 22 has been a great opportunity to establish strong relationships there. I may not be a resident, but I feel like I have the pulse on what’s going on in the community,” he said.

“Also, I have the same cell number that I’ve had for the last 30-plus years and I’ll continue to answer it 24-7, just like I did when I was in the car business.

“I know I have a lot to learn and I know that I’ll be drinking from the firehose in the short term, but I’m looking forward to learning and I’ve already learned a great deal from folks in the district.”

For his part, Sanders said he believes Dobrinski “has the right temperament, maturity, experience and credibility to build on what we were able to accomplish over these last 12 years.”

“I have full faith in him and HD59 will be lucky to have him be their voice in the House of Representatives.”

Sanders said he also plans to help ease Dobrinski through the transition by including him in legislative meetings and issue discussions during Sanders’ last few months in office.

Jech said he also looked forward to working with Dobrinski across their overlapping districts.

“He brings a background that makes him a good fit for his district and I’m confident he will represent his constituents and the state well,” he said.

Jech also complimented both Dobrinski and his opponent for running “positive, issue-oriented and respectful” campaigns.

Recognizing his good fortune in not having to continue his campaign until November since no Democrats filed for the seat, Dobrinski said that he plans to help other Republican legislative candidates with their campaigns while awaiting the start of his first term.

That’s in addition to working with Sanders and other members of the state Republican leadership to get up to speed on current state issues.

But first, he’s got one more campaign promise to keep.

“After this weekend, my wife Ginny and I are going to enjoy a few days of downtime.”

VOTING BY PRECINCT

101 – Dobrinski 269; Masters 220.

102 – Dobrinski 77, Masters 41.

103 – Dobrinski 87; Masters 82.

201 – Dobrinski 323; Masters 68.

204 – Dobrinski 74; Masters 36.

301 – Dobrinski 252; Masters 223.

302 – Dobrinski 155; Masters 70.

303 – Dobrinski 40; Masters 20.

304 – Dobrinski 60; Masters 19.

305 – Dobrinski 54; Masters 45.

306 – Dobrinski 5; Masters 5.