Bob Anthony’s seat on the Oklahoma Corporation Commission is up for grabs in the statewide primary election Tuesday, June 18.

Anthony, a Republican, has served on the commission for 36 years and is term-limited, so he couldn’t run for re-election.

There are three seats on the commission with sixyear staggered terms every two years.

In addition to Anthony, the other two members on the current commission are Todd Hiett and Kim David. Both are Republicans.

Only one Democrat filed for the primary election commission seat so Democrats don’t have a ballot for next week’s primary election.

The state Corporation Commission regulates oil and gas drilling, electric and gas utilities, trucking, pipelines and telecommunications in Oklahoma.

Meet GOP Candidates

Brian Bingman, 70, Sapulpa, is supported by Gov. Kevin Stitt. Bingman lost against Anthony’s 57% in a 2018 GOP runoff nomination to the commission. He was appointed by Stitt as the Secretary of State and Secretary of Native American Affairs in 2020 and resigned in 2023 to run for the corporation seat. Bingham was term-limited in the state Senate in 2016 and served as Senate President Pro-Tempore for the last six months of his term. He is also a former member of the state House and a former Sapulpa mayor. After college, he was a petroleum landman for then-Continental Oil Co. and later was vice president of land and operations for Upland Resources.

Justin Hornback, 40, Broken Arrow, ran for the commission in the 2022 Republican primary. He worked for Pipeline Union 798 leaders in 2017 and 2021, in computer programming to add efficiency to their dispatch office and also assisted clients and contractors to secure permits and jobs through the regulatory process. He has also worked as a pipeline welder/welding inspector/ specialist in safety and health.

Russell Ray, 55, Ed-mond, is backed by Anthony. Ray was a business reporter for the Tampa Tribune and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette early in his journalism career. He was editor-in-chief of Power Engineering magazine and wrote a regular column on energy and policy, pricing and technology; covered energy news for the Tulsa World and was editor of the Journal Record in Oklahoma City. Ray is currently director of communications for the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education.

General Election Candidates

The winner of this Republican primary will compete in the Nov. 5 general election against these two candidates:

Democrat – Harold Spradling, 89, Oklahoma City. Spradling is a retired businessman and social worker. He previously ran as a Republican for the commission and was unsuccessful in 2022, 2020 and 2018.

Libertarian – Chad Williams, 43, Choctaw, has served on the Choctaw City Council and as chairman of the Libertarian Party.