Moore Republicans are walking into a full-blown brawl of a primary on Tuesday, June 16, with five GOP hopefuls crowding the State Senate District 24 ballot as they vie to replace Sen. Darrell Weaver, who is running for lieutenant governor. The district covers much of Cleveland County, including Moore, parts of north Norman and sections of southwest Oklahoma City, and it has drawn a slate of law-enforcement veterans, business owners and farmers. With heavy self-funding in the mix and a high-profile Farm Bureau endorsement on the table, the outcome could help shape who leads the Senate Republican caucus next year.
Who’s on the Ballot
Republican primary voters in SD-24 will choose among Tammi Didlot, Jon Painter, Robert Keyes, Bryan Husted and Heather Boss, according to a sample ballot from the Cleveland County Election Board. The winner will face Democrat Jonathan Morales and independent Melissa Elder in the Nov. 3 general election, per NonDoc. County records make clear that voters across Moore and southwest Oklahoma City will decide who succeeds Weaver.
Why the Seat Matters
Weaver’s decision to run for lieutenant governor, announced last year, created the open SD-24 seat and set off a crowded Republican scramble, as reported by KOSU. Open-seat primaries typically attract a wider swath of donors and local power brokers than races with an incumbent, and SD-24’s blend of suburban and rural voters makes it a prime target for state Republicans. Campaigns have leaned hard into last-minute door-knocking, phone calls and targeted mail as they try to stand out in a five-way field.
Money and Endorsements
The money game in SD-24 is anything but even. Recent campaign finance reports show that Robert Keyes has loaned roughly $300,000 to his own campaign, while Tammi Didlot has reported about $48,700 in individual donations, roughly $5,000 from PACs and a personal loan of about $9,475, according to NonDoc. Jon Painter has reported about $34,725 from individual donors and has loaned roughly $57,700 to his campaign, and Bryan Husted shows roughly $20,000 raised from individuals and about $13,500 from PACs, according to the same reporting.
The Oklahoma Farm Bureau Ag Fund has endorsed Didlot and provided financial support to several endorsed state candidates ahead of the primary, backing that could matter in a district with plenty of agricultural ties, per Oklahoma Farm Bureau.
When and How to Vote
Primary voters will head to the polls on Tuesday, June 16. Early voting windows, absentee ballot deadlines and other logistics are laid out by the Oklahoma State Election Board. If no candidate clears 50 percent in the primary, the top two Republicans will move on to an Aug. 25 runoff.
Voters can check with their county election office, including materials from the Cleveland County Election Board, for precinct-level details and polling locations. The SD-24 primary may be short on calendar days, but with five Republicans spending heavily down the stretch, Moore and nearby neighborhoods are poised to decide a race with implications that stretch well beyond their ZIP codes.
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