Republican Frankie McClendon and independent Bobby Cox have agreed to meet on stage for a Pittsburg County sheriff debate at 5:45 p.m. on Wednesday, October 28, ahead of the November 3 general election. The event comes 24 days after Pittsburg County Undersheriff Loyd London resigned, adding fresh scrutiny to a race already shaped by McClendon's unusual path to becoming the county's top lawman.
Titled Probable Cause, the debate will be held at McAlester Public Schools' S. Arch Thompson Center, 201 E Adams Ave., according to NonDoc. The forum is being organized in partnership between NonDoc and Griffin Media, and it will be co-moderated by Tres Savage of NonDoc and Reagan Ledbetter of News on 6, with questions written and asked by professional journalists.
Residents who cannot attend in person will have several ways to watch. Griffin Media plans to livestream the debate on the News on 6 website and Facebook page, NonDoc will stream it on its own Facebook page, and Oklahoma's Own Politics will carry it on YouTube. The event is free and open to the public, with seating available by reservation.
An Unusual Rise to Acting Sheriff
McClendon's path to the ballot began with turmoil at the top of the sheriff's office. The Pittsburg County Board of County Commissioners named him acting sheriff in January 2025 after then-Sheriff Chris Morris resigned, NonDoc reports. McClendon went on to win the June Republican primary by nearly an 80-20 margin over Rick Dominic, as reported by KJRH.
NonDoc reports McClendon held that post beginning in 2016. NonDoc also notes McClendon brings nearly 40 years of law enforcement experience gathered at the Pittsburg County Sheriff's Office and the McAlester Police Department.
Undersheriff's Exit Raises Questions
The race took on new urgency after Undersheriff Loyd London stepped down effective Oct. 4, according to the same KJRH report. Asked about the resignation on Oct. 7, McClendon told the station, “There's no investigation going on,” pushing back on speculation about what prompted London's departure.
Cox, meanwhile, is making his second run at the office. He previously lost a bid for Pittsburg County sheriff against Morris in the 2020 Republican primary, and this time he is running as an independent. Per NonDoc, Cox retired from the McAlester Police Department after 26 years, during which he served on the department's former special response team and worked in officer training; KJRH separately describes him as a retired member of both the county sheriff's office and McAlester police with more than 30 years of combined service.
Debate Comes After a History of Public Forums
Pittsburg County voters have had chances to size up sheriff candidates before. A 2024 candidates forum at Eastern Oklahoma State College's McAlester campus featured then-Sheriff Morris and challenger Randy Hass fielding questions about the office, according to the McAlester News-Capital. At that event, both candidates pointed to mental health and drugs as issues needing attention in the county, with Hass proposing a drug diversion program to steer people struggling with addiction toward treatment rather than jail.
With the Oct. 28 debate now locked in, McClendon and Cox will get their own turn in front of voters just six days before the Nov. 3 election. The Oklahoma State Election Board oversees the conduct of elections across the state's 77 counties, according to Oklahoma.gov, as Pittsburg County voters prepare to decide who leads the sheriff's office after nearly two years of transition at the top.
