Matt Pinnell for Oklahoma Lieutenant Governor

Hang around political circles long enough and eventually you will have friends running against each other. I worked for Dana Murphy's first campaign for Corporation Commissioner in 2002, was thrilled when she won in 2008, and I've supported her for re-election ever since. She also served honorably as vice chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party from 2003 to 2007. But I was surprised that she decided to run for Lt. Governor. Given her soft-spoken and judicious manner and her expertise in law, geology, and the oil and gas industry, Corporation Commissioner seems to be the perfect place of service for her. Term limits will prevent Commissioner Murphy from running for re-election in 2022.

I've known Matt Pinnell going back to his successful leadership of the Oklahoma GOP's 2008 get-out-the-vote effort. He's intelligent, hard-working, and a principled conservative. He did a great job as Oklahoma GOP chairman during the 2012 campaign cycle, and he went on to serve the GOP at the national level, strengthening state party organizations across the country, laying the ground work for victory in 2016.

Although I'd be pleased with either Dana Murphy or Matt Pinnell as Lieutenant Governor, I'm voting for Pinnell. In addition to the constitutional roles of president of the State Senate and acting governor when the governor is out of state, Oklahoma's Lt. Governor has traditionally been the public face of our tourism and business recruitment efforts, and Matt Pinnell has the kind of personality and energy that best fits that role.

MORE: Jamison Faught at Muskogee Politico analyzes the campaign finance reports and calculates that 84% of donations in Dana Murphy's pre-primary fundraising report came from donors associated with entities that are regulated by the Corporation Commission, which Faught says "doesn't pass the smell test."