In a special election Tuesday, voters elected Greg Treat, 32, to the vacated state Senate seat of newly elected Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb.
Treat is a former staff member for Tom Coburn during his time in the U.S. House and in the Senate, as well as former legislative director for then-Lt. Gov. Mary Fallin, experience he cited as uniquely preparing him for the role of legislator. He also headed the state Republican Party’s 2010 effort to recruit voters.
In Tuesday’s election to fill the District 47 seat, Treat garnered 41 percent of the vote in a crowded field of five Republican hopefuls. No Democrats filed for the seat.
In his campaign, Treat raised only the third-most amount of money with around $54,000. Carol Hefner, who was proclaimed by some as the early front-runner in the race and who hired the popular political consulting firm AH Strategies for her campaign, raised $91,000, but got only 28 percent of the vote.
Todd Brawley, who raised around $58,000, finished third with 17 percent of the vote, followed by Steven Dobbs with 7 percent and Kenny Goza with 6 percent.
Around 5,045 people voted in the election. Treat will be sworn in at noon Jan. 19 in the Senate Chamber of the state Capitol.
