Stephens County features five contested races for public office

Candidate filing for public office at the local and state level concluded on Friday. Five of the eight races involving Stephens County will be contested.

Seven of those races will be decided in the June Republican primary. Only one - State Sen. District 43 - will be decided in November's general election as only one Democrat filed in those races.

Four candidates filed to replace the retiring Marcus McEntire for State Rep. District 50, which includes areas in and around Comanche and Duncan.

Three candidates are from Duncan: Stacy Jo Adams, 49; Andrew Aldridge, 31; and Clayton T. Pickard, 61. The fourth candidate, Jayce Daniel Miller, 27, is from Ringling.

Brad Boles of Marlow, the State Rep. District 50 incumbent, is running unopposed.

Senate incumbents Chris Kidd (District 31) and Jessica Garvin (District 43) face opposition.

Kidd, 44, of Ringling, will have three challengers in the Republican primary. Pamala McNall-Granier, 56, of Comanche; Rick Wolfe, 58, of Elgin; and Spencer Kern, 55, of Duncan.

Garvin, 38, of Duncan, will have Republican challenger Kendal Sacchieri, 32, of Blanchard in the Republican primary. The winner will face Democrat candidate Sam Graefe, 72, of Purcell in the general election in November.

At the county level, incumbent court clerk Melody Harper, 46, of Duncan and incumbent county clerk Jenny Moore, 52, of Duncan are running unopposed.

Incumbent Todd Churchman, 61, of Comanche will face Stephens Upchurch, 56, of Duncan for the District 2 county commissioner seat in the June primary.

Republican voters will decide in June who the next county sheriff will be as Bill Straily, 56, of Corum and Rick Lang, 68, of Duncan have filed to replace retiring sheriff Wayne McKinney.

The Comanche Times is sponsoring a sheriff candidate forum at the First Baptist Church of Comanche fellowship hall on April 29 at 7 p.m. The public is invited and admission is free. The forum will also be broadcast live on The Comanche Times' Facebook page.

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