At only 44 years old, T.W. Shannon is placing his second bid for the Senate. For the 2nd time, the Oklahoma Republican is running in an unique election to step into the rest of a six-year term being abandoned too soon by a GOP incumbent. This time around, it’s Sen. James Inhofe, 87, that was initially elected in 1994 as well as is resigning from Congress at year’s end.
So, what dragged Shannon, now president of a community bank in Oklahoma City, out of political retirement given that his initial (and unsuccessful) campaign Senate 8 years earlier?
“I’m concerned about the direction of the country,” he told the Washington Examiner on Thursday, a few minutes after announcing his candidacy. “The woke agenda has infected nearly every aspect of our lives — and frankly, when I look around, Americans and Oklahomans are hurting.”
Shannon, who is black, was taken into consideration a Republican wunderkind when he looked for the Senate in 2014– the last time the GOP captured the majority from the Democrats in a midterm political election. 36, Shannon was the speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives as well as a vibrant, personable up-and-comer. He also stood to accomplish the nationwide Republican Party’s desire to expand the ranks of its chosen leaders. Republican citizens in Oklahoma had other ideas, instead choosing now-Sen. James Lankford, after that a four-year House member.
Shannon is a bit a lot more seasoned this moment about, both directly as well as skillfully. He has actually been wed for 20 years to his university sweetie and also has a 16-year-old child and 12-year-old kid. He retired from the Oklahoma Legislature in 2014 and has mainly operated in the personal field considering that then, transforming what he called a “sleepy” community financial institution with $113 million in assets when he came to be CEO in 2017 into an establishment with virtually $500 million in assets.
That’s partly exactly how Shannon prepares to distinguish himself in what is likely to be a affordable and contentious key project, provided that open Senate seats in deep-red Oklahoma do not come really typically: by highlighting his individual tale. All of the prospects are most likely to be of the staunchly conservative variety and also be opposed to abortion rights, encouraging of gun rights, suspicious of big government, in support of domestic energy expedition as well as production, as well as fans, a minimum of publicly, of former President Donald Trump.
Without a doubt, Shannon stressed that every Republican running until now is a pal with whom he communicates routinely via telephone and SMS message.
“My story is unique, and that’s all anybody has,” he said. “I’m probably the greatest embodiment of the opportunity available in this country.”
“America is not the home of systemic racism. America is the home of systemic opportunity,” he added, returning the theme of “woke-ism” that he said is animating his desire to give politics another try. “That’s going to be my story in the race, and hopefully that inspires people.”
Lankford is up for reelection this year, suggesting Oklahoma Republicans can expect an unusual 2 Senate competitions on the tally this November.
Along with Shannon, Republicans running for the open Inhofe seat consist of state Sen. Nathan Dahm; previous Trump White House national safety and security assistant Alex Gray, who has been supported by previous acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell; former nationwide security advisor Robert C. O’Brien; Sen. Mike Lee of Utah; previous Inhofe chief of team Luke Holland; and Rep. Markwayne Mullin.
