Jon Painter and Robert Keyes head into the Aug. 25 Republican runoff with sharply different backgrounds and campaign strategies, but more than two out of five primary voters backed someone else.
MOORE – The Republican runoff in Senate District 24 may ultimately be decided by voters who have already chosen someone else.
More than 42% of primary voters backed defeated candidates Bryan Husted, Heather Boss and Tammi Didlot, creating a sizable bloc of persuadable voters as longtime Moore optometrist and former school board president Jon Painter and businessman Robert Keyes compete to succeed Sen. Darrell Weaver.
Painter emerged from the five-candidate primary as the frontrunner, while Keyes secured the second runoff spot. The candidates who failed to advance collectively attracted more support than either finalist, underscoring the importance of coalition-building over the next two months.
The seat became open when Weaver opted to pursue the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor rather than seek another term in the Senate. Weaver lost the Republican primary last week to former House Speaker T.W. Shannon.
The Republican runoff will not end the contest for the seat. Democrat Jonathan Morales and independent candidate Melissa Elder have already filed for the general election and await the winner of the Aug. 25 runoff.
Campaign finance reports reveal another stark contrast between the finalists. Keyes spent more than $217,000 during the election cycle, relying heavily on personal loans to his campaign. Painter spent less than $54,000 and financed his campaign through a combination of contributions and comparatively modest candidate loans.
By one rough measure, Keyes spent about $121 per vote, compared with roughly $20 per vote for Painter.
The two candidates bring different backgrounds to the race but largely similar conservative messages.
Painter is a longtime Moore optometrist who practiced in downtown Moore for more than 30 years and served nine years on the Moore Public Schools Board of Education, including three years as board president. His campaign emphasizes lower taxes, public safety, educational opportunity, constitutional rights and community service.
Keyes, a businessman and entrepreneur, has centered his campaign on economic growth, reducing government waste and regulation, supporting public safety and improving educational outcomes. He frequently highlights his private-sector experience and portrays himself as a conservative outsider, stressing that his campaign has accepted no PAC or lobbyist money.
The runoff also features two candidates making return trips to the campaign trail.
Keyes previously sought the open Senate District 15 seat in 2024, advancing to a runoff before narrowly losing to Lisa Standridge by just 55 votes. Two years later, he is again in a Senate runoff, this time seeking to represent a different district.
Painter also has prior campaign experience. He previously ran for House District 91, finishing second to Chris Kannady in the Republican primary before later serving nearly a decade on the Moore school board.
Neither campaign finance reports nor campaign messaging suggest either candidate is running as an obvious Freedom Caucus standard-bearer. Painter’s support appears rooted largely in community and professional networks, while Keyes relied predominantly on self-funding and a relatively small circle of business contributors. The absence of clear factional alignment could make endorsements and voter migration more important than ideological labels in determining the winner.
The largest available bloc of voters belongs to Husted, who captured nearly one-fifth of the primary vote. Boss and Didlot together accounted for another 23%. Whether those voters consolidate behind one candidate or split between the finalists could determine who succeeds Weaver.
Senate District 24 now heads into a runoff defined by two competing strengths: Keyes’ willingness to heavily invest in his campaign and Painter’s demonstrated ability to attract support while spending a fraction as much. With more than two out of five primary voters having backed someone else, the winner may ultimately be the candidate who proves most effective at building a broader coalition.
