John Pfeiffer and Kevin West agree on much of the Labor Department’s mission, but their decade together in the House produced some clear dividing lines.
McAlester — Kevin West and John Pfeiffer agreed on plenty during Wednesday night’s Republican labor commissioner debate.
Then the moderators started asking about their voting records.
The two veteran state representatives split over Oklahoma’s $255 million incentive package tied to the proposed Inola aluminum smelter, the 2018 tax increase that helped fund teacher and state employee raises, and what the next labor commissioner should do about workforce development.
The contrasts come at a time when many Republican voters still appear to be making up their minds. A recent Sooner Survey found West leading Pfeiffer 27% to 25%, with 48% undecided. The two-point difference was within the poll’s margin of error.
The debate was hosted by NonDoc and Griffin Media at Spaceship Earth Coffee in McAlester. The Frontier served as a fact-checking partner. The full debate is available here.
Inola vote separates the candidates
One of the clearest differences came over the proposed aluminum smelter near Inola, an issue that has also become a flashpoint in the Republican governor’s race.
West voted against the 2025 legislation tied to the project. He said the vote was consistent with his opposition to using state tax dollars to lure companies from elsewhere.
“If we’re going to invest state dollars, which is your tax dollars, it needs to be going to companies that are already here,” West said.
He noted that he also opposed an earlier incentive package aimed at attracting a Panasonic battery plant.
Pfeiffer voted for the Inola legislation. He said the money had originally been set aside for the Panasonic recruitment effort and was later used as part of the effort to make the smelter project work.
Pfeiffer also acknowledged the environmental concerns that have surfaced since then.
“Those are real concerns,” he said.
He suggested independent testing around comparable aluminum smelters to get better answers.
“Let’s test the water, test the air, test the grass, test the hay,” Pfeiffer said.
Different ideas on workforce
Pfeiffer offered one of the debate’s more specific proposals when he said he wants to move the Oklahoma Workforce Commission into the Labor Department.
“There’s no sense in paying a six-figure salary for something the labor commissioner can do,” Pfeiffer said.
West pointed instead to apprenticeship programs, including legislation he carried allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to participate in apprenticeships and internships.
He said the state has had some success with those programs, but some parts of the state still are not aware of those opportunities.
An old tax vote resurfaces
The candidates also revisited one of the biggest votes of their time in the Legislature.
Pfeiffer voted for the 2018 revenue package that raised taxes on cigarettes, motor fuel and oil and gas production as lawmakers struggled to fund teacher raises, state employee raises and other government expenses.
He defended the vote, saying lawmakers first had to stabilize state finances after years of budget problems.
West voted against the package and said Wednesday he still believes the increases were unnecessary because state revenues were already beginning to recover.
Pfeiffer countered that the state had reached a point where lawmakers had to find enough revenue to pass a budget and keep government operating.
The exchange put a little more distance between two candidates who otherwise agree on much of what the Labor Department should be doing.
OK Politics Today reported in July that West and Pfeiffer share many conservative priorities, including workplace safety, workforce development and limiting unnecessary regulation.
Republican voters will choose between West, of Moore, and Pfeiffer, of Orlando, in Tuesday’s runoff. The winner will face Democrat Kevin Dawson and Libertarian Mike Hall in November.
