One candidate emphasizes affordability. The other highlights decades of business and public policy experience. Republican runoff candidates Jon Painter and Robert Keyes discuss the priorities, leadership style and experience they would bring to an open Oklahoma Senate seat.
MOORE — Oklahoma voters will choose a new state senator from District 24 in Cleveland County this fall. Before that happens, Republican voters will decide Aug. 25 whether Jon Painter or Robert Keyes advances to the Nov. 3 general election.
The seat became open after former Sen. Darrell Weaver was term-limited from seeking another Senate term. He was later appointed Cleveland County sheriff. Democrat Jonathan Morales has already secured his party’s nomination and awaits the Republican runoff winner in November.
Although Painter and Keyes share many conservative principles, their interviews with Oklahoma Politics Today reveal different paths to public service and different approaches to the challenges they believe deserve the Legislature’s greatest attention.
Different paths to public service
Painter’s case begins with his ties to District 24.
“I’m 60 years old, and I’ve spent all 60 years either living or working in Senate District 24,” he said. “We’ve got some very deep roots here in this area. … Win, lose, or draw, I’m still going to live in the same house. … This is home. So I’ve got a real vested interest in what’s going on here.”
A Moore High School graduate, Painter practiced optometry in Moore for more than 30 years before retiring. He later served on the Moore Public Schools Board of Education, including as board president, after an earlier campaign for House District 91.
Keyes believes his business background offers a different preparation for legislative service.
He came to Oklahoma in 1981 to work in the oil and gas industry before building a family of companies specializing in groundwater, environmental engineering and consulting.
“I know what it means to sign the front of a paycheck, to meet payroll during difficult economic times, and to navigate government regulations that often make it harder for businesses to succeed,” Keyes wrote. “Those experiences have shaped my belief that government should be accountable, fiscally responsible, and focused on creating opportunities rather than obstacles.”
Keyes also points to years serving on advisory councils for the Oklahoma Water Resources Board and Oklahoma Corporation Commission, where he said he has helped review regulations, recommend legislation and work with lawmakers on public policy. He previously reached the Republican runoff for Senate District 15 in 2024 before narrowly losing to Lisa Standridge by 55 votes.
What brought them into the race
Both candidates say they want to improve Oklahoma, but what motivated them to run differs.
Affordability became the recurring theme of Painter’s interview. Whether discussing seniors on fixed incomes, first-time homebuyers, insurance premiums or property taxes, he repeatedly returned to the financial pressures facing Oklahoma households.
After retiring, Painter said he began noticing the strain affecting his own family.
“You want to see your parents in their last years of life enjoying life, not pinching pennies,” he said. “Then once I got out on the trail knocking doors, it was very evident that a lot of people are feeling that way.”
He also cited his son’s experience launching a heating and air conditioning business while struggling to purchase a first home.
“We can’t continue having kids living at home and scraping by until they’re 30, 35 years old before they can afford a home,” Painter said.
Keyes framed his candidacy through a different lens, arguing Oklahoma needs lawmakers with practical business experience and a working knowledge of state government.
“I’m running because I believe Oklahoma needs experienced, principled, conservative leadership that understands business, the legislative process, and the importance of protecting our constitutional freedoms while growing our economy,” he wrote. “I want to leave our children and grandchildren an even stronger Oklahoma than the one we’ve inherited.”
Different approaches
The candidates agree on many broad conservative priorities, including lower taxes, economic growth and limited government. Their differences lie more in emphasis than ideology.
Keyes consistently viewed policy through the lens of economic development.
“First, we must continue protecting Oklahoma’s economy by supporting small businesses, reducing unnecessary regulations, and keeping taxes low,” he wrote.
He also identified workforce development and long-term water security as priorities, calling for stronger career and technical education partnerships, improved reading proficiency and continued investment in Oklahoma’s water infrastructure.
“Clean groundwater is essential for every Oklahoma family, every community, every farmer, and every industry,” he wrote.
Painter consistently returned to affordability.
He said rising property taxes, homeowners insurance premiums and housing costs dominate the conversations he has with voters.
“We can’t eliminate them,” Painter said of property taxes, “but we can, I think, do some things that make them more palatable to the citizens.”
He also questioned why Oklahoma insurance premiums remain significantly higher than those in neighboring states and said lawmakers should look for ways to reduce costs while protecting essential government services.
More agreement than disagreement
One of the more notable themes to emerge from the interviews was how similarly the candidates described the job itself.
Neither spent much time criticizing the other or embraced the public disagreements that have periodically divided Senate Republicans. Instead, both emphasized listening, relationships and finding common ground.
Painter said lawmakers accomplish more by focusing on shared priorities.
“I think when we start focusing on things that we agree on and start trying to work together on those, getting those things done, the other things take care of themselves,” he said.
Asked how he would balance representing District 24 with working alongside Senate leadership, fellow legislators and the next governor, Painter said he wants to “work with rather than against whoever the leadership is,” while remaining firm on issues he considers matters of principle.
Keyes expressed much the same philosophy.
“Healthy debate is part of good government,” he wrote. “The most successful organizations are those where people work through disagreements while keeping the larger mission in focus.”
Drawing on his advisory council experience, Keyes said successful legislation requires “listening, building relationships, and finding practical solutions without compromising core principles.”
Defining success
Asked how they would define a successful first term, both candidates returned to the themes that shaped their interviews.
Keyes said he hopes to point to legislation that strengthened Oklahoma’s economy, improved workforce development, modernized water infrastructure and made state government more efficient and accountable.
“If I’ve earned a reputation as someone who worked hard, treated people with respect, and delivered results, I’ll consider my first term a success,” he wrote.
Painter again returned to affordability, saying he hopes Oklahomans see meaningful progress on taxes and the rising cost of living while maintaining responsible government spending. He also cautioned against candidates who promise more than any single senator can deliver, saying his commitment is to work hard for District 24 rather than make unrealistic guarantees.
Painter and Keyes agree on many conservative principles, but each argues his background best prepares him to serve in the Oklahoma Senate. Painter points to a lifetime in District 24, decades caring for patients and years on the Moore school board. Keyes cites decades building businesses, serving on state advisory councils and helping shape public policy.
Republican voters will decide Aug. 25 which candidate advances to the Nov. 3 general election and takes the next step toward succeeding Weaver in the Oklahoma Senate.
