OKPOLICY.ORG
By Nuria Martinez-Keel
An Oklahoma State University graduate and a current student found 22 is the perfect time to run for the state House of Representatives.
The former president of the OSU Student Government Association and a secondary education senior are running against each other to represent House District 29.
Depew native Kyle Hilbert, who graduated from OSU in May 2016, is the Republican candidate campaigning against Democrat Macy Gleason, of Mannford.
Rep. James Leewright, R-Bristow, will vacate the seat for District 29, which covers Creek County and parts of Tulsa County, after running for Senate District 12. Leewright defeated Republican challenger Patrick Kennedy and is running unopposed in the general election.
Hilbert announced his candidacy last fall and campaigned without a Republican primary election challenger. Gleason announced her bid for the House in April and defeated Rick Parris in the June 28 primary election 79 percent to 21 percent.
Campaign Issues
Both candidates expressed support for improving education in Oklahoma but have differing opinions on how to address it.
The state has led the nation in education budget cuts since 2008, according to the Oklahoma Policy Institute.
Legislators approved a 7 percent cut to all state budgets in the wake of a $1.3 billion budget shortfall this year. The poor performance of the Oklahoma oil industry has dried up necessary state revenue for funds, leading to cuts in expenditures.
Although the 2017 fiscal plan will keep the education budget relatively the same as this year’s, the obligatory 7 percent cuts have caused public schools around the state to lay off teachers and increase class sizes, according to a school survey from the Oklahoma State School Boards Association.
Gleason, who plans to teach middle or high school science, is running as a part of the teacher caucus of educators campaigning for the Legislature to improve state education funding. The caucus is primarily made up of Democratic candidates, though some Independent and Republican educators have run, as well.
“I watched, especially this last session, as the Legislature was passing all these irresponsible budget cuts that really hurt my students and my future students,” Gleason said. “When I made the decision that ‘OK, I’m going to run,’ I just couldn’t imagine walking into my classroom a year from now and saying to my students that I had a chance to fight for the resources and I didn’t do it.”
With a Republican supermajority, the Legislature has enacted a conservative fiscal policy and given millions in tax credits to companies as incentives to stay in Oklahoma and to encourage the success of their respective industries.
Gleason said she supports examining the tax credits given to make sure each is bringing a beneficial amount of jobs and revenue. Those that are not can be eliminated, and the increased tax revenue can go toward other expenses, such as education and senior care, she said.
Hilbert said he supports a conservative tax policy with low taxation and little government intervention in state markets. Education and infrastructure should be prioritized with the revenue the state does gain, he said.
“We need to be conservative with our tax dollars and our policy, and the policy we do have we need to do it well,” Hilbert said. “We need to have a strong education system across the board and a strong infrastructure. We need to have good roads and bridges. People often talk about the economy, but beyond that, it’s legitimately life and death having good roads and good bridges in the state.”
Oklahoma has consistently had poor ratings for its roads and bridges. The American Society of Civil Engineers graded the state’s roadways as a D and its bridges a D-plus in its 2013 Report Card for Oklahoma’s Infrastructure.
Tulsa and Oklahoma City are both ranked No. 1 in their respective population categories for the most structurally deficient bridges in the nation, according to the report card.
The Age Factor
Despite their young age, Hilbert and Gleason said they have had a positive reception from voters.
“(Voters) might hear through the grapevine or something that a 22-year-old is running, but when they get to meet you at their doorstep, they get to really know who you are, and (age) doesn’t seem to be as big of an issue,” Hilbert said.
The youngest age allowed for a state representative is 21, according to Article 5, Section 17 of the Oklahoma Constitution. Young candidates aiming for the Capitol are not unheard of in the state.
Rep. Elise Hall, R-Oklahoma City, was 21 when she began her first term in the House in 2011. Rep. Emily Virgin, D-Norman, was a 23-year-old law student in 2011 when she joined the House.
District 29 also has a history of electing candidates in their 20s. Todd Hiett, who served from 1995-2007, and Skye McNiel, 2007-2013, were both 27-year-old Republicans when district voters elected them to the House.
Jeannette Mendez, head of the OSU Department of Political Science, said young candidates face an uphill battle when they run against older contenders.
“I think (young people are) received well, but I think it depends on who their challenger is, too, especially kind of when they’re making that experience (pitch),” Mendez said. “If I’m a young person running, my best bet is to run against someone young.”
Older candidates typically have an advantage not from their age but because they are often more entrenched in their community, Mendez said. With more time to build a network and develop connections, the older candidates can win once elections come down to basic numbers and support.
That disadvantage for young people, though, is thrown out the window in an election when both candidates are 22. Mendez said the candidates’ ability to campaign and spread their name and message would have a greater influence on the race.
OSU Connection
Both candidates said their college experience at OSU has contributed to their preparedness to run for political office.
Gleason has participated in the President’s Leadership Council, education research and academic mentoring at the university. She is in her first semester of her senior year and commutes to Stillwater for class in between days of knocking on voters’ doors.
If elected, she said she would postpone her final semester of student teaching to take part in the 2017 Legislative session, which runs in the spring, and finish her education degree next fall.
“Serving people is my passion,” Gleason said. “When you couple my experiences with leadership but also my experiences in mentorship roles, I believe service leadership is the type of leadership that I most exhibit.”
Hilbert also has experience campaigning while in school. He was a full-time student in his senior year and the SGA president when he announced his candidacy for the House last fall. Since the announcement, he said he regularly drove back to Creek County to campaign. After graduating, he was able to dedicate more of his time to campaigning.
Through student government, Hilbert ran a campaign for the presidential office and worked with the SGA Senate to pass legislation.
“I found the need to find different coalitions of people to work together to pass legislation and the importance of being actively engaged,” Hilbert said. “If I went with (senators) and worked with them, it would have a much better chance of passing.
“It really was a learning experience.”
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