Shannon discusses views during local visit Monday

Jun. 14—U. S. Senate candidate T.W. Shannon visited the Woodward News office before heading to the Chamber luncheon on Monday morning.

Shannon wanted to share his views with the citizens and answered a few questions that came up during the discussion.

"I will start out with, I'm a Christian, I'm a capitalist and a conservative, that makes me the liberal in Washington DC's worst nightmare," he siad. "In order to make America great, we've got to get back to things that made America great to start with. It's the Constitution, it's capitalism and is christianity.

"The real issues and priorities right now, as we travel the state, are people are hurting. People are having to decide whether to fill up their tank or buy groceries and/or medication. That shouldn't happen in America. We have the natural resources in our country, there is no reason we should not be drilling more in the United States."

Shannon added, "we also need to be focusing on having the strongest military the world's ever seen and we need to balance our budget. Another issue is we need to secure our border. It is more than just gross incompetence, but as a deliberate attempt to undermind America."

Shannon, a former Oklahoma House Speaker, touted his business background,

"We have to have leadership. I am a businessman and we need someone who approaches things from a business standpoint. The last few years I've been a banker, creating jobs and investing in small businesses," he said. "(I have been) Assisting people grow their businesses and for others to move into their dream homes. We have to unleash the power of the private sector in America to get us back on track and change leadership in Washington."

Shannon is one of 13 Republicans running to try and replace retiring Sen. Jim Inhofe.

Shannon said he is thankful that Roe v. Wade, the ruling that legalized abortion nationally, appears likely to be overturned by the Supreme Court.

"The values of America are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," he said. "I believe the government's first order of business is protecting life and our unborn children should have our protection to keep them safe."

On the issue of vaccination mandates, Shannon said, "Washington DC should not be making decisions about what happens inside a person's body and forcing someone to inject something into their body that is fundamentally wrong, so I'm going to oppose mandates.

"I'm a big advocate of science and research but it shouldn't be forced upon people. It wasn't about medicine or science but about control and controlling the population."

The GOP primary for the senate race is June 28 and polls on election day are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Early voting is allowed on June 23, June 24 and June 25.

Other Republican candidates in the U. S. Senate race include:

Markwayne Mullin

Alex Gray

Luke Holland

Nathan Dahm

Scott Pruitt

Adam Holley

Jessica Jean Garrison

Laura Moreno

Michael Coibion

John Tompkins

Randy Grellner

Paul Royse.

On the Democraticside, Kendra Horn is the only candidate.

For more information please contact the Election Board at 405-521-2391 or visit www.oklahoma.gov/elections/about-us/contact-us.html.