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Oklahoma
Posted: Jan 13, 2026 9:01 AMUpdated: Jan 13, 2026 9:12 AM
TW Shannon Running for Lt. Governor
Tom Davis
Former Oklahoma House Speaker T.W. Shannon announced Monday that he is running for lieutenant governor. On Tuesday, Shannon, flanked by former State Rep Earl Sears, Shannon joined us on KWON's COMMUNITY CONNECTION to talk about his run for Lt. Governor.
TW Shannon recently served in the Trump administration with the USDA. He told us he is running on an “America First” and “Oklahoma First” platform, emphasizing conservative values, tax cuts, and economic growth. Shannon also wants to dispell the rumor that "Oklahoma is the home of systemic racism" and replace the saying with "Oklahoma is the home of systemic opporunity."
T.W. Shannon is a Lawton native. In 2006, Shannon was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives at the age of 28 and became Oklahoma’s youngest and first African American Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 2013. Before becoming an elected official, Shannon worked as a field representative for former Congressman J.C. Watts and Congressman Tom Cole and served as the Chief Administrative Officer for the Chickasaw Nation. Shannon earned a Bachelor of Arts in communications from Cameron University and holds a Juris Doctorate from Oklahoma City University Law School.
Shannon said his priorities include cutting taxes, reducing government size, and making Oklahoma more attractive to businesses leaving high-tax states. He said,“We’ve got to rein in our spending even here in Oklahoma, because again, allowing people to keep more of their money, that’s actually how you grow an economy, not by growing government.”
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