Rep. Shane Jett announced this week he will seek the Fifth District Congressional seat being vacated by Congresswoman Mary Fallin, who is a Republican contender for governor of Oklahoma this year.
Jett, of Tecumseh, also a Republican, currently represents District 27 in the state House of Representatives which primarily covers rural communities in southern Pottawatomie County and a portion of Cleveland County.
In order to enter the race for the Fifth District Congressional seat, which covers a large portion of Oklahoma County — excluding Tinker Air Force Base — and all of Pottawatomie and Seminole counties, Jett will be giving up District 27 at the end of his third two-year term this year.
Jett said he expected Fallin, who is in her second term as a representative in the U.S. Congress, to “stay in about a decade.”
He said he figured by that time he would have termed out in the state legislature and would have completed his six-year commitment to the U.S. Navy, leaving him wide open to run for the congressional seat.
However, Jett said the early arrival of the opportunity to run for Congress — although unexpected — provides him with the potential to better fulfill his state-level campaign-trail promises.
“There are a lot of issues I came to the House hoping to resolve but couldn’t because I discovered they were congressional issues,” Jett said. “This will help me to keep the promises I made on the campaign trail that are important to House District 27, as well as focusing on issues important to Seminole and Oklahoma counties. The mission is the same but we need changes on the federal level.”
Jett said if elected to the seat, he will continue to seek ways of providing access to “quality cell signals and quality Internet in rural areas” and will be “really focused on trying to provide jobs for high school and college kids so they can stay in Oklahoma.”
“I have many ideas to improve the opportunities for these students as they graduate and begin to seek jobs,” he said.
Jett said his service thus far in the military has helped expand his world view, as did his five-year experience with teaching English and his time spent living in Brazil. He said that during his time in Brazil, where he worked as a business consultant with the state of Oklahoma as a client, along with his time at the state Capitol, he has learned what is important to those in the urban areas he would represent if elected to the Fifth District seat.
Also as a Tecumseh native and former Oklahoma Baptist University graduate, and as a state representative for a primarily rural area, he said he understands the needs of and the value in the agricultural sector.
“The people of Pottawatomie County understand that improving tourism in Bricktown is good for the region; they understand what is good for Oklahoma City,” he said. “But it’s not always as easy for those in Oklahoma City to understand the importance of agriculture. I understand both areas; I am very well-rounded and balanced and can make sure my constituents have a voice...I can make sure we’re looking out for Oklahoma and can try to develop more opportunities for Oklahoma.”
Jett said he knows his campaign will cost a minimum $250,000 but said he is not comfortable disclosing how much he believes he will need for his campaign.
“We’re going to run ours very grass roots, very innovative, with an eye for a budget,” he said.
He also said that his wife and two daughters will be “very involved” in the campaign process, which is a decision the family made “after a lot of soul searching and prayer.”
“This is something we’re going to do as a family,” he said. “I’ve taken my family to many events and have passed on some that weren’t family-friendly. If they’re not family-friendly, I believe I shouldn’t be there.”
Jett said he will have a “formal, volunteer get-together” noon Friday on the first floor of the state Capitol.
“It is definitely a family event and anyone who wants to be a part is invited to participate,” he said.
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Johnna Ray may be reached at 214-3934.
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Rep. Shane Jett announced this week he will seek the Fifth District Congressional seat being vacated by Congresswoman Mary Fallin, who is a Republican contender for governor of Oklahoma this year.
Jett, of Tecumseh, also a Republican, currently represents District 27 in the state House of Representatives which primarily covers rural communities in southern Pottawatomie County and a portion of Cleveland County.
In order to enter the race for the Fifth District Congressional seat, which covers a large portion of Oklahoma County — excluding Tinker Air Force Base — and all of Pottawatomie and Seminole counties, Jett will be giving up District 27 at the end of his third two-year term this year.
Jett said he expected Fallin, who is in her second term as a representative in the U.S. Congress, to “stay in about a decade.”
He said he figured by that time he would have termed out in the state legislature and would have completed his six-year commitment to the U.S. Navy, leaving him wide open to run for the congressional seat.
However, Jett said the early arrival of the opportunity to run for Congress — although unexpected — provides him with the potential to better fulfill his state-level campaign-trail promises.
“There are a lot of issues I came to the House hoping to resolve but couldn’t because I discovered they were congressional issues,” Jett said. “This will help me to keep the promises I made on the campaign trail that are important to House District 27, as well as focusing on issues important to Seminole and Oklahoma counties. The mission is the same but we need changes on the federal level.”
Jett said if elected to the seat, he will continue to seek ways of providing access to “quality cell signals and quality Internet in rural areas” and will be “really focused on trying to provide jobs for high school and college kids so they can stay in Oklahoma.”
“I have many ideas to improve the opportunities for these students as they graduate and begin to seek jobs,” he said.
Jett said his service thus far in the military has helped expand his world view, as did his five-year experience with teaching English and his time spent living in Brazil. He said that during his time in Brazil, where he worked as a business consultant with the state of Oklahoma as a client, along with his time at the state Capitol, he has learned what is important to those in the urban areas he would represent if elected to the Fifth District seat.
Also as a Tecumseh native and former Oklahoma Baptist University graduate, and as a state representative for a primarily rural area, he said he understands the needs of and the value in the agricultural sector.
“The people of Pottawatomie County understand that improving tourism in Bricktown is good for the region; they understand what is good for Oklahoma City,” he said. “But it’s not always as easy for those in Oklahoma City to understand the importance of agriculture. I understand both areas; I am very well-rounded and balanced and can make sure my constituents have a voice...I can make sure we’re looking out for Oklahoma and can try to develop more opportunities for Oklahoma.”
Jett said he knows his campaign will cost a minimum $250,000 but said he is not comfortable disclosing how much he believes he will need for his campaign.
“We’re going to run ours very grass roots, very innovative, with an eye for a budget,” he said.
He also said that his wife and two daughters will be “very involved” in the campaign process, which is a decision the family made “after a lot of soul searching and prayer.”
“This is something we’re going to do as a family,” he said. “I’ve taken my family to many events and have passed on some that weren’t family-friendly. If they’re not family-friendly, I believe I shouldn’t be there.”
Jett said he will have a “formal, volunteer get-together” noon Friday on the first floor of the state Capitol.
“It is definitely a family event and anyone who wants to be a part is invited to participate,” he said.
———
Johnna Ray may be reached at 214-3934.
