By Robert Medley
Managing Editor
Oklahoma’s Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell made a stop at a fundraiser for Piedmont’s state Rep. Denise Crosswhite Hader, R-Piedmont, Thursday, Nov. 30.
Pinnell talked about why he is supporting his old friend at the event that drew a crowd on a rainy evening to the Piedmont Area Veterans Association building.
Canadian County Sheriff Chris West, Piedmont City Councilman Jonathan Hisey, former councilman Kevan Blasdel and other local Republicans attended.
Pinnell explained why he supports Crosswhite Hader in her reelection bid.
“We’ve been friends for probably over 15 years now so I knew Denise before she was serving in the Legislature. I knew her when she was helping candidates and had a passion for being in elected office. And she’s done everything she said she was going to do when she ran for office,” Pinnell said, speaking near a table of hors d’oeuvres in the veteran’s center. “She pays attention to her communities as good as any elected official that I know and really has a pulse on what the taxpayers in her district want and their needs and barriers to creating jobs and getting back to work. Those are big issues of mine.”
“It’s a no-brainer for me to be supporting Rep. Hader in her reelection effort,” Pinnell said.
Rep. Crosswhite Hader serves the district covering Piedmont, Surrey Hills, western Oklahoma City and eastern Canadian County. Parts of western Oklahoma, southern Logan and Kingfisher counties are in her district. She currently lives in Surrey Hills, and she said she is starting her campaign for reelection early.
“I just want to make sure the citizens know I want to continue to serve them,” Hader said.
She has been in office since 2018. Raised in Piedmont, she is married to former Canadian County Commissioner Marc Hader. She has been assigned to the State Transportation Committee as part of her many duties in office.
The filing period for state representative is April 3-4, 2024. The general election date is Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024.
Oklahoma state representatives serve two-year terms.
“We still do have a while but with a two-year cycle we’re constantly in cycle it feels like,” Crosswhite Hader said at the Nov. 30 event.
She said has spent time visiting with people door-to-door this year.
“When I was on the door, the main thing I said was that I really want to leave you alone. And so that is still my goal. I want government to not be the first thought on people’s mind,” Crosswhite Hader said.
She said she has focused on administrative rules as a watchdog.
“My favorite really to work on is transportation because I feel like that is a proper role of government. I cannot build a road from my house to your house and that is where government serves us best, transportation and infrastructure,” Crosswhite Hader said.
She said the Biden administration, inflation has caused challenges to campaigning, and she wanted to start early with Pinnell.
“I do appreciate the Lt. Gov. I’ve known him before. We have both been friends a long time because we care about people and that is why we are active,” Crosswhite Hader said.
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