Lawton native Jennifer Ellis announces state Senate campaign

Republican local businesswoman Jennifer Ellis said Monday that she is running to fill the Comanche County state Senate seat being vacated by Sen. John Michael Montgomery.

“I love Comanche County and the State of Oklahoma,” Ellis said in a statement. “I was raised here, and I chose to raise my own family here. I have a deep understanding of our past and have ambitious goals for our future. I believe in the power of service and the importance of fighting for the needs of our citizens. As Senator, no one will work harder for the people of our county than me.”

Montgomery is vacating his seat after being selected as the new president/CEO of the Lawton Fort Sill Chamber of Commerce last week. A date for a special election to replace him has not been announced.

Ellis was born at Rhein-Main Air Base in Frankfurt, Germany. After her father’s service in Vietnam, her family settled back in Lawton, where she attended Lawton Public Schools, graduating from Eisenhower High School in 1986. After high school, she attended Cameron University and later completed her degree at the University of Oklahoma after her military service ended. She and her husband, Mark, have three children and five grandchildren.

She was a Patriot Missile Operator and mechanic in the Army, a MOS now located at Fort Sill. For nearly 27 years, she has worked at Cosmetic Specialty Labs Inc. in Lawton, where she’s president and CEO. The company manufactures pharmaceuticals and cosmetics for customers like ULTA Beauty, Walmart, and Walgreens and exports products to over 50 countries.

After serving on multiple Lawton boards and nonprofits, including as the chair of the Lawton Fort Sill Chamber of Commerce, the third woman in the history of the organization to do so, and as Mayor of the Town of Medicine Park, she was appointed by Gov. Kevin Stitt to the Oklahoma Bar Association Professional Responsibilities Tribunal in 2019. The governor then tapped her to serve as a Commissioner on the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC) in 2021, with the Oklahoma Senate unanimously confirming that appointment. As the state began to recover from COVID she was requested to serve on the governor’s “Bounce Back Committee,” leading the Manufacturing Committee.

Ellis will hold her campaign kickoff party from 6-8 p.m. July 24 at The Silver Spoon and Bakeshop in Lawton. 

For more information, contact Vivienne Hasenbeck at 405-593-8436.