Johnny Jernigan, Democrat

Johnny Jernigan said his reason for seeking the Senate 32 seat is simple.

“I want to make a change,” he said, adding his top concerns include health care, education and support for small businesses.

Health care is a special concern, given his current profession. After earning his certification as a nurse’s aide at Great Plains Technology Center, he began working at Lawton’s VA Center in mid-September. He credits his father’s illness for bringing him to his current career, but said he also has a wide variety of experience in other areas, ranging from work in the oil field, to time spent as an Uber and Lift driver.

Jernigan said education also is a strong interest, saying state officials must “stop the bleeding” in terms of cutting funding for public education to allocate it to private entities, calling moves to redirect what should be public monies immoral.

He also supports term limits and believes in middle-of-the-road politics, saying the state was in better shape when that was true.

Jernigan admits he has an uphill battle in winning the Senate District 32 seat, explaining there are only nine Democrats in the Oklahoma Senate now. But if he wins, he said it will make it easier for another Democrat to get elected.

More information is available by contacting him at jernigan5032@gmail.