Newcastle resident Mike Fullerton has announced his intention to run for the House District 20 seat being vacated by State Rep. Sherrie Conley (R-Newcastle) after her current term.
Fullerton, 58 and a registered Republican, is a resident at 2745 N.W. 30th Street. Fullerton is currently the Ward 3 City Councilman and has also served as vice-mayor since 2013. He has been employed as a Senior Roadway Designer for 38 years, the last 32 of those have been with TEIM Design of Oklahoma City He said he is running for the office to find new ways to solve problems and innovate government policy as well as to stay true to limited government regulation and taxes, while rewarding innovation.
“Federal government overreach by unelected bureaucrats slows progress and innovation,” Fullerton said. “We must fight back against these rules and regulations.”
Fullerton was born in Duncan, and grew up in the Empire farming community where he said he learned lessons about raising cattle, planting crops, and cutting hay.
“My parents were small business owners, my father was a plumber/heat/air contractor until he retired. My mother is still going strong after 65 years as a hairstylist,” Fullerton said.
Fullerton graduated from Empire High School, and Red River Vo-Tech with certification in Drafting Skills, and then earned an Associate of Science in CAD/CADD Drafting and Design from Cameron University. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Technology from the University of Central Oklahoma.
He has been married to Lisa (Lord) Fullerton of Bray for 36 years. Fullerton said he and his beautiful wife have made Newcastle home for the last 28 years, while raising their two boys.
Fullerton said he and Lisa have been blessed with two boys, a daughter-in-law, and a beautiful granddaughter. They are: Trevor Fullerton, 27, who is married to Kurstin. They live in Tuttle with their daughter, Blakelee, 2. Fullerton’s other son is Tyler, 22, of Newcastle.
Fullerton has been very involved in his community starting back when he was growing up. He earned an Eagle Scout Rank at Troop 434 of Duncan, and a Future Farmers of America State Farmers Degree while attending Empire High School.
He has been involved in multiple volunteer roles in the Boy Scouts of America as an adult leader for Newcastle’s Cub Scout Pack 231 and Scout Troop 231 as Cub Scout Den Leader, Assistant Cub Master, Cub Master, and Assistant Scout Master — all sponsored by Newcastle United Methodist Church, where he currently holds a position as Assistant Crew Leader for Crew 82 sponsored by Tri City Gun Club.
Fullerton is a recipient of the BSA Sooner District Merit Award as a volunteer adult leader.
He was a 4-H shooting coach for rifle, pistol, and shotgun when his two sons were members in McClain County Shooting 4-H Club.
He is currently an active member in the NRA, with certifications in Range Safety Officer, Pistol, Rifle, and Shotgun Instructor.
Fullerton holds CLEET certification as an Oklahoma instructor for the Oklahoma Self Defense Act Handgun License.
He was elected as the Ward 3 Newcastle City Council member in 2013 and continues to serve today. He also has been a board member since 2013 for the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG), sitting on the Metropolitan Planning Organization Policy Committee and as an alternate board member for 911 ACOG representing Newcastle.
When asked why he is running for HD-20, Fullerton said he is running for office for a multitude of reasons.
He said, “I have spent many years focusing on issues that deeply affect the people of this district. I feel like too many people are running for office for the wrong reasons. Some are running as a stepping- stone for what office they want to jump to further a political career, while others want the attention and media clips to build a personal brand.
“My time solving difficult issues on the Newcastle City Council has taught me we have to build consensus to accomplish our objectives. Many people get elected and are influenced by lobbyists and special interest groups. My only interest is to the people of House District 20.”
Fullerton said, “We are one of the fastest growing, if not the fastest growing, District in the State of Oklahoma considering percentage growth. We must act now to prepare our infrastructure, education system, law enforcement and health care providers to be prepared for this growth. Catching up from behind will be more costly and cause more inconvenience for our citizens.
“President Trump showed us the conventional way of government thinking would only give us what we had been doing repeatedly for two decades. His innovative thinking brought unemployment to all-time lows. Violent crime fell to the lowest levels since the 1990s. We reduced illegal immigration and moved us away from more wars.
“Federal government overreach by unelected bureaucrats slows progress and innovation. We must fight back against these rules and regulations.”
Fullerton was also asked what he would like to see from the State Capitol for the District 20 area.
Fullerton said, “We need to bring all parties together for education and economic development. These issues are intertwined in the success of our future. We need to bring K-12, Career Tech, Higher Ed, Tribal partners, and Economic Development groups to the table.
“If we want to recruit 400 good paying jobs to District 20, we want to fill those jobs with qualified employees from our District. When it comes to making sure our infrastructure is in place, we again must have all stakeholders at the table. This includes federal, state, county, and municipal governments — all working together to make sure we get the most production at the best market costs.
“We need to focus on these things in a thoughtful and consensus building coalition. The radical left’s symbolic without substance legislation must be defeated quickly to allow us to focus on our needs. Bills trying to allow minors to take life altering puberty blockers and surgical procedures while not allowing a school to give an allergy medicine to students shows this absurdity.
“It is hard for most of us to believe that in 2023 we would even be discussing males playing female sports and sharing bathrooms and locker rooms with daughters and other females. These progressive policies need to stay in California and New York, not in Oklahoma. We need Oklahoma Representatives to quickly kill these types of progressive bills and deal with the current problems and solutions Oklahoma needs to focus on.
“I will stand for my Conservative principles. Socially and economically, we need to focus on incentivizing the family unit. Moms and dads both must be involved in their children’s lives. Tax policy and social policy need to promote these values, not undermine them. I look forward to an optimistic campaign about our future. I hope all those who seek this office will do the same.”
The candidate filing period is April 3-5, 2024, and the primary election is scheduled for June 18, 2024. The general election has been set by the State Election Board as November 5, 2024.
