TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Former Oklahoma House Speaker Todd Hiett has been elected to an open six-year term on the state's corporation commission.
Hiett defeated fellow Republican Cliff Branan in Tuesday's primary election, which was a winner-take-all contest because no Democrats or independents filed for the position.
The commission's three-member panel oversees the oil and natural gas industry and public utilities in the state.
Hiett became the first Republican House speaker in recent history when the GOP took control of the chamber in 2004.
Both candidates criticized what they saw as the federal government's overreach into the regulation of industries like oil and natural gas, among others.