OK Corporation Commission Chairman To Enter US House Race

Oklahoma Corporation Commission Chairman Patrice Douglas has announced her campaign for the 5th Congressional District seat.

The announcement was made during a news conference Tuesday morning at Oklahoma Christian University located at 2501 E. Memorial Road in Edmond.

An attorney and banker, Douglas was elected mayor of Edmond in 2009. Gov. Mary Fallin appointed Douglas to fill a vacancy on the state's three-member Corporation Commission in 2011. Douglas was scheduled to face re-election in November, so a run for Congress would create a vacancy on the panel that regulates utilities, telecommunications and the state's oil and gas industry.

The 5th Congressional District seat is up for grabs after Republican U.S. Rep. James Lankford says he'll run for the U.S. Senate seat left open by U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn's resignation.

1/20/2014 Related Story: US Rep. Lankford Announces Run For US Senate Seat

1/16/2014 Related Story: Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn To Resign After Current Session