Debate Debrief: Senate District 47

The seat for Senate District 47 will be decided by voters in November. Ahead of the election, News 9 partnered with Non-Doc to hold a debate between the two candidates, Kelly Hines and Erin Brewer.

During the debate held at Francis Tuttle Technology Center’s Rockwell Campus, candidates discussed a number of topics including public safety, education, health care, economic development, and affordable housing. 

Each candidate was asked what qualifies them to serve in the Oklahoma legislature, and what skills they possess that will be helpful to their constituents. 

“I have relationships with legislators on both sides of the aisle and I think that's extremely important as we build bipartisan solutions to the challenges we face,” said Brewer.

“I know how to get people from all walks of life to come together for a common goal, not just because I told them to do it but because I got their buy-in and I earned their trust,” said Hines.

Hines is a retired Army Colonel and Brewer is a local business owner. Both agree that the biggest issue facing both the district and the state is education.

“We've got to have the great education out there where parents have the choice but we’ve also got to make sure it's not one size fits all,” said Hines.

“Across party lines, Ryan Walters is what voters tell me is the biggest problem in our district,” said Brewer.

Both agreed that they would not approve a budget that included a $3 million OSDE allocation to provide Bibles in public schools.

When it comes to an income-tax cut, the disagreement begins. Hines said he would vote in favor, while Brewer said she would vote against the cut, at least in the upcoming session.

‘We’ve got to be good stewards of Oklahoma's money,” said Hines.

“We are way too close to multiple revenue failures in our state to begin slashing income tax with no plan for revenue,” said Brewer.

Both agree there needs to be a focus on economic development and affordable housing in the upcoming session, but have differing views on health care. We asked each candidate if the topic of abortion should be moved to a vote of the people. Both said yes, but disagreed on how they would vote.

Both candidates also agreed that there is an increased need to fully fund local police officers, and ensure public safety is a top priority.

Now, the decision will be up to the people of Senate District 47, who will vote on Nov. 5th.