Okla. Speaker Shannon launches first ad

Oklahoma Republican Senate candidate T.W. Shannon released his first ad of the special election on Wednesday, introducing himself to voters.

{mosads}The minute-long spot features clips from Shannon’s kickoff video of him sitting in the pew of the church he attends with his family, speaking about his religious values and vision for the country.

“If conservatives here in Oklahoma and across America will unite and send the right leaders to Washington, we can restore prosperity, we can renew our values and we can reclaim our destiny. With conservative leadership we can fix what’s wrong with our country,” he says.

A narrator describes Shannon as a sixth-generation Oklahoman, “guided by his faith, raised by working class parents.”

It’s backed by a $150,000 buy and will air on Tulsa and Oklahoma City broadcast stations, as well as on Fox News and cable statewide.

The Oklahoma House speaker is facing Rep. James Lankford (R-Okla.) in the special election primary for retiring Sen. Tom Coburn’s (R-Okla.) seat, and it’s expected to be a race to the right and a competitive fight for the seat. Former state Sen. Randy Brogdon is also considering a run.

Republicans are expected to retain the seat regardless of the primary outcome.