T.W. Shannon in 2022 OK Senate race
On Abortion:
Abortion the greatest moral black mark on American society
A devout Christian, Holland talks openly about his faith ("I'm a Jesus guy") and how he hopes Trump's Supreme Court nominees will ensure that
Roe v. Wade is overturned this year in the court. "I think that abortion is the greatest moral black mark on American society right now," Holland said.
Source: FOX News on 2022 Oklahoma Senate race
Feb 25, 2022
On Drugs:
$4 million to establish unit to go after illegal pot growers
Inhofe's office announced he requested $4 million in federal funds to help combat illegal Oklahoma marijuana growing operations. Inhofe's chief of staff, Luke Holland, announced the request during an Oklahoma Sheriffs Association meeting. Holland said
Inhofe requested a direct appropriation through the U.S. Justice Department to allow the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs to establish a unit to combat "transnational and national drug organizations."
Source: US News & World Report on 2022 Oklahoma Senate race
Jul 7, 2021
On Education:
Vouchers are the answer to fixing government-run schools
Shannon noted that school voucher programs have demonstrated "effectiveness in fixing the public schools.""I think that is the answer to fixing the government-run schools," Shannon said. "The Democrats have a strategy, and that strategy--a big
part of that--are these government-run schools." Shannon said public schools once served the common good and "used to be a really shining area for freedom, where every boy and girl was to be educated--a novel idea that was started by the churches."
Source: OK Council of Public Affairs on 2022 Oklahoma Senate race
Feb 16, 2022
On Education:
School boards are trying to kick parents out of classrooms
[On schools]: "Right now, Joe Biden is the weakest leader we have ever seen on the international stage, and every social policy he is advancing is against the Christian values that we all hold true," Holland said. "He wants to kick God out of
everything." He went on to accuse school boards of trying to kick parents out of classrooms and called human-made climate change "the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people'' and an attack on the oil and gas industry.
Source: Tulsa World on 2022 Oklahoma Senate race
Feb 27, 2022
On Energy & Oil:
Climate change a hoax to put oil and gas out of business
[On global warming]: "This thought that the man is in control of the climate and that we need to pass all these regulations, it's really just a foil for the left to try to put oil and gas out of business,"
Holland said of climate change. "Jim [Senator James Inhofe] said that it's the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people, and I agree with it."
Source: FOX News on 2022 Oklahoma Senate race
Feb 25, 2022
On Principles & Values:
People stormed the Capitol because of rigged election
T.W. Shannon, a bank CEO and former Oklahoma Speaker of the House, falsely equated the riot to the racial justice protests that occurred over the summer, and echoed Trump's spurious claim that the election
was "rigged." "The reason that people stormed the Capitol was because they felt hopeless because of a rigged election," Shannon said.
Source: Time magazine on 2022 Oklahoma Senate race
Feb 26, 2021
On Environment:
Farmers, ranchers don't need EPA to tell them what to do
Holland said WOTUS (Waters of the US) had been a disaster for farmers because everything has to be regulated by the EPA, "anytime you have to deal with the government you have to ask so many people for permission, and it slows everything down, and you
may get to a point where they say you can't do it, even if it's your land, and that's not freedom. " Holland adds that no one cares more for the land than the farmers and ranchers, "and we don't need the EPA to tell us how to do it."
Source: Oklahoma Farm Report on 2022 Oklahoma Senate race
Mar 21, 2022
On Government Reform:
Voters have a lot of concerns over election security
Holland did not refer to President Joe Biden as "president" while announcing his candidacy. When asked by The Frontier if he believes Biden to be the duly elected president, Holland did not answer the question and started talking about election
integrity. "He was sworn in under our Constitution," Holland said. "So one of the things that I really heard a lot about over the last couple of months and last year is the concerns that voters have over election security."
Source: Tahlequa Daily Press on 2022 Oklahoma Senate race
Feb 27, 2022
On Health Care:
Wanted old VA hospital converted to mental health facility
Muskogee's Veterans Affairs Medical Center is recommended for closure, rather than transition to an in-patient mental health and treatment center. Holland criticized the recommendation. "When we worked together on the development of the new Tulsa
VA Hospital, we developed plans with the VA to convert the Muskogee facility into a long-term mental health care facility," Holland said. "This type of facility is needed by our veteran community, and Muskogee is in a perfect position to serve them."
Source: Tulsa World on 2022 Oklahoma Senate race
Mar 14, 2022
On Homeland Security:
Fight socialism; rebuild our military; stand up to China
[On political philosophy]: "The people of Oklahoma owe a debt of gratitude to Senator Inhofe for his lifetime of service to Oklahoma families and protecting American freedoms," Holland said in a statement. "As your next senator,
I will continue the Inhofe legacy of defending our Christian values, fighting socialism, rebuilding our military and standing up to China."
Source: Tulsa World on 2022 Oklahoma Senate race
Feb 25, 2022
On Principles & Values:
The radical left hates America; I love this country
The radical left hates America and everything it stands for. However, I love this country, and I will fight to preserve it for future generations.
America is the land of systemic freedom and opportunity. It is not too late to Save America, but I need your help.
Source: 2022 Oklahoma Senate campaign website tw4ok.com
Mar 23, 2022
On Principles & Values:
Started as staff assistant, became Inhofe's chief of staff
He began as a staff assistant in Inhofe's office and worked in the mailroom all the way back in 2009. He would eventually move up in positions and manage a wide array of responsibilities over topics like aviation, environmental, and energy policies for
Inhofe. By 2017, he became Inhofe's chief of staff. Holland has coordinated with representatives from many industries, staff from various offices, and even the White House as part of his duties. Holland accepted Inhofe's endorsement.
Source: KJRH on 2022 Oklahoma Senate race
Feb 25, 2022
On Principles & Values:
Single because the Lord hasn't provided the right woman yet
Public records show Holland was registered to vote at his parents' home address in Bartlesville until recently, when he purchased a Brookside bungalow in June. He is now registered to vote in Tulsa.
At Friday's press conference, Holland described himself as "a Jesus guy who goes to a Baptist church" and said he is single because "the Lord hasn't provided the right woman yet for me."
Source: Tulsa World on 2022 Oklahoma Senate race
Feb 27, 2022
On Gun Control:
Most gun violence happens in Democrat-controlled cities
The two candidates said they would not support any gun control measures. "Most of the gun violence that we see is happening in Democrat-controlled cities, where they have some of the strictest gun laws and they're not keeping people safe,"
T.W. Shannon said [See factcheck disputing this]. "In order to protect your family, it's important to understand gun safety, but that does not start with disarmament from Washington, D.C."
Markwayne Mullin said Oklahomans "support assault rifles. We support the right to bear arms, without question."
He said the Second Amendment's protection of the right to bear arms gives legislators "no wiggle room."
Source: The Oklahoman on 2022 Oklahoma Senate race
Aug 2, 2022
On Gun Control:
FactCheck: gun violence rate higher in GOP-controlled states
[T.W. Shannon said, "Most of the gun violence that we see is happening in Democrat-controlled cities." Is that true?]Many prominent Republicans discuss America's gun violence epidemic [saying] that most shootings only occur in large cities in
Democratic states, proving that gun laws make no difference. According to experts, however, it's an epidemic that touches rural communities just as much as urban ones, with disproportionate impacts on Republican-led states.
Between 2019 and 2020,
Republican, largely rural states with low populations--MS, LA, WY, MO, AL, and AK--had the six highest per capita rates of gun deaths. These states also had the highest rates of gun ownership for the same period. In Mississippi, about half of adults
live in a household with a gun.
The states with the lowest rates of gun deaths--HI, MA, and NJ--all were Democratic and have stricter gun laws. Rural America saw nearly the same spike in homicides as cities did in 2020, with deaths rising by 25%, .
Source: The Independent (UK) FactCheck on 2022 Oklahoma Senate race
Jul 26, 2022
Page last updated: Feb 14, 2023