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Republican Teacher, Conservative Legislator Toni Hasenbeck Announces Campaign for State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Republican Toni Hasenbeck of Elgin has announced her candidacy for State Superintendent of Public Instruction. The Primary Election will be held June 16, 2026.
Hasenbeck has almost 20 years of experience as an Oklahoma classroom teacher. Since 2018, Hasenbeck has served as the State Representative for District 65 in southwest Oklahoma (Elgin, Anadarko, Caddo and Comanche Counties).
Hasenbeck is the ONLY candidate in the race who has (1) actual classroom experience AND (2) a proven conservative voting record in office.
Hasenbeck announced her candidacy in a speech given at the Oklahoma History Center near the state Capitol in OKC on Wednesday. A transcript of her prepared announcement speech is below.
Vivienne Hasenbeck (580-483-4012) will serve as the campaign's Finance Director. She is a graduate of Elgin High School and Oklahoma State University.
Jackson Cargill (405-694-0466) will serve as Campaign Manager. He is a graduate of Christian Heritage Academy and Stanford University.
PREPARED REMARKS OF STATE REPRESENTATIVE TONI HASENBECK
ON THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF HER CANDIDACY FOR STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
February 4, 2026, Oklahoma City
My fellow Oklahomans, good afternoon! Thank you so much for being here today. It's an honor to stand before you as I announce my candidacy for State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
My name is Toni Hasenbeck, and I am the most qualified—and the most conservative—candidate in this race.
That's worth repeating – so let me say it again!
My name is Toni Hasenbeck, and I am the most qualified—and the most conservative—candidate in this race.
I'm the ONLY candidate who has (1) actual classroom experience AND (2) a proven conservative voting record in office.
For nearly twenty years, I poured my heart into Oklahoma's classrooms. I've taught at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. I've worked in libraries and museums, inspiring young minds. And I've traveled across this great country, training fellow teachers to become even better educators. My degrees in Art from Oklahoma State University, Library Science, and a Master's in Educational Leadership from Cameron University have given me the well-rounded foundation no other candidate can match. I'm ready to bring that experience to transform our public schools—for the better.
I grew up in Stillwater, where I served as County 4-H President. My father, Butch Young, is a nationally known auctioneer, and I've been a longtime member of the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association. For years, I've helped run our family's cow-calf operation in Elgin and Fletcher. Agriculture runs deep in my blood—it's part of who I am, and it's why I will champion workforce-ready programs, Career Tech pathways, and ag education that prepare our kids for real Oklahoma jobs, just like strong conservative superintendents in other states have done.
Since 2018, I've proudly represented the 65th District in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, standing firm for conservative values every single day. I've authored or co-authored legislation on everything from protecting life and religious freedom to defending our Second Amendment rights and fighting federal overreach.
On your table is my campaign flyer with a comprehensive list of many of the conservative bills I have authored in the Legislature. It's good reading so don't miss it!
No one else running for this office has a conservative voting record that comes close to mine—I've passed 119 pieces of legislation, principal author on dozens. I don't just talk about principles; I deliver results.
I've fought—and won—on the issues that matter most to Oklahoma families:
I've led the charge to keep boys out of girls' sports, authoring one of the nation's first bills on this and pushing the issue through despite surprising resistance. I've stopped dangerous transgender surgeries and hormones for minors as principal author of SB 613 in 2023. I've defined man and woman according to God's design in HB 1449 in 2024—because biological reality and biblical truth matter in Oklahoma.
I have a 100% pro-life record, consistently honoring the unborn and standing with families every Rose Day at the Capitol. I'm 100% pro-Second Amendment, co-authoring the bill that made Oklahoma a Constitutional Carry state—no permits, no red tape for our God-given rights. I've defended religious freedom, authoring resolutions for the National Day of Prayer, because faith belongs in our public life, not banned by radicals.
As a former teacher and a mom of three—Vivienne and William, both OSU graduates, and Henlea, a junior at Elgin High School—I know what real education looks like. Not woke indoctrination, but back-to-basics fundamentals. I've voted for every teacher pay raise since 2018. I've supported school safety, lactation support for new moms, math tutoring, reading specialists, workforce courses, arts programs, and funding for rural schools. I authored the No Patient Left Alone Act to keep families together in hospitals, fought eminent domain abuse, cracked down on child porn and online dangers to kids, and reaffirmed our state's sovereignty against Washington bureaucrats.
But we need more. If you elect me as your State Superintendent, I will restore Oklahoma values—faith, family, freedom, and fundamentals—in every school. We'll mandate the Science of Reading with full phonics to skyrocket literacy. We'll enforce high standards in math, science, and patriotic U.S. History that celebrates American exceptionalism. We'll teach financial literacy, personal responsibility, free-market economics, and character through honesty, respect, integrity, virtue, and excellence.
Parents, you are the primary educators of your children—not bureaucrats or activists. I'll work to enact a strong Parents' Bill of Rights with veto power over curriculum, full transparency, and notification for sensitive topics. We'll eradicate indoctrination—no DEI, no CRT, no gender ideology, no divisive concepts. We'll protect single-sex facilities and sports based on biological sex at birth. We'll investigate and defund violators.
I'll champion teachers who focus on instruction and discipline, not activism—rewarding merit, reducing burdens, and defending your right to teach traditional values. We'll prioritize school safety with resource officers and zero tolerance, support voluntary prayer and Bible access, and combat grooming or explicit materials.
We'll expand real opportunities: grow Career Tech, apprenticeships, ag and STEM pathways, dual enrollment, and universal school choice through Education Savings Accounts and the like—so families can choose faith-based or classical options if they prefer. We'll protect and invest in rural schools as anchors of our heritage. And we'll reject federal overreach—no Common Core remnants, no DEI mandates—restoring local, conservative control.
Oklahoma deserves better than talkers or moderates who go squishy in Oklahoma City. We need a proven conservative champion—a fighter, not a follower—who's walked the walk in the classroom and the Capitol.
Join me in this fight. In this Republican primary, vote for the record that backs up the promises. Vote Toni Hasenbeck for State Superintendent.
Together, we'll restore Oklahoma values: Faith, Family, Freedom, and Fundamentals in Every School.
God bless you, God bless our kids, and God bless Oklahoma! Thank you!