January 14, 2020
By News Director Jared Atha
The political landscape continues to change with another western Oklahoman declaring his intention to run for a public office.
Austin Gipson-Black, a democrat from Texola, announced recently his intention to run for the District 55 seat in the State House of Representatives. The seat is currently held by Republican Todd Russ of Cordell, who still has another two years available to serve before being term limited.
Gipson-Black, a graduate of Erick High School and current student at the Oklahoma City University School of Law, credits his upbringing as motivation for seeking the seat. Gipson-Black’s father is Kevin Black, a former teacher at Elk City Schools for 27 years. His mother, Teressa Gipson, worked for the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department for 35 years.
After graduating from Erick High School, Gipson-Black earned a B.A. in Religion and Philosophy and a B.A. in Political Science from OCU. After college, he attended the Ronald Reagan Foundation’s American Studies Program in Washington, D.C., where he researched national and global economics, free trade, and civil rights.
Gipson-Black says even though he’ll be running against a long time incumbent in Russ, there is no intimidation factor.
Gipson-Black added that if elected, he’s ready to fight for western Oklahoma.
If Gipson-Black were to draw a democratic challenger on the ballot, the primary election is scheduled for June 30th, with a runoff election on August 25th, if needed. The general election is November 3rd.
