Dr. Carl Newton, an optometrist, announced he will be a Republican candidate for the House District 58 seat now held by Speaker Jeff Hickman, who is term-limited.
The seat cov ers the northeast half of Woodward County, along with all of Woods, Major and Alfalfa counties.
“I’ve had the opportunity to see the positive difference that Speaker Hickman has made in just 12 years,” said Newton, a key member of the campaign steering committee for Hickman’s first campaign in 2004, and chairman of the committee for Hickman’s re-election campaign. “I want to continue the tradition of excellence in leadership we’ve seen from Speaker Hickman. I have a heart to serve the people of Northwest Oklahoma. I grew up here, and then raised my family and built my career here.”
Born and raised in Waynoka, Newton attended school in Mooreland and Waynoka, working with his family on their farm and at their ranch. Graduating from Waynoka High School in 1974, he went on to Oklahoma Baptist University then completed his Bachelor’s degree at Oklahoma State University. He earned a Doctor of Optometry degree from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah in 1983.
Jacque, Newton’s wife of 37 years, is a Mooreland native. They also run an agritourism business, “Gloss Mountain Outfitters”, on their third-generation family ranch which is located near Bouse Junction. The Newtons have three adult children and five young grandchildren, four of whom live nearby in District 58. The couple attends the First Baptist Church where Newton has served as a deacon for 20 years, and as a youth and adult Sunday School teacher for the past 30 years.
Newton serves in numerous leadership roles both in northwest Oklahoma and statewide. He has been a member of the Alfalfa Electric Cooperative Board of Trustees for the past fifteen years, serving as president and currently as Board Secretary. He is also a board member for the Northwest Technology Centers. He served as state president and board member of the Oklahoma Association of Optometric Physicians and on the board of the Great Salt Plains Rural Health Centers. He is a past president of Cherokee Chamber of Commerce and the Cherokee Lions Club. Cherokee Main Street & Chamber of Commerce recently awarded Dr. and Mrs. Newton with its Lifetime Achievement Award. In these various roles he has always advocated for the people of northwest Oklahoma.
“If elected, my goal is to protect and enhance our deeply-held family values, rural heritage, priorities and way of life,” Newton said. “I am a Constitutional conservative. I believe the Bible is our directive in life, and I believe the Bible was the cornerstone used by our nation’s forefathers when they crafted our Constitution.”
