Shelley Gwartney

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Shelley Gwartney
Image of Shelley Gwartney
Elections and appointments
Last election

August 27, 2024

Personal
Birthplace
Tulsa, Okla.
Religion
Christian
Profession
Consultant
Contact

Shelley Gwartney (Republican Party) ran for election to the Oklahoma State Senate to represent District 33. She lost in the Republican primary runoff on August 27, 2024.

Gwartney completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Shelley Gwartney was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her career experience includes working as a consultant.[1]

Gwartney has been affiliated with the following organizations:[1]

  • OKHPR
  • American Farmland Trust
  • The Heritage Foundation
  • Moms For Liberty
  • Women For Tulsa
  • OK2A
  • Family Research Council
  • OKGOP
  • Republican Women's Clubs
  • NRA
  • Tulsa Classical Academy

Elections

2024

See also: Oklahoma State Senate elections, 2024

General election

General election for Oklahoma State Senate District 33

Christi Gillespie defeated Bob Willis in the general election for Oklahoma State Senate District 33 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Christi Gillespie
Christi Gillespie (R) Candidate Connection
 
67.2
 
23,105
Image of Bob Willis
Bob Willis (D)
 
32.8
 
11,254

Total votes: 34,359
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary runoff election

Republican primary runoff for Oklahoma State Senate District 33

Christi Gillespie defeated Shelley Gwartney in the Republican primary runoff for Oklahoma State Senate District 33 on August 27, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Christi Gillespie
Christi Gillespie Candidate Connection
 
55.5
 
2,621
Image of Shelley Gwartney
Shelley Gwartney Candidate Connection
 
44.5
 
2,105

Total votes: 4,726
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Bob Willis advanced from the Democratic primary for Oklahoma State Senate District 33.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Oklahoma State Senate District 33

Christi Gillespie and Shelley Gwartney advanced to a runoff. They defeated William D. Bickerstaff and Timothy Brooks in the Republican primary for Oklahoma State Senate District 33 on June 18, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Christi Gillespie
Christi Gillespie Candidate Connection
 
44.3
 
2,081
Image of Shelley Gwartney
Shelley Gwartney Candidate Connection
 
25.0
 
1,174
William D. Bickerstaff
 
22.0
 
1,032
Image of Timothy Brooks
Timothy Brooks Candidate Connection
 
8.7
 
410

Total votes: 4,697
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

To view Gwartney's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Gwartney in this election.

2022

See also: Union Public Schools, Oklahoma, elections (2022)

General election

General election for Union Public Schools Board of Education Zone 2

Incumbent Chris McNeil defeated Shelley Gwartney in the general election for Union Public Schools Board of Education Zone 2 on April 5, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Chris McNeil (Nonpartisan)
 
54.8
 
687
Image of Shelley Gwartney
Shelley Gwartney (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
45.2
 
566

Total votes: 1,253
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Union Public Schools Board of Education Zone 2

Incumbent Chris McNeil and Shelley Gwartney defeated Derek Rader in the primary for Union Public Schools Board of Education Zone 2 on February 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Chris McNeil (Nonpartisan)
 
46.0
 
484
Image of Shelley Gwartney
Shelley Gwartney (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
45.0
 
473
Derek Rader (Nonpartisan)
 
9.0
 
95

Total votes: 1,052
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

To view Gwartney's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Shelley Gwartney completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Gwartney's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I am a parental rights advocate with a small business background. I am the proud mother of four children, former foster mom to 13, former host mom to 5 foreign exchange students. I have worked in public, private, and charter schools in OK.

My husband of nearly 20 years has served our country in the Marines and the OK Air National Guard. He did a tour in Iraq in 2004. I was born and raised in OK...grew up riding horses, catching snakes, and chasing tornadoes. My husband and I lived on both coasts with the military, but knew Oklahoma was the only place we wanted to raise our family!

I have served as Treasurer on multiple non-profit boards and am finishing up my 2 year term as an elected Tulsa GOP State Committee Member.

I first got involved with politics by running for school board when I could not get the answers or transparency parents like myself were needing.

My family has been involved members of BattleCreek Church in B.A. for 15 years. Nine of those years included hosting and leading small groups, and eventually coaching new leaders. I started and ran the Moms Ministry for awhile.

I am ready to see more engaged parents making decisions at our Capitol with the next generation at the forefront of their minds with each vote!
  • Parents have the God-given right and responsibility to be the primary decision maker for their children. They chose how they educate, medicate, vaccinate, raise, install morals, and discipline their children. They also chose who they partner with in these areas. Parents do not have to co-parent with the government. Our next law makers and leaders are sitting in our classrooms. If I had to only choose one area to focus on, it would be the next generation. Everything depends on how we raise, educate, and empower them!
  • I have witnessed first hand that our criminal justice system is a "guilty unless you can afford your innocence" system. Our state is not doing a good enough job protecting families and their rights.
  • Small businesses are the backbone of our communities. I am committed to cutting red tape, reducing license fees, and widening the acceptance of cross-state licenses and trainings. Government should not be a hindrance to new businesses launching.
Our K-12 school standards, OKDHS reform, truthful justice within our DOC and court system, and supporting our law enforcement officers.
Not necessarily my political philosophy, but two of the most impactful things I've learned from in my adult life are: The 'Sold A Story' podcast by Emily Hanford and the book 'Bad Therapy' by Abigail Shrier. Both need to be in the hands of every teacher, parent, school administrator, and law maker.
To first view policy and legislation in light of it's Constitutional base. It is important that an elected official be both plugged in to his/her district and be willing to spend time educating the public about the work they are doing.
A strong moral compass, as well as, a strong 'Why' are needed to stay grounded and humble.
I love connecting the dots for people. I'm excited to help people understand their accessible relationship with elected officials. I've never been part of the 'in-crowd' and have seen how it uses people. I am committed to representing the citizens and not the big money/power groups.
To protect citizen's rights, to represent the voice and will of the people, and to leave Oklahoma in better shape than when they took office.
I am not worried about leaving a legacy. I want to leave a more stable Oklahoma that can better protect the rights of future generations.
While not the first historical event, the most impactful was 9-11 during my freshman year of high school. I have not witnessed our country united in such a way since then.
El Chico restaurant, the day I turned 16, as a hostess.
One of checks and balances, that works together to create the most well thought out policies for our state.
The results of passing high school students who can't read and can't act as responsible adults on our economy and communities.

The illegal immigrant crisis as it continues to spread into our state.

Also the Marxist agenda coming from the WHO, UN, the Federal government, and others- pushing it's way from both coasts in incremental ways that if not recognized and stopped, will be near impossible to come back from.
A solid foundation in the basics of Capitol protocol, procedure, and the US and Oklahoma Constitutions are beneficial to have starting out. These can be attained many ways, not limited to having served in government before.
Local and state level elected officials, the MomsForLiberty County Chair, local activists and pastors, and other conservative organizations.
Education, Rules, Health & Human Services, Judiciary, Public Safety, and Veterans & Military Affairs.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2022

Candidate Connection

Shelley Gwartney completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Gwartney's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I’m of mom of 4 Union students and an active part in the PTA, both at our local elementary and the district level through PTA Council. We love Union and chose it over a private school we had scholarships to due to the amount of amazing extra-curricular activities available to my children. As an OKDHS foster mom and a foreign exchange host mom, we are used to surrounding ourselves with, and supporting, different family systems.

In my personal work as a creative director and business consultant, I’ve managed many different systems- those involving teams of people, inventory, and acquisitions. My experiences have taught me to understand the many levels of a large-scale organization- from planning for growth down to the handling of interpersonal disagreements.

I’m the person people call when they need to vent. I listen whole heartedly and give sound advice. I’m passionate about open communication and transparency. It’s a core value of our PTA and want to expand it to Union’s Board. Whether you have kids in Union or not, your tax dollars fund Union and you have a say in how your money is used! I want to provide a bridge for parents and community members to have a safe place to ask questions. I am dedicated to educating myself on Union’s infrastructure so I can accurately answer questions presented to me.
  • I want to bridge the gap between parents and the school district. - Give parents their voice back
  • I want to restore accountability to the Board. - Checks and balances
  • I want to strengthen and encourage PTAs to better support our teachers and staff. - Parental and community engagement
Retaining our rights and freedoms is at the forefront of any public policy conversation I have. Limited government, separation of powers, and local control. Each state and each demographic has a different culture and needs different kinds of support. There is no single model that will work for all school systems. The ones that thrive know the heartbeat of their community and engage them regularly with open lines of communication. Parents push back and leave schools that choose to alienate them from their child's education experience or who refuse to be honest about what is going on in their schools. They are the ones responsible for developing their children into capable, productive, positive members of society. They do not give up their parental rights just because they send their child to a public school. It's a partnership. Parents have every right to know what their child is being taught and every responsibility to support the teachers and staff in providing a quality education.

Transparency, accountability, and open lines of communication should be the expectation of anyone entrusted with public resources. Whether that be a city council member voting to fund public projects to teachers caring for our most precious resource, our children. If you are elected to a position, you will be speaking on behalf of the people who voted-whether for or against you-and you must be in touch with what THEY want. It should not be a self-serving seat, but sadly we see that too often.
1. Provide a system of checks and balances to the Superintendent

2. Determine policy (study policies and agenda items and participate in the process)

3. Provide the constituents with an open line of communication to voice their concerns.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.


Campaign finance summary


Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.


Shelley Gwartney campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* Oklahoma State Senate District 33Lost primary runoff$63,387 $35,301
Grand total$63,387 $35,301
Sources: OpenSecretsFederal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. 1.0 1.1 Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 19, 2024


Current members of the Oklahoma State Senate
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