Loveless announces candidacy

With the primary election still more than a year away, former Cleveland County GOP vice chair Kyle Loveless confirmed this week that he’ll run for the state Senate.

Loveless, 33, said he’s seeking the Senate’s District 45 post. That district includes south Oklahoma City, Moore and Mustang.
That seat is currently held by Kathleen Wilcoxson, R-Oklahoma City, who is being forced out next year due to term limits.

“Oklahoma is heading into a new century,” Loveless said. “And we need a new brand of conservative leadership that’s not afraid to take on tough issues. Our state government needs to make hard decisions. I’m the type of candidate who is not afraid to make the changes we need.”

A former political consultant, Loveless is the CEO of Phoenix Consulting, a corporate and political consulting firm in south Oklahoma City. His clients, he said, include former congressman Ernest Istook, small business “and large Fortune 500 companies.” In 2006 he served as vice chair of the Cleveland County GOP.

And it’s that experience, he said, that would make him an effective state Senator.

“I know the needs of small businesses,” he said. “My family runs a small business. Plus, I understand Oklahoma politics. I know that sometimes you must make sacrifices, you must compromise to get things done.”

Loveless also had harsh words for Senate Democrats.

“For too long, the Oklahoma State Senate has been in the back pocket of trial lawyers,” he said. “And the state has suffered because of it. We need entrepreneurs with the pioneering spirit that our state was founded upon, not relics of the past.”
Loveless said his campaign would focus on people.

“I’m going to go talk to people,” he said. “I’m going to campaign face-to-face. I plan on knocking on lots of doors.”

In addition, Loveless said his campaign would host a kickoff reception later this month. That event is set for 6 to 8 p.m. May 24 at his campaign headquarters, 4401 SW 21st St. in Oklahoma City.

A 1992 graduate of Westmoore High School, Loveless is a former aide to Istook. He attended the University of Oklahoma and later, received his bachelor’s degree in American Studies from Georgetown University in 2000.

He and his wife, Summer, live in Oklahoma City and are seeking to adopt a child.