News OK   September 9th, 2009

By MICHAEL MCNUTT 

Two candidates who vied for a legislative seat three years agomoved a step closer Tuesday to winning a seat at the state Capitol.

 Larry Peck, a Democrat from Sentinel, and Todd Russ, a Republican from Cordell, easilywon their respective primary elections. They will face off in a generalelection Oct. 13 to see who represents House District 55.

 Russ won nearly four out of every five Republican votes cast inthe western Oklahoma district while Peck won more thanthree out of four votes in his race.

 Russ received 1,046 votes, or 89.3 percent, while Jeff Ledford of Hobart received 125 votes, or 10.7 percent,according to unofficial returns from the state Election Board.

Peck won 2,017 votes, or 78.6 percent, while Alex Damon, the mayor of Cordell, garnered 550votes, or 21.5 percent.

Results are unofficial until the state Election Board meetsSept. 15 to certify them.

 Peck and Russ, who each sought the state Senate District 26 seatin 2006 that covers most of House District 55, are seeking to succeed Ryan McMullen, a Democrat, who during thesummer accepted a federal agriculture post.

 Peck, 52, recently retired as an agriculture education instructorand FFA adviser at Sentinel High School. He farms and ranches andhis family owns Ag Youth magazine, which reaches 4-H and FFA youth across the Midwest.

 Russ, 48, is on the Cordell CityCouncil and is past president and chief executive officer of Washita State Bank in Burns Flat. He sold themajority of his bank stock last year and is now doing management consulting. Hewould have to resign his city post if he wins next month’s election.