After nearly a year and a half on the job as Oklahoma Secretary of Energy and Environment, Jeff Starling wants to move on and become the state’s next Attorney General.
Appointed in December of 2024, Starling officially filed his candidacy papers with the Oklahoma State Election Board, formally entering the Republican primary for Attorney General. Starling, formerly an executive at Lagoon Water Midstream and attorney at Devon Energy, focused as Energy Secretary on supporting Oklahoma’s oil, natural gas, and energy innovation industries.
Starling is one of three candidates for Attorney General. He and Jon Echols are running for the Republican nomination to be decided in June. Nick Coffey is the lone Democrat candidate. Echols is a former legislator who was Majority Floor leader in the House, and like Starling, announced his candidacy last year.
Starling’s campaign announcement said his candidacy for Attorney General “draws a sharp contrast with career politician Jon Echols in what is shaping up to be one of the state’s most consequential primaries.”
Records on file with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission show Starling had already raised $914,469 for the campaign but the last reporting period at the end of 2025 indicated he had $701,894 on hand following expenses.
Starling has outraised Echols the last two quarters and has all the momentum heading into the heat of the campaign—an impressive achievement for a first-time candidate against an entrenched incumbent with every structural advantage heading into the race, according to his campaign announcement.
The Republican primary is set for June 16, 2026.
“Oklahoma needs an Attorney General with a fresh perspective. One who’s actually practiced law, not a career politician looking for the next rung on the ladder,” said Starling. “I’m running to defend President Trump’s America First agenda, protect our energy industry, secure our border, and fight for every Oklahoman who’s sick of government getting in the way. I don’t owe the political class anything, and I can’t be bought. It’s time for an Attorney General who will be honest, fight for Oklahoma’s interests not special interests, and impartially ensure law and order.”
The campaign announcement said Starling enters the race as a businessman and political outsider—one who has spent his career winning in the courtroom, building companies, and fighting for tort and regulatory reform across Oklahoma. The announcement claimed his opponent has spent his career as a politician in the state legislature collecting checks from liberal trial lawyers and special interests, who for too long have simply used Oklahoma’s politicians to advance their bottom lines before the best interests of Oklahomans.
Key Details regarding the Oklahoma Secretary of Energy & Environment:
- Role: Acts as the governor’s chief advisor on energy and environmental policy, coordinating state agencies to encourage energy production and environmental stewardship.
- Current Secretary: Jeff Starling was appointed in December 2024, bringing over 20 years of legal and operational energy experience to the role.
- Focus Areas: Prioritizes Oklahoma energy resource development, economic growth, and maintaining a stable energy supply.
- Previous Secretary: Ken McQueen was appointed to the position in August 2022.
- Office Information: The Office of the Secretary of Energy & Environment (OSEE) serves as a cabinet-level position to improve efficiency across state