Alan Armstrong will fill Oklahoma Senate seat until the end of the year

Oklahoma’s governor on Tuesday appointed energy executive Alan Armstrong to serve in the U.S. Senate until the end of the year, completing the term of new Homeland Security Secretary Mark Wayne Mullin, a Republican.

The selection by Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, who had promised to choose a “conservative voice” to fill Mullin’s seat, elevates the chairman and former CEO of Tulsa-based pipeline operator Williams Companies to the Senate seat.

“He is a strong business leader who understands the power of free markets and limited government,” Stitt said.

Mullin was confirmed Monday to take over the embattled Department of Homeland Security and would have been up for re-election in November.

Armstrong will serve out the remaining nine months of his term, but under Oklahoma law he must agree not to run for a full term this fall. Republican U.S. Rep. Kevin Hahn has announced his candidacy for a Senate seat soon and has already received the support of President Donald Trump.

Mr. Armstrong, who has never held public office, spent his career at Williams Companies, which employs about 5,800 people and specializes in natural gas gathering, storage and transportation. He became president and CEO in 2011 and transitioned to executive chairman last year.

He has been a longtime supporter of Stitt and has donated a total of $8,500 in campaign contributions to Stitt since 2018, the maximum amount allowed under Oklahoma law.

Stitt, who is retiring as president of the National Governors Association in January, made the nomination weeks after President Trump slammed him following a dispute over who should be admitted to the group’s annual meeting.

Former Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett Jr. described Armstrong as a “level-headed person” who is more likely to build consensus around decisions than be driven by political ideology.

Bartlett, whose father served in the U.S. Senate in the 1970s, said Armstrong’s knowledge of the energy industry and its market dynamics also made him an ideal choice, especially as the Iran war disrupts global oil flows.

“I think it’s certainly a great approach to finding consensus to make decisions,” said Bartlett, the president of an oil and gas company.

At her confirmation hearing last week, Marin sought to present herself as a solid figure in the agency’s leadership after the firing of Kristi Noem and growing backlash over immigration enforcement and the mass deportation operations carried out on her watch.