Todd Hiett (born 1967) is an American rancher and politician who has served on the Oklahoma Corporation Commission since 2015.

A rancher from Kellyville, Oklahoma, Hiett was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 1994 and served until term limited in 2006. He was elected the Republican minority leader in 2002 and became Speaker of the House in 2005 when Republicans won control of the chamber. Hiett was the first Republican to hold that position in over eight decades.

In 2006, he launched a campaign to succeed Mary Fallin as the Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma. Hiett lost the 2006 race to the Democratic nominee Jari Askins. In 2014, Hiett was elected to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission and he was reelected in 2020. In April 2019 his fellow commissioners elected him chairman of the commission. He resigned the chairmanship in August 2024.

Education and family Todd Hiett graduated from Oklahoma State University. He is married with three children and lives on a ranch near Kellyville, Oklahoma.

Political career

Hiett has said he was motivated to enter politics when the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture quarantined his herd of cattle, and extended the quarantine even after receiving blood tests on the animals that were negative for any disease. Hiett had to appear before the state Board of Agriculture to get the quarantine lifted.Hinton, Mick. "From cow barn to House, hard work is Hiett's job", Tulsa World, August 13, 2006

Oklahoma House Representing the 29th House District, Hiett was first elected in 1994 to the Oklahoma House of Representatives. He became the House Minority Leader in 2002. In 2004, Hiett supported the impeachment of Carroll Fisher, the then-Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner.

After the Republicans took control of the House in 2005, Hiett was elected Speaker, the first Republican to serve in over eighty years. Hiett is only the second Republican to hold that position. The first was George B. Schwabe, who served from 1921-23.

2006 Lt. Governor campaign He did not run for reelection in 2006, instead running to succeed Mary Fallin as Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma. In the July 25 primary Hiett faced Nancy Riley and Scott Pruitt. Riley received 23% of the vote, Pruitt received 34%, and Hiett received 43%.Primary Election, July 25, 2006 , Oklahoma State Election Board - http://www.ok.gov/elections (accessed May 8, 2013) Hiett, according to Oklahoma state law, had to face Pruitt in a runoff, with the winner receiving the party's nomination. Following the run-off election on August 22, 2006, Hiett received 66,217 votes and 50.92% as opposed to Pruitt's 63,812 votes and 49.08%.Runoff Primary Election, August 22, 2006, Oklahoma State Election Board - http://www.ok.gov/elections (accessed May 8, 2013) Hiett was the Republican nominee for Lt. Governor, but he lost to Democratic House Minority Leader Jari Askins in the November general election.General Election 2006, Oklahoma State Election Board - http://www.ok.gov/elections (accessed May 8, 2013)

Oklahoma Corporation Commission In 2014, Hiett was elected to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. On April 1, 2019 he became the chairman of the commission. In 2020, he was reelected to a second term. He stepped down as chairman of the commission on August 7, 2024, amid a sexual harassment scandal, but did not resign from office. He was succeeded as chairman by Kim David.

Sexual harassment allegations In July 2024 it was reported that Hiett had "acted inappropriately" at the Mid-American Regulatory Conference in Minneapolis the month prior. Later that month more details about how Hiett "groped a man" who worked for a company regulated by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, which Hiett chaired at the time, were published. Hiett refused to resign, he said he did not remember the incident, and that it was "horseplay," but did seek treatment for alcohol addiction. Corporation Commissioner Kim David called for an independent investigation while Commissioner Bob Anthony called for Hiett's resignation. Cyndi Munson, the Democratic minority leader of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, called for Governor Kevin Stitt to convene a special session for his impeachment over the allegations.

Electoral history

Oklahoma House of Representatives 29th District Republican Primary Election, 1994PartyCandidateVotes%RepublicanTodd Hiett1,19059.41RepublicanKevin Farmer81340.59 Oklahoma House of Representatives 29th District Election, 1994PartyCandidateVotes%RepublicanTodd Hiett5,13153.72DemocraticDavid Thompson (incumbent)4,42046.28 Oklahoma House of Representatives 29th District Election, 1996PartyCandidateVotes%RepublicanTodd Hiett (incumbent)6,60457.52DemocraticDavid Thompson4,87842.48 Oklahoma House of Representatives 29th District Election, 1998PartyCandidateVotes%RepublicanTodd Hiett (incumbent)5,25158.20DemocraticEdmond Tex Slyman3,77141.80 Oklahoma House of Representatives 29th District Election, 2000PartyCandidateVotes%RepublicanTodd Hiett (incumbent)n/a100.00 Oklahoma House of Representatives 29th District Election, 2002PartyCandidateVotes%RepublicanTodd Hiett (incumbent)n/a100.00 Oklahoma House of Representatives 29th District Election, 2004PartyCandidateVotes%RepublicanTodd Hiett (incumbent)9,00663.63DemocraticJim Thompson5,14836.37 Oklahoma Lieutenant Governor Republican Primary Election, 2006PartyCandidateVotes%RepublicanTodd Hiett76,63442.82RepublicanScott Pruitt60,36733.73RepublicanNancy Riley41,98423.46 Oklahoma Lieutenant Governor Republican Primary Runoff Election, 2006PartyCandidateVotes%RepublicanTodd Hiett66,22050.92RepublicanScott Pruitt63,81749.08 Oklahoma Lieutenant Governor Election, 2006PartyCandidateVotes%DemocraticJari Askins463,75350.14RepublicanTodd Hiett439,41847.51IndependentE. Z. Million21,6842.34

References