Alan Armstrong

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt on Tuesday appointed energy executive Alan Armstrong to fill the Senate seat vacated when President Donald Trump selected Sen. Markwayne Mullin to be the new secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

Armstrong, 63, served as executive chairman of the board of directors at the energy infrastructure firm Williams Companies. He has stated that his top priority will be energy policy and permitting reforms for infrastructure projects.

“I look around and realize how important energy decisions are and, in general, infrastructure decisions are,” Armstrong told reporters Tuesday. “When you travel around the world these days, you realize we are falling behind on being the leaders in infrastructure.”

Armstrong will serve until elections are held in November. Oklahoma law stipulates that a person appointed to fill a Senate seat temporarily not seek the seat in a regular election.

Stitt, who had pledged to find a “conservative voice” to fill the seat, described Armstrong as “a strong business leader who understands the power of free markets and limited government.”

Armstrong is a long-time supporter of Stitt, having contributed the legal maximum amount to Stitt's campaigns since 2018.

Stitt said he met with Trump and Senate Majority Leader John Thune to ask what was needed from this appointment. The consensus in the administration was a senator who could work across the aisle to get permitting reform done. The seat became vacant after Trump fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem earlier this month and then tapped Mullin as her replacement.

Armstrong said he had a meeting with Trump where the president voiced support for his selection. He said he has previously worked with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, members of Trump's Cabinet.

“I think it was pretty important in me having his support, because those gentlemen know how hard I've been working to try to get permitting reform done,” Armstrong said Tuesday.

Armstrong graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in civil engineering. He worked at Williams for over three decades, becoming president and CEO in 2011 and executive chairman last year. He led a team of over 5,000 employees handling 30% of the natural gas in the United States.

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Armstrong comes from a long line of gas and oil workers. Both sets of grandparents, his parents and uncle worked for Phillips Petroleum, now known as ConocoPhillips.

“Alan’s story, as you guys get to know him, reflects the very best of Oklahoma,” Stitt said.

Republican Rep. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma already announced his campaign to run for the Senate seat and has already secured the endorsement of Trump, who called him a “true friend of MAGA.”