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Teenager wins mayoral election in Oklahoma town of 40,000
Sue Ogrocki / AP "People that voted for me wanted change," John Tyler Hammons said.
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More from NationalMUSKOGEE, Okla. — John Tyler Hammons may have already performed his grandest feat as mayor, even before taking office.
He put Muskogee in the national spotlight.
Hammons, 19, beat an opponent three and a half times his age in a runoff this week, receiving nearly 70 percent of the vote.
Hammons, who just completed his first year at the University of Oklahoma, has been fielding questions this week from national news networks and producers of "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."
"Everybody has the same question," said Hammons, who will be a delegate to the Republican National Convention in the fall. "'Why would you do this at 19?' I think they're fair questions. A lot of people are asking if I think I can do this. Of course I think I can do this, or I wouldn't have run. The voters think I can do this. It's amazing what some people think you don't know."
Even though he hasn't taken office yet, Hammons was sitting in the mayor's office this week, getting used to the feel of leading the 40,000 person city, 50 miles southeast of Tulsa.
He's polished, stays on message and isn't fazed by tough questions about the future of Muskogee or pending labor talks with the firefighters union.
Former Mayor Hershel McBride, 70, whom Hammons defeated this week, complimented the incoming mayor on running a clean race, and said he intends to continue volunteering in the community.
"I told him he could call if he ever has any questions, since I used to be mayor," McBride said.
"People that voted for me wanted change," Hammons said. "We want to handle the people's business, and we are being open about it. One of the first orders of business is to establish an independent ethics committee and establish campaign finance laws."
A political science major, Hammons said he plans to transfer from the University of Oklahoma to the Muskogee branch campus of Northeastern Oklahoma State University.
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