'Amazing Race' contestant heads to Oklahoma primary runoff
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma cowboy turned reality show contestant Jet McCoy advanced to a runoff for the Republican nomination for an Oklahoma Senate seat while his brother and former partner on "The Amazing Race" lost narrowly in a campaign for the state House as a Democrat.
Jet McCoy, 36, led the Republican field with nearly 44 percent in Tuesday's primary vote in state Senate District 13 and will compete Aug. 23 in a runoff against second-place opponent Greg McCortney.
His brother Cord McCoy said he called incumbent Donnie Condit late Tuesday to concede the Democratic primary race for House District 18 after final totals showed him trailing Condit by 52 votes with all precincts reporting. Cord McCoy, 35, told The Associated Press he has all but exhausted his campaign funds and does not plan to challenge the result.
"I felt so blessed to have the support of the people across the district, across four different counties, to give my opponent a very good running," Cord McCoy said.
The brothers had competed during three seasons of "The Amazing Race" - finishing as high as second place - before turning their attention to politics in their largely rural Oklahoma communities.
The McCoys are just the latest reality TV personalities to use their fame to launch bids for public office. Republican U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy, of Wisconsin, was elected to Congress after appearances on "The Real World" and a stint as a district attorney. Presumptive Republican presidential nominee and real-estate businessman Donald Trump launched his ongoing campaign after starring for years on "The Apprentice."
Both brothers had argued their time in the cattle business gave them an idea of how to make tough financial decisions in an Oklahoma industry with small margins. They had also said their experience circumnavigating the globe three times during "The Amazing Race" had afforded them a uniquely cosmopolitan perspective.
Jet McCoy did not immediately return a phone call late Tuesday.