This week on Breaking Battlegrounds, we are honored to be joined by Oklahoma’s Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell and Alabama’s Congressman Barry Moore. Later in the show, former Fox News executive, Ken LaCorte, calls in with his take on the Tucker Carlson firing.
Matt Pinnell was elected as the 17th Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma on November 6, 2018. Pinnell is President of the Oklahoma State Senate and serves on multiple constitutional boards and commissions. He is also Secretary of Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage on Governor Kevin Stitt’s cabinet.
Pinnell is the chief marketer of Oklahoma and spends much of his time promoting tourism, Oklahoma’s third largest industry. In partnership with the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department, he launched the Oklahoma Fishing Trail, Oklahoma Road Trip, and the pandemic driven ‘OK Here We Go’ campaigns, which have generated more than $91 million in revenue since 2019. He also spearheaded renovation projects within Oklahoma State Parks, providing necessary updates to bathrooms, lodges, and campgrounds. The total impact of state parks on local economies recently topped $413 million.
Pinnell is a recruiter for companies looking to move or expand to Oklahoma. Each year, he hosts the Lt. Governor’s Turkey Hunt, a two-week event that showcases Oklahoma to prospective out-of-state companies and site selection representatives. He launched a statewide rebrand in 2020, a campaign that has streamlined state agency processes and saved taxpayer dollars.
As an entrepreneur himself, Pinnell champions small business growth. He serves on the Oklahoma Department of Commerce committee focused on small business growth, entrepreneurship, and workforce development. In 2022, he launched ‘A Look at Oklahoma CareerTech,’ a video interview series that showcases the education and employment opportunities the state’s CareerTech system provides.
Matt has an advertising degree from Oral Roberts University. He lives in Tulsa with his wife of 20 years and their four children.
Born and raised on a family farm in Coffee County, Alabama, Barry Moore is a veteran, small business owner and former member of the Alabama State House.
After high school, Barry joined the Alabama National Guard and Reserves, serving for six years. During that time he also pursued a degree in Agriculture Science at Auburn University, and joined the Auburn ROTC Army Ranger Challenge Team.
Barry’s first job out of college was in the animal pharmaceutical industry, but Barry returned to his home town of Enterprise to start Hopper-Moore Inc., an industrial waste hauling company, which has also been an Alabama general contractor for more than two decades.
In 2010, Barry was recruited to run for the Alabama State House to represent District 91 and served for eight years, including as Chairman of the Military and Veterans Affairs Committee and Vice-Chair of the Small Business and Commerce Committee.
Barry and his wife and business partner, Heather, are the proud parents of four children – Jeremy (married to Brittany), Kathleen (married to 1LT Jack Whitfield), Claudia and Jeb. They are active members of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Enterprise.