OKLAHOMA CITY — A former Oklahoma City police officer who sought to become the state’s first transgender lawmaker has conceded defeat in the Democratic primary runoff for a seat in the state House of Representatives.
Paula Sophia lost Tuesday’s runoff election by a razor thin margin of only 22 votes.
Had Sophia won the primary to represent District 88 in Oklahoma City, she would have been assured of becoming the first transgender candidate elected to the conservative state Legislature, as no Republican turned out to run for the seat.
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She is a U.S. Army veteran of Desert Storm who joined the Oklahoma City Police Department in 1992, but retired from the police force in April to run for the Legislature.
Sophia said she will not seek a recount, and will now focus on finishing a collection of short stories and a film project she has been working on for 12 years.
