Dustin McGowen may still live with his mom and dad, but he wants to be Moore’s next state representative.

And to do that, McGowen, a 21-year-old college student, is challenging incumbent Republican Rep. Paul Wesselhoft for the House District 54 seat.

Both men are campaigning hard.

A lifelong Moore resident, McGowen is a senior at Northeastern Oklahoma State University. He said he’s seeking the GOP nomination for the House District 54 seat because Oklahoma needs “new, conservative solutions” to its problems.

“Right now, I think that our state has problems that require new solutions,” he said. “But at the same time they require solutions which hold true to conservative values and principles.”

Voters, McGowen said, need a lawmaker who will “return their e-mails and answer their telephone calls.”

“There aren’t enough working-class people in the House of Representatives,” he said. “I’m not a lawyer, and I’m not a venture capitalist. Many Oklahomans are lucky to make anything more than minimum wage, and I’m going to bring our voice to state government.”

McGowen also hard harsh words for Wesselhoft.

“In four years Paul Wesselhoft has passed only one bill,” he said. “But he’s authored 47. Voters in Moore deserve someone who will work for them, who will help build better roads and schools.”

As an example, he said, he would work to raise the income limit on the Oklahoma’s Promise scholarship program.

“I’d like to raise the cap on OHLAP from $75,000 to $100,000,” he said. “And I want to put a mandatory 2.5 grade point average in the bill. That takes the program and makes it less of a social program and more of an investment in our future.”

Additionally, he said he would work to better fund the state’s higher education system.

“I was just looking at higher ed’s budget numbers,” he said. “And a $36 million cut doesn’t look too great. I think we can do better.”

Wesselhoft, seeking his third term, said McGowen’s criticism of his legislative record was unjustified.

“He’s absolutely wrong,” Wesselhoft said. “I have authored and passed a number of bills and the governor has signed them.”