Oklahoma Republican lieutenant governor nominee T.W. Shannon criticized the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, arguing that the project highlights concerns about voter identification, community impact, and reports of unpaid contractors.

Shannon made the remarks during a Friday appearance on Newsmax's "Wake Up America" while discussing the opening of the Obama Presidential Center on Chicago's South Side.

The center officially opened this week in Jackson Park after years of planning, legal challenges, and construction. Supporters have praised the project as a major investment in the South Side, while critics have raised concerns about rising housing costs, displacement, and the project's effect on surrounding neighborhoods.

Asked about the center's opening ceremony, Shannon said one aspect of the event reinforced a point Republicans have made for years regarding voter ID laws.

"First of all, I was really happy to see that they proved one point that Republicans have been saying for a very long time. Black people do have IDs," Shannon said.

"So, you know, they require ID for everybody to get in. And it's on the South Side of Chicago. It's tickets are sold out through November. So Black people are going to see this, and they're going to have to present an ID. So we now can end the charade that Black people can't get IDs."

Shannon said he also was disappointed by what he viewed as a lack of gratitude expressed during the ceremony.

"I did watch the ceremony because I love Stevie Wonder. I knew he was performing," Shannon said.

"But I was sad for him, you know, this country has been extraordinarily good to Michelle and Barack Obama. And I've yet to hear a thank you.

"I hear a lot of complaints. I hear a lot of bemoaning about what hasn't been done and what wasn't done and what was done 400 years ago. But I haven't heard a thank you to a country that's been extraordinarily good, to a family that became, you know, the first family of the United States of America."

Shannon reserved his strongest criticism for reports that some contractors involved in the project remain unpaid for work they performed.

"The saddest part is you do have contractors. A lot of them are minority and Black-owned businesses that have not been paid," Shannon said. "Obama should do better than that. He knows better."

Contractor payment disputes have shadowed the center's opening. Several subcontractors have publicly alleged they are owed money for work performed on the project, though project officials have disputed claims that the Obama Foundation itself bears responsibility for those payments.

The center's opening also has renewed debate over its impact on surrounding communities. While supporters argue the project will bring jobs, tourism, and economic development to Chicago's South Side, some neighborhood activists have voiced concerns about gentrification and rising housing costs in nearby communities.

Shannon said those concerns, combined with the contractor disputes, detracted from what otherwise could have been a celebratory moment for the former president's legacy project.

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