Pettigrew was born and raised on a small farm in McAlester, Oklahoma. After graduating high school, Pettigrew earned a B.A. from East Central University. Pettigrew founded his first company at 19 and in 1984 started an insurance brokerage which he ran until 2004. During that time Pettigrew turned his eye towards politics, winning a seat in the Oklahoma House of Representatives where he served from 1994-2004. Pettigrew left public office in 2004 when he started two life and health insurance companies where he still works. Pettigrew is running for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives for Oklahoma's 2nd district in 2012.