By Tim Bakamjian

On September 28th, Oklahoma State Senator Nathan Dahm (R-Broken Arrow) stepped onto the tailgate of his late model pickup with the “TRUMP45" license plate and announced to a crowd of supporters his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Senator James Lankford. What follows is an analysis of that speech and of the Dahm campaign.

I’ve also attended recent events for Lankford’s other primary challenger, Tulsa pastor Jackson Lahmeyer. In the next issue of this publication, I’ll analyze those events and Lahmeyer’s quest for a seat in what’s been called “America’s most deliberative body.”

“It’s been my honor,” said Nathan Dahm, in his opening remarks to a crowd of well wishers in Broken Arrow’s Rose District Plaza, “not just to represent the people of my district but to represent the people of Oklahoma. What I do impacts more people than just those living in District 33.”

As an example, the 38 year-old Dahm cited his successful fight for passage of Constitutional Carry laws in Oklahoma. Effective November 1, 2019, this new law essentially allows Oklahomans to carry firearms without a permit or training ahead of time. As of July, 2021, 20 states have some sort of permitless carry.

“I never gave up on that battle,” said Dahm. “It took several years to pass, partly because Republican leadership was working against me. They were afraid of shootouts at high noon on Main Street.”

Dahm next cited tax increases as another issue where he’s consistently bucked the majority in even his own party. He said he’s kept his word and always voted no, even though they took away his chairmanship of a committee. “I went up there to fight for the people of Oklahoma and fight for lower taxes,” he said, “not for a fancy title.”

Since first elected to the state senate in 2012, Dahm has traveled the state and shared his knowledge of this country’s founding documents, the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. He said his decisions are based on the principles of those documents and on God’s word.

“The Declaration states” he said, “that we’re endowed by our Creator with life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Those rights don’t come from government but from our Creator. The main purpose of government is to secure those rights, not trample on them.”

“If you don’t have principles,” he added, “you can say all the right things but cave or sell out

when it’s politically convenient. I’ve seen it happen time and time again.”

Some have questioned Dahm’s late entry into the Senate race, a topic he addressed during his speech. In doing so, he took aim at his opponents, without mentioning them by name.

“Look at it as a job interview,” he said. “Sometimes the current person in a job isn’t the right one for that position. Sometimes the first person to apply isn’t the right one either. You should actually look at who is most fitted for the job, has the right record, and who will properly execute the job you have them to do. That’s why I’m excited to announce that I’m running for the U.S. Senate.”

If elected, Dahm said there are three main things he will seek to accomplish:

Election Integrity – As the most important issue, he said he’s the first Oklahoma office holder to call for audits in all 50 states. He supports a National Voter I.D. law, which he says won’t make it harder to vote “but will make it harder for Democrats to cheat.”

Secure and Close Our Borders – More than one million illegal immigrants have reportedly crossed our southern border since Biden took office in January, 2021.

The Democrats support this, Dahm said, because they want to use them for their fraudulent election schemes. “Yes, we’re a nation of immigrants,” he added, “but we’re a nation of legal immigrants.”

The National Debt – Dahm noted that many people, particularly younger voters, have brought this up. He said we’re on an unsustainable path, where we’re not just spending our money but our children’s and grandchildren’s money as well.

“Our nation will cease to exist as a Republic,” he added, “if we don’t address these three structural issues.” Dahm said he’s fought out-of-control budgets, helped secure election integrity and worked to prevent sanctuary cities from coming to Oklahoma. “I’ve done what I can at the state level,” he added. “What we need now is a proven fighter, to do that for us in Washington D.C.”

In his concluding remarks, Dahm acknowledged that we ultimately must look toward God for eternal solutions. However, he added, there are things we can do here at the government realm to improve our existence. “I’ve given the last nine years of my life in service to the people of Oklahoma,” he said. “We’re going to continue giving our service to you, wherever God leads us.”

Since his announcement, which was exactly nine months before the June 28, 2022 primary election, Dahm has given speeches or attended Republican gatherings in Olkmulgee, Durant, Hugo, Bartlesville and Oklahoma City. He also gave a wide-ranging interview on a Tulsa radio station, where he went into greater depth on a variety of timely topics. Among the highlights:

* Most of what’s spent in Washington D.C. is unconstitutional. For instance, the government has no constitutional authority to regulate education. Therefore, the DOE should be eliminated entirely.

* The federal government also has no authority to regulate cannabis. That’s a state or local matter, if Article 1 Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution is followed.

* Despite our nearly 30 trillion dollar national debt, a balanced budget is eventually possible if 1 - 3% budget cuts are annually implemented.

* Senator Lankford is “a good man, a godly man, but I disagree with him on some votes and policies. Many people are dissatisfied, and want someone that will stand up and fight for them.”

* Conservatives must do more than push back against the left. They must go on the offensive and take back some of what they’ve lost because they haven’t been willing to fight.

* President Trump won the 2020 election. Since Democrats violated voting laws in several battleground states, the results were illegitimate.

* Trump won in 2016, despite seemingly insurmountable odds. Dahm was outspent 4 to 1 but won his first election in 2012.. So, victory is not out of the question.

Dahm’s entry into the 2020 Oklahoma senatorial sweepstakes gives Oklahomans two forceful conservatives in opposition to the more moderate, reserved Senator Lankford. Will he pull more votes from Jackson Lahmeyer or mostly from the incumbent? Can these challengers increase their name recognition to make Republican primary voters realize there are viable alternatives to the sitting senator?

The answers to those questions will determine whether there’s a runoff in August, 2022.

Tim Bakamjian is an independent real estate broker and investor living in Tulsa. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Kenyon College in Ohio and a bachelor’s in journalism from the University of Tulsa. He’s married with one grown child. Political and economic issues have been a life-long interest. He may be contacted at: tbakamjian@gmail.com