By Constitution Staff

In the non-presidential election years, the governor's office, a host of secondary statewide offices, and one seat on the Corporation Commission are up for election. All 101 seats in the Oklahoma House, and half of the 48 seats in the Oklahoma Senate are also in contention. The Primary Election was held on July 27, the Runoff Primary Election on August 24, and the General Election will be on November 2.

Governor

Gov. Brad Henry is term-limited and could not run for another term. Oklahoma will make history in November by electing a women as governor. Congresswoman Mary Fallin won the Republican Primary with 55% of the vote over three other candidates. Her main challenger was state Senator Randy Brogdon who received 39%. Lieutenant Governor Jari Askins won the Democrat nomination with just over 50% of the vote against Attorney General Drew Edmondson . For a more detailed look at the race for Governor, see the separate article elsewhere in this issue.

Lieutenant Governor

With Askins running for governor, the lieutenant governor's office is again an open seat as it was in 2006 when Askins was elected. State Sen. Kenneth Corn of Poteau, who could not run for reelection due to term limits, was the only Democrat to file for the post and went directly to the November ballot. Corn, 33, has only a 26% cumulative average on the Oklahoma Conservative Index, although his score shifted considerably more conservative this year.

On the Republican side, there were five candidates seeking to become the party nominee. From the beginning, State Sen. Todd Lamb of Edmond was considered the leading candidate and emerged as the winner in the Republican Primary with 67% of the vote. Lamb, 38, has a 66% Conservative Index rating. He is an attorney who was born and raised in Enid. Prior to his election to the Oklahoma Senate in 2004, he worked for former Gov. Frank Keating and former U.S. Sen. Don Nickles. He has also been a U.S. Secret Service agent. Lamb serves as Senate Majority Floor Leader and has been the primary Senate author of much of the Pro-life legislation passed in recent years.

Real estate manager Richard Prawdzienski, 62 of Edmond, filed as Independent. He has been active in the Libertarian Party and has previously run for the Legislature. He had to file as an Independent since the Libertarian Party does not have ballot status in Oklahoma.

Attorney General

Drew Edmondson ran for governor this year instead of running for reelection as Attorney General, and lost in the Democrat Primary. Oklahoma City attorney Jim Priest, 55, is the only Democrat in the race to replace Edmondson. Priest is a graduate of Houghton College and Syracuse University Law School. He served as an attorney and director at McKinney & Stringer from 1980 to 2005 and has been an attorney and partner with the law firm Whitten, Burrage & Priest since 2005.

Two candidates were competing for the Republican nomination with former state senator Scott Pruitt edging out attorney Ryan Leonard with 56% of the vote. Leonard is the son of former state senator and current federal judge Tim Leonard, and the son-in-law of former Governor Frank Keating. Pruitt, 42, of Broken Arrow was elected to the Senate in 1998 and served through 2006. He had a 69 percent rating on the Oklahoma Conservative Index. He was a strong supporter of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights initiative which would have placed a cap on state spending. He sought the GOP nomination to replace Mary Fallin as Lieutenant Governor when she ran for Congress in 2006. Pruitt ended up losing the GOP nomination in the Runoff Primary with Speaker of the House, Todd Hiett. Pruitt received 49% of the vote while Hiett gained the nomination with 51%. Pruitt is a practicing attorney specializing in constitutional law and until recently was the managing general partner of the Oklahoma City RedHawks baseball team which was sold this summer. Pruitt pledges to initiate a constitutional challenge to ObamaCare. He was endorsed by the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee (OCPAC).

State Treasurer

The Democrat incumbent State Treasurer, Scott Meachum, decided not run for reelection. Stephen Covert, 61 of Midwest City was the only Democrat to file and moved directly to the November ballot. Covert is a CPA and president of Certified Data Processing Contractors which provides banks with a secured way of doing business on the internet.

Two candidates ran for the Republican nomination, with State House Appropriations and Budget Chairman, Rep. Ken Miller of Edmond, gaining 63% of the vote in the Primary Election against former State Senator Owen Laughlin. Miller has a 62 percent Conservative Index rating.

Supt. of Public Instruction

Oklahoma State Superintendent Sandy Garret surprised many with her announcement that she would not seek a sixth term in office. Garrett, a Democrat, has held the post since 1990.

Two candidates sought the Democrat nomination, with State Sen. Susan Paddack, 57, of Ada winning the Primary Election with 73% of the vote over Jerry Combrink, the superintendent of Durant Schools. Paddack was elected to a second four-year term to the state Senate in 2008 and serves on the Senate Education Committee. She worked nine years for the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence as director of local education outreach. Prior to that, she worked as a science teacher in middle and junior high schools in Colorado, Texas, and Oklahoma, and was also an adjunct faculty member at East Central University. She has a 40% rating on the Oklahoma Conservative Index. Paddack has avoided taking a stand on State Question 744, the proposal by the Oklahoma Education Association (OEA) requiring education funding to be increased to the regional average. It is estimated the proposal will require approximately one-billion dollars per year in additional funding, which would have to be paid for by tax increases or spending cuts in other areas of state government. Paddack says it is up to the voters to decide the issue.

Two candidates battled for the Republican nomination with Janet Barresi receiving 63% of the vote over Brian S. Kelly, a former history teacher and football coach. Barresi, 58, of Norman, is a retired dentist who began her career in the Harrah and Norman public schools as a speech pathologist. Barresi joined more than 100 other parents and led the effort to create Independence Charter Middle School while lobbying for passage of Oklahoma's Charter School law. She later helped found Harding Charter Preparatory High School, which has become a successful center of learning for low-income children in Oklahoma City. The school was named one of the nation's best high schools by Newsweek magazine. Barresi is opposed to State Question 744, which she says would be devastating to the state. She has been endorsed by the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee (OCPAC).

Independent candidate Richard E. Cooper, 51, is a Master Teacher at the Center for the Advancement of American History at East Central University in Ada. He supports passage of SQ 744

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Auditor and Inspector

Democrat Steve Burrage was appointed State Auditor and Inspector by Governor Brad Henry in 2008 to fill the vacancy created when Jeff McMahan resigned. Burrage, 57, was formerly in the banking business in Antlers. McMahan was convicted of accepting improper cash and gifts from an Oklahoma businessman. He was also involved in using fraudulent campaign finance practices which many argue cheated Gary Jones, a Certified Public Accountant and former Comanche County Commissioner from the job. Jones, 55, of Cache, was the Republican nominee for the post in 2002 and 2006 and was instrumental in uncovering much of the illegal activities concerning McMahan. Jones decided on the last day of filing to make another run for the position, and resigned as the State GOP Chairman.

Before Jones filed, another Republican, David Hanigar of Edmond entered the race. Hanigar, 66, had only been a Republican since last October. When he was a Democrat, he contributed to several Democratic candidates, including McMahan. Hanigar is an accountant who worked in the office of the State Auditor and Inspector for 25 years and later for the Democrat attorney general until retirement. Jones trounced Hanigar in the Republican Primary, winning with 70% of the vote. Jones will now face Burrage on the November ballot.

Insurance Commissioner

Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland, a Democrat, is seeking reelection. She was appointed to the position by Gov. Brad Henry in January 2005 after Commissioner Carroll Fisher vacated the position as a result of corruption charges. The 54 year old Tulsan was elected to the post in 2006. Holland was a delegate for Barack Obama at the 2008 Democratic National Convention and supports Obama's national healthcare law.

Three candidates sought the Republican nomination. John Crawford, 78 of Oklahoma City, previously served as Insurance Commissioner. Crawford ran for Congress as a Democrat in 1992, but switched to the Republican Party and was elected Insurance Commissioner in 1994. He was the target of a federal grand jury probe over a computer contract and was narrowly defeated by Fisher in 1998. Crawford finished first in Republican Primary, receiving 42% of the vote, followed by John Doak, 47 of Tulsa, who received 39%. Doak later defeated Crawford in the Runoff Primary, winning with 71% of the vote.

Doak is currently an agent for State Farm Insurance. After graduating from the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor of arts degree in political science in 1989, Doak started his own Farmer's Insurance Agency branch in Tulsa and later worked at the executive level in the insurance industry. Doak opposes President Obama's "universal" health care plan saying,, "The proposed government mandate will force Oklahomans to buy insurance they don't want to cover people they don't even know. Taxpayers in Oklahoma should not have to foot the bill for health coverage in New York, California, or any other state." He says he values the conservative principles of lower cost through open markets and fair competition. The Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee (OCPAC), gave their endorsement to Doak.

Labor Commissioner

Labor Commissioner Lloyd Fields, a Democrat, is seeking a second four-year term. Fields made headlines in July after he burst into the headquarters of the Oklahoma Public Employees Association and then proceeded to retrieve and tear up the candidate questionnaire that he had filled out for the group. Fields was apparently upset over the group's support of an opponent. This was the most recent incident of questionable behavior by Fields. In 2008, Fields reportedly attempted to steal the guitar of country singer Colby Yates following an appearance in Oklahoma City. Fields was tackled by security guards and turned over to the police who took him to a detox center. Prior to his election as Labor Commissioner, the former legislator was ordered to pay $26,000 in delinquent child support. While these items do not directly relate to his job as Labor Commissioner, another item does. Earlier this year, the state had to pay a $200,000 settlement to a former Labor Department employee who charged that Fields had harassed her on the job because of her support of former Labor Commissioner Brenda Reneau, who was a Republican. Recently there were complaints about Democrat campaign signs at the entrance of the Labor Commissioner's office.

Two candidates sought the Republican nomination for Labor Commissioner. Jason Reese, a moderate Republican, was defeated by Edmond businessman Mark Costello who won the Republican Primary with 57% of the vote. Costello, 54, received the endorsement of the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee (OCPAC). He is running on a platform of reforming the bureaucracy at the Labor Commission and encouraging the creation of private sector jobs in the state. Costello is President and CEO of Oklahoma City-based USA Digital Communications which he founded in 1998. He has extensive experience in management, marketing and telecommunications.

Corporation Commissioner

Oklahoma has three Corporation Commissioners serving six-year staggered terms. Denise Bode was elected in 2004 to the seat expiring in 2010. After Bode resigned last year, Dana Murphy won a Special Election to fill the remainder of the term. Murphey, 50, of Edmond, ran for reelection this year for a full six year term. The Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee (OCPAC), gave their endorsement to Murphy. She defeated Tod Yeager of Del City in the Republican Primary, winning with 69% of the vote. Since no Democrats nor Independents filed for the post, she has been elected and the seat will not appear on the November ballot.

Judicial Retention Ballot

All voters will find at least six Judges on the "Judicial Retention" ballot. You will have the choice of voting "Yes" or "No" to retain each of the six judges on their respective benches. This year you will be asked to vote on retaining or removing two Justices of the Oklahoma Supreme Court and four Justices of the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals. Most ballots will also have choices for "Judicial Officers" on the District Court Benches.

Each Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice is placed on the ballot for retention every six years. This year Justice Steven Taylor and Justice James Winchester are up for a retention vote. Taylor was appointed by Gov. Brad Henry in 2004 and Winchester was appointed by Gov. Frank Keating in 2000.

The four Justices of the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals who are up for the retention vote are Deborah Barnes appointed by Governor Henry in 2008, Doug Gabbard appointed by Governor Henry in 2005, John Fischer appointed by Governor Henry in 2007 and Larry Joplin appointed by Gov. David Walters in 1994.

No judge has ever lost on the retention ballot in Oklahoma. Some suggest that in the absence of knowledge of a particular justice's voting record on import cases, that voting "No" on these is a good practice. If any should be voted out, the incoming governor would have the choice to nominate replacements from nominees furnished her.

Except in the case of Winchester, all the court members were appointed by a Democrat governor, and would be replaced by Republican Mary Fallin, should Fallin win as expected.