State Offices Draw Candidates
The candidate filing period will be June 7-8-9, 2010. The Primary Election will be held on July 27, the Runoff Primary Election on August 24, and the General Election on November 2.
Governor
Since 1950, the pattern has been clear: whichever party wins the presidency usually loses the governorship two years later in Oklahoma. With Brad Henry term-limited in 2010, Republicans are salivating at the prospect of capturing the governor's mansion this year and several candidates are competing for the Republican nomination.
Congresswoman Mary Fallin is the early favorite for the GOP nomination. While serving as lieutenant governor, Fallin was considered a likely candidate for the governorship in both 2002 and 2006. She opted out of the 2002 contest, deferring to Congressman Steve Largent, and successfully ran for reelection. And in 2006, she decided to run for the seat of Fifth District Congressman Ernest Istook, who vacated the seat to run for governor. Fallin has a 96 percent conservative rating from the American Conservative Union, which is the highest among the members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oklahoma.
State Sen. Randy Brogdon of Owasso is also running to be the Republican nominee. Brogdon has attempted to advance many conservative bills through the Legislature and has developed a loyal following among grassroots conservatives. Fallin's vote for the bailout in the fall of 2008 is expected to be a point of contention in the race. Brogdon sports a 93 percent cumulative conservative rating on the Oklahoma Conservative Index. He became known to many when he led the effort for the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) initiative petition in 2005, which would have placed limits on state government spending.
Businessman Robert Hubbard of Yukon says he will join Fallin and Brogdon in seeking the Republican nomination. Hubbard, 65, is owner of Hubbard Ranch Supply in Piedmont. He is the former president of the Oklahoma Paint Horse Club and served on the board of directors of the American Paint Horse Association. He has not been active in the Republican Party and has never run for public office.
On the Democrat side, Attorney General Drew Edmondson is facing Lieutenant Governor Jari Askins. Edmondson is known as a very partisan attorney general who has been accused of using his office in a very heavy-handed way against political opponents. Askins has a much "kinder and gentler" image, but is still considered a liberal Democrat. During the time she served as a member of the Oklahoma House she earned only a 21 percent Conservative Index rating.
Lieutenant Governor
With Askins running for governor, the lieutenant governor's office is again an open seat. The lone Democrat in the race so far, is Sen. Kenneth Corn of Poteau who is term-limited. Corn has only a 22% cumulative score on the Oklahoma Conservative Index.
On the Republican side, two state legislators are seeking the nomination. State Representative John Wright of Broken Arrow is a solid conservative with a 92% Conservative Index rating. The other Republican is state Sen. Todd Lamb of Edmond, 37, who has a 65% Conservative rating. Lamb, an attorney who was born and raised in Enid, was first elected to the Oklahoma Senate in 2004. Prior to his election to the Senate, he worked for former Gov. Frank Keating and former U.S. Sen. Don Nickles.
Attorney General
Edmondson's run for governor opens up the race for Attorney General. Oklahoma City attorney Jim Priest, 54, is the only announced Democrat in the race. He is the former president of the board for the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and a board member for Habitat for Humanity.
Republican Ryan Leonard is the only announced GOP candidate. Leonard is the son of former state senator and current federal judge Tim Leonard, and is the son-in-law of former Governor Frank Keating. Leonard is an attorney, former state prosecutor and former senior aide to U.S. Senator Don Nickles.
State Treasurer
Democrat incumbent State Treasurer, Scott Meachum, decided not run for reelection nor run for another office. Two Republicans are in the race.
Former State Senator Owen Laughlin filed with the Ethics Commission to explore a run for State Treasurer. Laughlin says he has been considering office because of the huge waste he saw during his tenure in the State Senate. He became Co-Floor Leader of the Senate during the two years that the Senate was tied. Laughlin was in the banking business for 20 years. State House Appropriations and Budget Chairman Ken Miller announced his intention to run for State Treasurer. He has a 58 percent Conservative Index rating.
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Oklahoma State Superintendent Sandy Garret surprised many with her announcement that she will not seek a sixth term in office. Garrett, a Democrat, has held the post since 1990.
State Sen. Susan Paddack (D-Ada) recently entered race. Paddack, 57, was elected to a second four-year term in 2008 and serves on the Senate Education Committee, After her announcement, Randall Gorman of Colbert withdrew as a candidate for the Democrat nomination and said he will support Paddack. Paddack 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. She was also an adjunct faculty member of the education department at East Central University.
Other Democrats could enter the race to replace Garrett. Gov. Brad Henry's announcement that Kathy Taylor, who did not run for reelection as Tulsa Mayor, will serve as his top education advisor, has fueled speculation that she may run. Taylor's title is the Governor's Chief of Education Strategy and Innovation. Since Taylor has no background in education, the new job would give her some credentials for the run. Before her election as Tulsa Mayor in 2006, Taylor served as Gov. Henry's Secretary of Commerce and Tourism. Another Democrat reported to be considering the race is former State Democratic Party chairwoman Lisa Pryor, who now is an assistant superintendent at the State Department of Education.
Republican Janet Barresi officially launched her campaign for the GOP nomination. Barresi, of Edmond, is a retired dentist who began her career in the Harrah and Norman public schools as a speech pathologist. She has been active in education reform efforts for the past 13 years. 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.
Enid Public Schools Superintendent Shawn Hime is also running for the GOP nomination. Hime began his career in the classroom. He taught math and coached football for Lexington and Ardmore Public Schools before becoming the Director of Student Assessment for the Oklahoma State Department of Education.
Labor Commissioner
Jason Reese, a moderate Republican who has roundly criticized state Rep. Randy Terrill's attempts to restrict the flood of illegal immigration, has filed papers to run for the post of Labor Commissioner. Also entering the race as a Republican is state Rep. Tad Jones of Claremore. Jones, who is term-limited this year, has served as the House vice-chairman of the Economic Development Committee, Chairman of the Education Committee and currently serves as the House Majority Floor Leader. Jones has a 70 percent rating on the Conservative Index. The post is currently held by Democrat Lloyd Fields.
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 she resigned last year, Dana Murphey won a special election to fill the remainder of the term. Murphey is now running for reelection for a full six year term. No other candidates have expressed an interest in the seat thus far.
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