By Constitution Staff

The U.S. Congress is composed of two chambers. Senators serve six-year terms with only a third of the seats up each election year. Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe was reelected to fill one of Oklahoma's two senate seats in 2008, and the other seat will be filled this year. All the seats of the U.S. House of Representatives are up each election year since they serve two-year terms. All of the incumbents are running for reelection, except for Mary Fallin who is running for governor. The Primary Election will be held on July 27, the Runoff Primary Election on August 24 (where needed), and the General Election on November 2.

U.S. Senate

In the U.S. Senate race, Dr. Tom Coburn of Muskogee is running for a second six-year term. He ranks as one of the most conservative voting members of the U.S. Senate. Despite his conservative record, he has had a knack of sometimes disappointing conservative supporters. For example, he did vote for the TARP bailout in the fall of 2008, saying that had he not done so our ATMs would have stopped dispensing money. His recent comments that people should not get all of their information from the Fox New Channel and that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is a "nice lady," have many conservatives shaking their heads. Still, most of the time he is a reliable conservative, and except for Sen. Jim Inhofe, it would be difficult to find a better member of the U.S. Senate. Conservatives were particularly pleased with Coburn's pressing Obama's leftist Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan on the issue of natural rights. Natural rights is the belief that certain individual rights are given to us by God, not government, and is the political philosophy expressed in our nation's founding document, the Declaration of Independence.

Coburn, 62 , faces opposition from two Republicans in the July 27 primary. Evelyn Rogers, 57 of Tulsa, works as a librarian and has been a frequent candidate. She ran for the other U.S. Senate seat in 2008, and this will be her sixth run for federal office. Rogers says she is "Pro-immigration legally, not walls and barricades, but forgiveness for first time offenders." She wants jobs with benefits for part-time workers, not mandated healthcare. Concerning the U.S. Constitution, she says: "Follow correct procedures, not assert states rights independently over the Federal government." Lewis Kelly Spring, 62 of Hugo, is running on a platform that includes opposition to U.S. support of Israel. In a media release, Spring charged that: "Zionist control of this country is near total." And he asks: "Why do we look the other way when Israel murders innocent people in International Waters?" Concerning Sen. Coburn, Spring says: "He is not a friend of true Conservatives, he is an accomplice of the elite group of Reprobates who seek to destroy this country." Spring is a retired teacher.

Two candidates are competing for the Democrat nomination. Mark Myles, 54, of Oklahoma City is a lawyer. Jim Rogers, 75 of Midwest City, is a retired teacher and a frequent candidate. He made his third run for the U.S. Senate in 2008, and has run for other offices as well.

Two independent candidates will be on the ballot in November. Ronald F. Dwyer, 77, is from Tulsa. Stephen P. Wallace, 61 of Tulsa, ran as an Independent candidate in the 2008 election for the U.S. Senate. He received 4 percent of the vote in that campaign and reported receiving no contributions and making no expenditures. His business interests include Wallace Investments and Real Estate Company and River Oaks Development Corporation.

U.S. House of Representatives

First District

Congressman John Sullivan , 45 of Tulsa, was elected to represent the Tulsa area district in a Special Election eight years ago. He took a one month leave of absence from Congress last year to battle alcohol abdication and is facing opposition from within the Republican Party. While he received a 100 percent score from the American Conservative Union in their last ratings, he did vote for the TARP bailout in the fall of 2008. His opponents have also cited his missed votes on critical legislation during his leave of absence.

Five candidates are challenging Sullivan for the Republican nomination. Craig Allen, 51 is from Tulsa. Patrick K. Haworth, 41 of Tulsa, is a Computer Technician. Kenneth Rice, 44 of Tulsa, is a former factory worker (Goodyear Tire and Rubber in Lawton) turned political philosopher.

Fran Moghaddam,68, challenged Sullivan for the Republican nomination in 2006 and 2008. She grew up in Teheran, Iran, when Iran was a friend of the United States. After the change in regimes, she fled Iran and was granted political asylum in the United States. She has lived in Tulsa for the past 30 years and attained U.S. citizenship in 1993. She has been an insurance broker and business owner since 1987.

Nathan Dahm, 27 of Broken Arrow, is running as a constitutional conservative. He formerly served as a Christian missionary in Romania and currently works as an Engineering Technician. He has been active in the Tulsa County Republican Party and won the endorsement of the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee (OCPAC).

Angelia O'Dell, 44 of Tulsa, is State Chair of the Libertarian Party. Since the party does not have ballot status, she is running as an Independent and will be on the ballot in November.

Second District

Congressman Dan Boren, 36, was elected to the second district in 2004 and is the only Democrat in the Oklahoma congressional delegation. While he is the most liberal member of the Oklahoma delegation to Congress, he is listed as one of the "Bluedog Democrats" who sometimes vote contrary to the wishes of the Democrat leaders in Congress, and he did, in fact, vote against the federal health care bill. Boren is a board member of the National Rifle Association (NRA). While he opposed the election of Barack Hussein Obama as president in 2008, he still can be relied upon to vote for Nancy Pelosi to continue as Speaker of the House if he is reelected.

While the most recent campaign funding reports show that Boren has a campaign war chest of $1.8 million (more than any other candidate in Oklahoma), six Republicans are vying for the chance to take on Boren in the General Election. But, Boren must first beat state Sen. Jim Wilson, 63 of Tahlequah, who is challenging Boren for the Democrat nomination. Wilson is running to the left of Boren and has been critical of Boren's failure to support President Obama's national healthcare plan. He has a lowly 14 percent Conservative Index score for his time in the Legislature, and scored zero for the current year. Wilson could not run for reelection to the Legislature due to term limits.

The first to jump into the race for the Republican nomination was Dan Arnett, 25, of Henryetta. After earning a Bachelor's in History and Political Science from Oklahoma Christian University, Arnett was accepted to Drexel University in Philadelphia where he is in his final year of studies. He says he is running to bring back accountability, backbone, and a respect for our Constitution.

Daniel Edmonds, 26, is a life-long native of Morris, and is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in soil science at Oklahoma State University while farming and ranching. He also works as a Research Fellow with Oklahoma State University. He previously served as an Agricultural Policy intern for Congressman Frank Lucas.

Charles Thompson, 47, of Hulbert, served in the United States Army in both an active duty and reserve capacity for 25 years. He received a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Oklahoma State University, and returned to the Army as a Veterinary Corps Officer and eventually retired as a Major. From 2000 to 2005 he owned a mixed animal practice in Fort Gibson, and has since worked for a veterinary pharmaceutical company. Last year he was elected to serve on the Hulbert School Board.

Raymond Wickson, 57, from Okmulgee, is a frequent candidate and is making his third run for Congress. Chester Clem Falling,56, of Chelsea, filed and provided little information.

Howard Houchen calls himself a Reagan Conservative and constitutionalist. He is a small businessman and graduate of University of Oklahoma with a degree in Political Science and a Masters degree in National Security Studies from American Military University. He lives in Hugo where he manages the operations of the family business, All American Garage Doors, Inc. Houchen, 43, is the most visible of the candidates and is ahead in fundraising. He received the endorsement of the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee (OCPAC).

Third District

Frank Lucas, 50, of Cheyenne, was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in a Special Election in 1994, and is currently serving his ninth term as a member of Congress. Lucas received a 91 percent rating from the American Conservative Union, and is considered secure in the strongly Republican district. His opposition to the federal bailout in 2008 -- he was the only member of the U.S. House from Oklahoma to oppose it -- may have protected him from a conservative challenge. In a rematch of the 2008 election, Lucas will again face Frankie Robbins, 64 of Medford, a Democrat in the November election. Robbins is a Civil Engineer, and is retired from the U.S. Forest Service.

Fourth District

Congressman Tom Cole, 61, of Moore, was elected to Congress in 2002 and is running for a fifth term. He received a 91 percent rating from the American Conservative Union, but his vote for the TARP bailout in the fall of 2008 angered many conservatives. Cole is being challenged for the Republican nomination, and since no Democrats nor Independents filed for the seat, the winner of the Republican primary will be elected.

R.J. Harris, 37, of Norman, is a currently serving nineteen-year Oklahoma Army National Guard Officer and a two-time Iraq War Veteran. He is a University of Oklahoma graduate in Philosophy and a second year law student at the OU College of Law. Harris says he was motivated to make the race primarily because of Cole's vote for the TARP bailout. Harris has been endorsed by the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee (OCPAC).

In mid-April, Harris was alerted that he would be part of the surge forces bound for Afghanistan sometime this summer, but after the primary election. This will be Harris' third combat tour having previously served in Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Fifth District

Mary Fallin's decision to run for governor has spurred a flood of candidates to fill the open seat, including seven Republicans, two Democrats and two Independents. For additional information on this race, see the article on our website from our Spring edition..

Former state Rep. Kevin Calvey, 43, of Oklahoma City, served from 1998-2006 in the Oklahoma Legislature where he earned a 78% cumulative Conservative Index rating, and scored a 100 percent rating in 2006. He was a candidate in the crowded Republican primary that year, when Fallin won the seat. Calvey left politics following the election and volunteered to deploy with the Army National Guard to Iraq. Calvey's mission was to prosecute terrorists in the Iraqi court system, for which he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal. Calvey won the endorsement of the Oklahoma Political Action Committee (OCPAC).

Calvey opposed the passage of the national health care bill and pledges to work to repeal ObamaCare when elected to Congress. After the bill became law, Calvey was joined by other business, political and religious leader in the filing of a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the health care law.

Dr. Johnny B. Roy, 72, is an Edmond urologist who also made the race in 2006. Born in Baghdad, Iraq, Roy is the son of a British soldier who married an Iraqi. He immigrated legally into the United States over 40 years ago and says that those who enter this country illegally should be returned to the country of origin.

State Rep. Mike Thompson, 33 of Oklahoma City, served as an aide to Congressman Ernest Istook when he held the seat before Fallin, and is now in the commercial real estate business. He was first elected to the Oklahoma House in 2004 and has a 78% score on the Conservative Index, and earned a 90% this year. Thompson was the author of SJR 59, which passed the Legislature, placing a Constitutional Amendment on the ballot to allow Oklahoma to opt out of ObamaCare.

Liberal State Rep. Shane Jett, 35 of Tecumseh, was first elected to the Oklahoma House in 2004, and he has only a dismal 49% score on the Conservative Index. Jett joined the Naval Reserve last year and is scheduled for a year of full-time service. If elected to Congress, he would not have to report to active duty, but if he were reelected to his legislative seat, he would probably be called to active duty and would then have to resign his legislative seat. Jett has been a vocal opponent of legislation to crack down on illegal immigrants. His association with the controversial Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)has drawn criticism. Jett was at CAIR's 2008 annual dinner and was in attendance at its Anti-Airport Profiling townhall meeting this past January.

Edmond Republican James Lankford, 41, has been the Director the Falls Creek Oklahoma Youth Camp since 1996. Falls Creek is the largest Christian youth camp in America with over 50,000 students and adults attending each summer. Lankford has also been an adjunct professor at Oklahoma Baptist University and has coordinated church mission teams around the world. Lankford has never run for public office before, but has support from some prominent Southern Baptists, the state's largest Christian denomination. When a top Southern Baptist spokesman came out in favor of "comprehensive immigration reform," as the Christian thing to do, Lankford courageously challenged that view, citing the Apostle Paul's New Testament comments about the rule of law.

Rick Flanigan, 40, is running as a constitutional conservative. Flanigan graduated from Del City High School in 1987 and joined the Navy in 1988 and served as a damage controlman. He left the Navy in 1990 and returned to Oklahoma. Since 1996, he and his wife have owned and operated a retail battery store in Bethany, Oklahoma.

Harry Johnson, 77 of Oklahoma City, is the former CEO of an oil/gas company.

Two candidates are competing for the Democrat nomination.. Tom Guild,56, of Edmond, taught political science and legal studies at the University of Central Oklahoma for 27 years and for three years at Oklahoma City University. He was elected secretary of the Oklahoma County Democratic Party last year. Years ago, when he was a registered Republican, Guild made three races for a seat on the Corporation Commission, but lost in the Republican primary the last two times. He even went so far as to put the word "Reagan" on his campaign signs, and claimed to be a conservative Republican. He now calls himself a Progressive Democrat.

The other Democrat in the race is Oklahoma City attorney Billy Coyle. Coyle, 35, joined the U.S. Marine Corps after graduating high school in Florida. He received a bachelor's degree from Florida State University in 1998 and a law degree from the University of Oklahoma in 2003. He has not run for public office before. Coyle said that he wants to stand up and "fight for the little guy," saying that he is tired of big corporations "ruining our lives."

Voters will have a couple of independent choices on the ballot in November. Oklahoma Libertarian Party Vice Chair Clark Duffe is running for the seat. Duffe, 53 of Edmond, previously made a race for the state senate. Another independent in the race is Dave White, 45 of Edmond. White is an inventor, entrepreneur, and former Navy SEAL.