Heavy Republican primary slate dwarfs Democrat ballot
While Republicans must sort through up to 18 races on the July 27 primary ballot, Democrats could see as few as five races next Tuesday.
Republicans will vote on governor, lieutenant governor, state auditor and inspector, attorney general, state treasurer, school superintendent, labor commissioner, insurance commissioner, corporation commissioner, U.S. senator, U.S. representative, Tulsa County commissioners, Tulsa County assessor, Tulsa County treasurer and district judges.
The GOP ballot will these contests:
• State Sen. Randy Brogdon of Owasso faces U.S. Rep. Mary Fallin with Roger Jackson and Robert Hubbard in the race for the Republican nomination for governor.
Fallin, a former lieutenant governor who has held public office for 20 years, is the favorite of the Republican establishment. Brogdon, who ran a heat/air business for 30 years, has drawn support from the Tea Party movement for his stand on expanding freedom and restoring the constitutional balance between the states and the federal government.
Jackson, Oklahoma City, said he will work to end Oklahoma’s fiscal crisis. Hubbard is a ranch owner with ties to Oklahoma’s horse industry.
• U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn is seeking a second term in the Senate and will face fellow Republicans Evelyn Rogers and Lewis Kelly Spring.
One of the most conservative senators in the nation, Coburn is expected to have an easy victory in the primary and general election.
Rogers has unsuccessfully run for office before. She is pro-life and against illegal immigration and supports the U.S. Constitution. Spring is a singer and song writer and a self-described student of the Bible.
• Incumbent Congressman John Sullivan faces Nathan Dahm, Kenneth Rice, Patrick Haworth, Craig Allen and Fran Moghaddam in the crowded Republican primary.
Sullivan has drawn criticism for his vote for the bailout and due to his battle with alcoholism that led to his treatment in the Betty Ford Clinic last year. Sullivan recently teamed with U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, son of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, to propose a new commission on health concerns.
Dahm, a young conservative, is relying on a grassroots campaign to unseat Sullivan. Dahm’s family spent time in Romania as missionaries and that sparked his interest in defense of the U.S. Constitution.
Rice, who has a lengthy academic background, is running to restore liberty and to support free-market principles.
• In the race for the Republican nomination for attorney general, Ryan Leonard faces former State Sen. Scott Pruitt of Broken Arrow.
Leonard, an Oklahoma City attorney, is a former prosecutor and the son-in-law of former Gov. Frank Keating. Leonard has said that unlike Attorney General Drew Edmondson, he would challenge Obamacare, the federal takeover of health care that could force Oklahomans to purchase health insurance.
Pruitt, who says constitutional law has been the focus of his law career, is an owner of the Oklahoma City AAA baseball team.
• State Rep. John A. Wright of Broken Arrow faces State Sen. Todd Lamb and three others in the GOP primary for lieutenant governor. They are Bernie Adler, Paul F. Nosak and Bill Crozier.
Lamb, a former Secret Service agent in the White House, has authored a number of bills to restrict abortion in Oklahoma. Lamb is endorsed by former U.S. Sen. Don Nickles.
Also strongly pro-life, Wright has been ranked as one of the most conservative legislators in the state by the Oklahoma Constitution newspaper.
• Until recently, Gary Jones was the state chairman of the Republican Party. He faces David Hanigar, an Edmond CPA, in the primary for state auditor and inspector.
• Owen Laughlin formerly served in the Oklahoma Senate, representing Western Oklahoma. He will face Ken Miller in the race for state treasurer. Miller is in his third term in the Oklahoma House, representing District 81.
Laughlin has an extensive background in banking and was part of the Senate leadership before leaving due to term limits. Miller has a doctorate in political economics from The University of Oklahoma.
• Republican Janet Barresi, who started charter schools in Oklahoma City, faces Brian Kelly in the GOP race for state school superintendent.
Barresi has an undergraduate degree in education and a master’s degree in speech and language disorders. She also has a DDS degree and practiced as a dentist. She founded Oklahoma City’s first charter school.
• In the race for labor commissioner, Edmond businessman Mark Costello is running against attorney Jason Reese in the Republican primary.
• John Doak of Sand Springs faces John Crawford and Mark Croucher in the race for state insurance commissioner.
Doak has stated that, unlike Democrat Kim Holland, he will oppose the health care impositions of Obamacare if he is elected.
Croucher, who lives in Jenks, also will challenge the constitutionality of Obamacare.
Crawford is a former insurance commissioner who was the first Republican elected to that post.
• Corporation Commissioner Dana Murphy faces Tod Yeager in the Republican primary on July 27.
Murphy won the seat in a special election two years ago. She is an attorney and a former administrative judge with the commission. She has a background in energy and agriculture business – the two largest factors in the Oklahoma economy.
Yeagar has released no information on his campaign.
• Tulsa County Commissioner Fred Perry is seeking a second four-year term and faces Drew Rees, attorney for the Tulsa City Council and school teacher Michael Masters in the Republican primary.
• Tulsa County Treasurer Dennis Semler faces newcomer Ruth Hartje in the July 27 Republican primary.
• Tulsa County Assessor Ken Yazel is running against former assessor Cheryl Clay for the GOP nod.
• Rep. Lucky Lamons, a Democrat, did not run for re-election in District 66. Republicans in that race are Lonny Davis, Jay Ramey and Jadine Nollan.
• House District 68 is an open seat due to term limits for for House Speaker Chris Benge. Businessman Howard Pidcock faces fellow Republicans Glen Mulready and David Roberts in the GOP primary.
• In Broken Arrow, Oklahoma House District 76 is an open seat due to term limits for Rep. John Wright. Businessman David Brumbaugh, who is on the board of Mingo Valley Christian School, faces Tony Curtis Griffith, who owns a security business in Broken Arrow.
• In Owasso, Oklahoma Senate District 34 has an open seat because Sen. Randy Brogdon is running for governor.
Republican Tim Coager, a former marine, is a constitutional conservative who says he will follow the conservative path of Brogdon.
He faces Rick Brinkley, who works for the Better Business Bureau. A minister, he was once a producer for the Sally Jesse Raphael television show.
Democrats will have an easier time, with only five races on the standard primary ballot.
• In the race for governor, Lt. Gov. Jari Askins faces Attorney General Drew Edmondson in the Democrat primary.
After some time in the Oklahoma House, Askins is completing her fourth year as lieutenant governor. Her campaign claims she works well with both Republicans and Democrats and she does have a pro-life record in the House.
Edmondson, whose family has been involved in Democrat politics statewide for decades, has been attorney general for almost 16 years.
His campaign says he created jobs for the state. He was embroiled in controversies concerning outside law firms in the tobacco settlement case, the lawsuit against poultry farmers and a amicus brief he filed in a case that sought to force the Boy Scouts to admit homosexual leaders.
• Sen. Susan Paddack faces fellow Democrat Jerry Combrink for superintendent of public instruction.
Paddack has a masters of education degree from East Central University and at one point taught science in middle and high schools in Texas, Colorado and Oklahoma. The Democrat Whip, she serves on the Senate’s Education Committee.
Combrink says he has 40 years of combined classroom and education administrative experience.
According to his website, he believes in intelligent design but intelligent design, the biblical story of Creation and the theory of evolution should be taught in public schools.
• Jim Rogers and Mark Myles are Democrats who are running for the U.S. Senate, a seat now held by U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn.
Rogers is a retired school teacher from Midwest City. Myles is an attorney who practices criminal, administrative and family law with Albert J. Hoch, Jr. and Associates.
• Both Republicans and Democrats will vote on judicial races, including District No. 14 No. 3 with Mark A Zannotti, James Caputo and Clancy Smith. The other race is District No. 14 Office No. 13 with Carl Funderburk, Bill Musseman, C.W. Daimon Jacobs, Caroline Wall and Theresa Dreiling.
Those races are nonpartisan.
• In District 66, an open seat due to the retirement of Rep. Lucky Lamons, the Democrat candidates are Eli Potts, David Phillips and Andrew Thomas Williams.
U.S. Senate
Democrat
Jim Rogers
Mark Myles
Republican
Evelyn L. Rogers
Tom Coburn
Lewis Kelly Spring
Independent
Stephen P. Wallace
Ronald F. Dwyer
U.S. House
District 1
Republican
John Sullivan
Craig Allen
Nathan Dahm
Fran Moghaddam
Kenneth Rice
Patrick K. Haworth
Independent
Angelia O’Dell
U.S. House
District 2
Democrat
Dan Boren
Jim Wilson
Republican
Daniel Edmonds
Charles Thompson
Chester Clem Falling
Daniel Arnett
Howard Houchen
Raymond Wickson
U.S. Representative District 4
Republican
R. J. Harris
Tom Cole
U.S. Representative District 5
Democrat
Tom Guild
Billy Coyle
Republican
James Lankford
Kevin Calvey
Mike Thompson
Harry Johnson
Rick Flanigan
Johnny B. Roy
Shane Jett
Independent
Clark Duffe
Dave White
Governor
Democrat
Jari Askins
Drew Edmondson
Republican
Roger L. Jackson
Mary Fallin
Randy Brogdon
Robert Hubbard
Lieutenant Governor
Republican
Bernie Adler
Todd Lamb
John A. Wright
Bill Crozier
Paul F. Nosak
Independent
Richard Prawdzienski
State Auditor and Inspector
Democrat
Steve Burrage
Republican
David Hanigar
Gary Jones
Attorney General
Democrat
Jim Priest
Republican
Ryan Leonard
Scott Pruitt
State Treasurer
Democrat
Stephen E Covert
Republican
Owen Laughlin
Ken Miller
State School Superintendent
Democrat
Jerry Combrink
Susan Paddack
Republican
Janet Barresi
Brian S. Kelly
Independent
Richard E. Cooper
Labor Commissioner
Republican
Mark Costello
Jason Reese
Insurance Commissioner
Democrat
Kim Holland
Republican
John Doak
John P. Crawford
Mark Croucher
Corporation Commissioner
Republican
Dana Murphy
Tod Yeager
Tulsa County Assessor
Republican
Ken Yazel
Cheryl Clay
Tulsa County Treasurer
Republican
Dennis Semler
Ruth Hartje
Tulsa County Commissioner
District 1
Republican
John Smaligo
Tracey Wilson
Tulsa County Commissioner
District 3
Fred Perry
Drew Rees
Michael Masters
District Judge
District 14 – Office 3
Mark A. Zannotti
James M. Caputo
Clancy Smith
District 14–Office 13
Carl Funderburk
Bill Musseman
C.W. Daimon Jacobs
Caroline Walls
Theresa Dreiling
Oklahoma House
District 66
Democrat
Eli Potts
David Phillips
Andrew Thomas Williams
Republican
Lonny David
Jay K. Ramey
Jadine Nollan
Oklahoma House
District 68
Democrat
Troy Ziekefoose
Seth Watkins
Republicans
Howard Pidcock
Glen Mulready
Oklahoma House
District 73
Democrat
Jabar Shumate
Kevin Matthews
Oklahoma House
District 74
Republican
David Derby
Joe Kelley
Oklahoma House
District 76
Republican
David Brumbaugh
Tony Griffith
Oklahoma Senate
District 10
Republican
David McLain
Eddie Fields
Oklahoma Senate
District 34
Republican
Tim Coager
Rick Brinkley