It’s been 50 years since Oklahoma Gov. David Hall was indicted on charges of racketeering and extortion for conspiring to steer state employee retirement funds to a private investment firm in exchange for a payoff. Hall was convicted and served 19 months in federal prison, making him the only Oklahoma governor (three have been indicted) […]
State
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Attack ads are flooding Oklahoma primary elections: We checked the facts
Super PACs are paying for a new wave of attack ads on candidates in the Oklahoma gubernatorial and attorney general’s races ahead of the June Republican primary. These independent groups can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money in elections as long as they don’t coordinate directly with candidates. The true sources of their funding […]
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Senate kills Stitt-backed proposal to make state superintendent appointed role
A proposal that could make the state’s top education office an appointee of the governor, rather than an elected position, has failed in the state Senate. House Joint Resolution 1055, which would put the idea to a vote of the people, failed to receive a Senate committee hearing before a deadline last week, despite calls […]
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Oklahoma treasurer sued over alleged open records violation
A government transparency nonprofit sued the Oklahoma Treasurer’s Office Wednesday alleging the treasurer failed to release copies of contracts related to a program processing state employee pay. Oklahomans for Transparency in Government, represented by attorney Richard Labarthe, filed the lawsuit in Oklahoma County District Court and alleged that state Treasurer Todd Russ did not respond or recognize […]
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New Questions Emerge Over Oklahoma’s Invest in Oklahoma Contract After Shared Lobbyist Discovered
Oklahoma Treasurer Todd Russ hired the same lobbying firm as the parent company of a financial firm he later recommended for a state contract, raising more questions about whether the treasurer’s compressed selection process was fair and transparent. The contract gives 311 Capital Management LLC, a subsidiary of Citizen Capital LLC, a potentially lucrative investment […]
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Oklahoma Governor’s Vote Steered $2 Billion Advisory Role to Former Business Partner’s Firm
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt voted to award a lucrative investment advisory contract to a firm owned by his former chief of staff and one-time business partner — a company that has the power to steer more than $2 billion in state pension, endowment and sovereign wealth fund money. As chairman of the newly created Invest in […]
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Harrah’s Opens in Chandler
The Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma is partnering with Caesar’s Entertainment to open the new Harrah’s Oklahoma Casino in Chandler, the first property in Oklahoma managed by Harrah’s. The opening date is April 9, and the currently existing Ioway Casino closed in March to make way for the new operation. Jake Keyes, Chairman of the Iowa […]
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Gentner Done
Few figures in modern Oklahoma politics have followed a path quite like Gentner Drummond. A rancher, attorney, fighter pilot in the Iraq War, and successful businessman, Drummond had built a reputation for independence that defines his tenure as attorney general of Oklahoma and his campaign for governor in 2026. While the republican primary field is […]
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A Crude Ad About a Banana — and a Primary That Could Tell Us Where the Republican Party is Headed
Oklahoma’s June Republican gubernatorial primary has become an unexpected test case for the future of GOP politics. Attorney General Gentner Drummond is betting voters want pragmatic leadership on education and mental health. Former House Speaker Charles McCall and two other candidates are wagering the culture-war playbook still wins primaries.
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Party Switching Deadline Approaches
Oklahoma’s biennial moratorium on switching political party affiliation is fast approaching. Tuesday, March 31 is the deadline to request a party change ahead of the June primary and August runoff elections. Requests received from April through August won’t be processed until Sept. 1. The state has long enforced the rule in even-numbered years to prevent […]