Democrats hold no statewide offices. They failed to file candidates for the two Corporation Commission seats up for election this year. Of the 24 state Senate seats up this year, Democrats filed for only 12. In the 101 state House districts, they fielded candidates in just 54. There are Democrats running for all five Congressional […]
legislature
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Race to the right
Paul Blair The GOP primary winner will square off against Independent Richard Prawdzienski in the November general election. Paul Blair Blair, 49, is an Edmond native who played football for Oklahoma State University and later in the NFL. He owns Blair Vending & Coffee in Edmond, is pastor of Fairview Baptist Church and was a […]
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Women fared well in legislation
Although the topic of reproductive rights came up across the national political scene and appeared to take center stage in Oklahoma by way of the proposed personhood bill, there was much more that happened at the state Capitol worth sharing. For one, House Bill 2396, co-authored by Rep. Wade Rousselot, D-Wagoner, and Sen. Kim David, […]
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Academic achievement
Manning, the school’s founding president, leaves after having helped shape OSSM into one of the nation’s finest schools. Newsweek recently ranked it 35th on the magazine’s annual list of the 1,000 best schools in the U.S. “I knew it would be fun to create a school, not just build buildings, that sort of thing — but […]
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Larry, Moe and Curly
They have finally proven that Republicans in this state are even dumber and more useless than the Democrats. According to The Oklahoman, 40 percent of taxpayers making under $25,000 a year would have seen their taxes go up under the Fallin scheme (typical class-warfare by the GOP) but the real “WTF?” head-shaker was that many […]
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Primary purpose
The seat, traditionally held by a Democrat, opened in February when former state Rep. Al McAffrey successfully ran for Senate District 46, which was vacated when Sen. Andrew Rice moved to Tennessee. Located in central Oklahoma City, HD 88 is roughly defined by N.W. 50th and N.W. 10th streets, Santa Fe Avenue and Interstate 44. […]
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Conservative contest
Marian Cooksey Since no Democrat filed to run in the district, covering most of northwest Edmond, the winner of the primary will take the seat. Rep. Marian Cooksey has been in office since 2004, when she beat another incumbent Republican. Previously, she served as deputy chief of staff to then-Lt. Gov. Mary Fallin. Cooksey said […]
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Open carry is an embarrassment
Robin Meyers In almost every column I wrote, there was a singular refrain: Beware the triumph of the Christian right in the halls of power. Beware the lawmaker whose intolerance masquerades as faith, and whose fundamental distrust of women creates laws designed to shame them rather than to protect them. Don’t say that you weren’t […]
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Deal or no deal
Brad Gregg Fallin and the Republican legislative leadership heaped congratulations on themselves at a May 18 news conference. The gov called it “an important step forward for Oklahoma,” while House Speaker Kris Steele said legislators had decided to give taxpayer money “back to the hardworking people of Oklahoma.” Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman proclaimed […]
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Funny people
Brad Gregg After President Obama voiced support for gay marriage, the Oklahoma Senate wasted little time passing what Tim Matheson in Animal House would have termed “a really futile and stupid gesture.” A resolution authored by Sen. Clark Jolley, R-Edmond, and overwhelmingly passed by the Senate on May 14 reaffirmed that the Senate supports marriage […]