By Constitution Staff

This issue of the Oklahoma Constitution presents the 33rd annual Oklahoma Conservative Index, rating our state legislators. Members of each house of the Oklahoma Legislature were rated on ten key votes. A favorable vote on these issues represents a belief in limited government, individual liberty, free enterprise, constitutional government, and traditional standards.

After taking suggestions from many conservative leaders, the staff of the Oklahoma Constitution submitted bills to a vote of the membership of the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee (OCPAC) for recommendation of the ten key votes.

The pull-out in the center of this issue describes the votes used to calculate the conservative ratings, the scores of all legislators, and the specific votes cast by each legislator.

The Top Conservatives and the Top Liberals were selected by their scores on the Index. Making the Top Conservatives list were those lawmakers who scored 80%, or better. On the Top Liberals list were those who made 20%, or less.

THE TOP CONSERVATIVES

Only one legislator, Representative Jason Murphey of Guthrie, scored a perfect 100% conservative rating this year. This was Murphey's fifth year in the Legislature and he has scored a perfect 100% each year. Six other legislators, four in the House and two in the Senate, scored 90%, or better. Representative Mike Ritze of Broken Arrow made 93%. House members who scored 90% were David Brumbaugh (Broken Arrow); Sally Kern (Oklahoma City); and Paul Wesselhoft of Moore. Senators who scored 90% were Steve Russell of Oklahoma City, and Anthony Sykes of Moore.

Eleven other legislators, six in the House, and five in the Senate, scored 80%, or better. Josh Cockroft of McLoud, a House member, scored 83%. House members who scored 80% were David Derby (Owasso); Tom Newell (Seminole); John Trebilcock (Broken Arrow); and Steve Vaughn of Ponca City. In the Senate, the five members who scored 80% were Josh Breechen (Coalgate); Bill Brown (Broken Arrow); Kim David (Porter); Clark Jolley (Edmond); and Gary Stanislawski of Tulsa.

THE TOP LIBERALS

No legislators scored zero conservative this year, but three, all in the Senate scored a dismal 10%. They were Judy Eason McIntyre (Tulsa); Constance Johnson (Forest Park); and Andrew Rice of Oklahoma City. The next lowest-scoring member was also a senator, Roger Ballenger of Okmulgee, scoring 13%.

The lowest-scoring member in the House was Paul Roan of Tishomingo, who scored only 16%. Ben Sherrer of Chouteau made 20%.

Please click on the box "How Conservative is Your Legislator?" in the upper right corner of the Home Page to see the scores of all of the legislators and a description of the bills used for this year's ratings.