By Constitution Staff

Second District Congressman Dan Boren announced in June that he would not seek reelection in 2012. Boren, who turns 38 in August, is the first member of the U.S. House to make such an announcement without also running for another office."I have made the decision not to seek reelection next year for another term in Congress," Boren said in a statement at a news conference in his hometown of Muskogee. "This is not an easy decision for me. It was based on the demands of constant campaigning, and most importantly spending too much time away from my family which includes two very young children."

Boren, 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 (his 2010 score from the American Conservative Union was 44%), he is listed among the "Blue Dog Democrats" who sometimes vote contrary to the directives of the Democrat leaders in Congress. For example, earlier this year he was one of just three Democrats to side with Republicans in voting to repeal the federal health care law. Boren is a board member of the National Rifle Association (NRA) and won their endorsement for his stand on Second Amendment issues. In 2008, he declined to endorse Barack Obama in the General Election.

His more moderate voting record helped him keep the seat even as the district has grown more conservative. The district voted 59 percent for George W. Bush in 2004, and in 2008 gave John McCain 66 percent. McCain won every county in the district. Boren won with 71 percent of the vote in 2008, but last year received only 57%. Boren had to do extensive campaigning and spent $1.8 million while the Republican nominee, Charles Thompson, spent just over $100,000.

The heavily Democratic second district covers 26 counties in eastern Oklahoma, stretching south from the Kansas state line to the Red River border with Texas. Although the district is the most Democratic in the state by registration, both national and state Republican campaign organizations had already targeted the seat for 2012. Last year six Republicans ran for the chance to take on Boren in the General Election.

Boren's announcement was a surprise to many in Oklahoma as well as Washington, D.C. The four-term Congressman had been actively fundraising for the next campaign and reported having over $1 million in cash on hand at the end of March. Boren indicated that while he thought he could be reelected, it would be a difficult campaign.

Republican leaders see the open seat as a great opportunity. "With Dan Boren's announcement today, conservatives in Eastern Oklahoma will have the opportunity to elect a Republican who will go to Washington and vote the Oklahoma way, not the Obama way," said state Republican Party Chairman Matt Pinnell in a statement following Boren's announcement. "This is an opportunity, and one that the OKGOP is already working hard to make a reality next November."

Weeks later, Pinnell told POLITICO, a national political journal, that he had spoken to several candidates interested in the race, including state Rep. George Faught, plumber Markwayne Mullin, and former Oklahoma House Speaker Todd Hiett. Other GOP candidates that have been mentioned include state Sen. Josh Brecheen, former state Rep. Wayne Pettigrew, former state Rep. Tad Jones, and 2010 nominee Charles Thompson.

On July14, Rep. George Faught became the first Republican to officially enter the race. Faught is the longtime owner and operator of a Muskogee carpet cleaning business which he runs with his wife and two of their children. He is in the middle of his third term in the Oklahoma Legislature after becoming the first Republican ever elected to the legislative district. He has a 73% cumulative average on the Oklahoma Conservative Index published by the Oklahoma Constitution.

Markwayne Mullin is owner and operator of Mullin Plumbing, Inc. which has offices in the Tulsa and Oklahoma City area. Mullin hosts a Saturday morning radio program, House Talk, on conservative Talk Radio 1170 KFAQ in Tulsa. Mullin and his wife have two son's. Mullin serves as a Youth Leader at Coweta 1st Assembly of God Church.

Former House Speaker Todd Hiett was the GOP nominee for Lieutenant Governor in 2006, losing to Jari Askins. He is a rancher and dairy farmer from Kellyville, and had a 73% cumulative average on the Oklahoma Conservative Index.

State Sen. Josh Brecheen of Coalgate was elected in the Republican wave in 2010 in a heavy Democrat district. Breechen is a former Coburn staffer and scored 80% on the Oklahoma Conservative Index in this his first year in the Legislature. Former state Rep. Wayne Pettigrew of Edmond does not live in the second district, but grew up there. He had a 76% conservative rating during his time in the Legislature. Former state Rep. Tad Jones of Claremore was term-limited in 2010 and was the House Majority Floor Leader. Jones has a 71% cumulative average on the Oklahoma Conservative Index.

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 veterinary practice in Fort Gibson, and has since worked for a veterinary pharmaceutical company. He was elected to serve on the Hulbert School Board and is a solid conservative on the issues. He led the crowded 2010 Republican Primary with 34% of the vote, and went on to win the Runoff Primary with 67% of the vote. Former Congressman Brad Carson of Claremore, was the first Democrat to declare interest in the race and was the apparent front-runner for his party's nomination. But, at the end of June, Carson said that the more he thought about it, the less inclined he was to return to the demanding schedule of a member of Congress. Carson is a business and law professor at the University of Tulsa, and held the 2nd District seat until running unsuccessfully in 2004 against Republican Tom Coburn who won the U.S. Senate seat.

Meanwhile, former state Sen. Kenneth Corn of Poteau, who is still considering the race, said Carson's decision would not influence his decision. Corn, 34, could not run for reelection due to term limits last year, and was the Democrat nominee for Lieutenant Governor, losing to Todd Lamb. Corn has only a 26% cumulative score on the Oklahoma Conservative Index.

Liberal state Sen. Jim Wilson of Tahlequah challenged Boren in the Democratic primary in 2010, but only received 24 percent of the vote. Wilson, 63, has not made a decision on the race, but said in a statement. "I did run against him in the last cycle because I didn't believe he had the progressive values needed in CD 2." Wilson, who cannot run for reelection to the Legislature due to term limits, ran to the left of Boren and was critical of Boren's failure to support President Obama's national healthcare plan. He has a cumulative average of 15% on the Oklahoma Conservative Index.

Tulsa attorney Kalyn Free of Red Oak, ran unsuccessfully for the second district seat in 2002, and was supportive of state Sen. Jim Wilson's primary challenge to Boren last year. After working in Washington, D.C., Free was the first woman in history to be elected as District Attorney for Pittsburg and Haskell counties in southeastern Oklahoma. Free, a prominent progressive/liberal activist and member of the Choctaw Nation, announced at the end of last year that she is closing INDN's List (Indigenous Democratic Network), a group dedicated to the recruitment, election and support of Native Americans to political office.

Other Democrats also mentioned include state Rep. Ben Sherrer of Chouteau, and state Sen. Jerry Ellis of Valliant.

One thing for certain, the second district race for Congress will be the most watched election in Oklahoma in 2012.