| Posted: Monday, August 6th, 2012 | Comments (0)

Race for Congress Narrows with Primary Election

By: Constitution Staff

All of Oklahoma’s incumbent Congressmen ran for reelection except for Democrat Dan Boren in the Second District. Fifth District Congressman James Lankford did not face a challenge for the Republican nomination, but the other three Republican Congressman were opposed in the Primary Election held on June 26. While Third District Congressman Frank Lucas and Fourth District Congressman Tom Cole sailed to victory, First District Congressman John Sullivan was defeated. In the Second District, both the Democrats and Republicans will have candidates in the Runoff Primary Election on August 28 to select their respective nominees for the General Election in November.

First District

The biggest news coming out the Primary Election was the defeat of Congressman John Sullivan, 47, of Tulsa. Sullivan became the first Oklahoma congressman to be defeated in 18 years, losing to Tea Party backed political newcomer Jim Bridenstine, 36, also of Tulsa. Bridenstine, despite being heavily outspent by Sullivan, won with 54 percent of the vote. Bridenstine, a Navy combat pilot who flew missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, criticized Sullivan for voting for TARP, the Troubled Asset Relief Program : “He (Sullivan) told us the United States government was going to buy bad assets off the balance sheets of banks. Instead, they took a $700 billion check from the taxpayer…and they started taking ownership of banks, insurance companies and ultimately General Motors.” Bridenstine also attacked Sullivan for missing 9% of the votes during his tenure in Congress. Sullivan acknowledged missing most of those votes while being treated for alcoholism.
Sullivan came to Congress in the 2002 special election to replace Steve Largent who resigned to run for governor. Sullivan had served seven years in the state House and defeated Cathy Keating, the wife of former Gov. Frank Keating. The last time a setting congressman lost in Oklahoma was in 1994 when the late 2nd District Congressman Mike Synar lost in the Democratic primary.
Following his loss, Sullivan offered his congratulations to Bridenstine. “I’m sure he is looking forward to the general election. I am sure he will do a fine job representing the people of the 1st District of Oklahoma,” said Sullivan. Bridenstine is favored to win the General Election since Republicans hold the edge in registration.
Bridenstine served as executive director of the Tulsa Air and Space Museum and resigned from the museum in 2010 to concentrate on his career in the Naval Reserve. He will face a Democrat and an Independent in the November General Election. John Olson, 34, an Army Reservist for the past 15 years was the only Democrat to file for the seat. Craig Allen, a pilot from Tulsa, filed as an independent candidate. Allen, 53, was among the candidates who lost in the Republican primary to Sullivan in 2010.

Second District

Second District Congressman Dan Boren did not seek reelection. Boren was elected to the second district seat in 2004 and is the only Democrat in the Oklahoma congressional delegation. 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. While Boren won with 71 percent of the vote in 2008, he received just 57% in 2010. In the2010 race Boren had to do extensive campaigning and spent $1.8 million on the race, while the Republican nominee spent just over $100,000.
The district covers 26 counties in eastern Oklahoma, stretching south from the Kansas state line to the Red River border with Texas. After the 2010 census and minor redistricting, the district remains the most Democratic in the state by registration. In redistricting, some Republican parts of Rogers County were added, but Democrat-leaning parts of Marshall County were also inserted. Because it is an open seat, the race has received the most attention for much of the campaign. Ten candidates filed for the open seat.
Six Republicans filed for the Republican nomination. Since no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two finishers will square off in the Runoff Primary on August 28. Markwayne Mullin and George Faught emerged as the top contenders, defeating Wayne Pettigrew, Dustin Rowe, Dwayne Thompson and Dakota Wood. Mullins finished first in the election with 42 percent of the vote and Faught came in second with 23 percent.
Markwayne Mullin, 34, of Westville took over the family plumbing business, Mullin Plumbing, 15 years ago with six employees and has expanded it into one of the largest service companies in Oklahoma with more than 100 employees. He also owns Mullin Environmental, Mullin Services and Mullin Properties along with ranching operations in Adair and Wagoner counties. Mullin is known across a good portion of the district because of his business ads and his employees who travel the state in red vans. Mullin also hosted a Saturday morning radio program, House Talk, on conservative Talk Radio 1170 KFAQ in Tulsa.
State Rep. George Faught, 49, 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 finishing his third term in the Oklahoma Legislature after becoming the first Republican ever elected to the legislative district. He has a 76% cumulative average on the Oklahoma Conservative Index, but scored 90% in the 2012 session. Fought pledges to limit his tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives to no more than three full terms if he is elected.
On the Democratic side, Rob Wallace and Wayne Herriman edged out Earl Everett and the two will face off in the runoff. Wallace, who had the backing of former Gov. Brad Henry and other Democrat Party leaders finished first with 46 percent of the vote. Herriman had 42 percent.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Rob Wallace, 48, served as District Attorney in LeFlore and Latimer counties from 1999 to 2004. He left that post to take a position as assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Oklahoma..
Wayne Herriman, 59, is the owner of Sunburst Seed Co. in Muskogee and Holman Seed Farm in Collinsville. He also has Sunburst Spraying Co. in Muskogee.
The winners of the Republican and Democrat Runoff Primary will also face an Independent candidate in the November election. Michael G. Fulks, 53, of Heavener is a member of the support staff at Carl Albert State College. Fulks said he has been an independent all his life and describes himself as a centrist.

Third District

Congressman Frank Lucas, 52, of Cheyenne was opposed for the GOP nomination by William Craig Stump, 45, of Drumright. Lucas won with 88 percent of the vote. Lucas was first elected to Congress in a Special Election in 1994. His opposition to the federal TARP bailout in 2008 – he was the only member of the U.S. House from Oklahoma to oppose it – reinforced his support from conservatives.
There were two Democrats competing for the nomination in the Primary Election. Frankie Robbins, 66, of Medford lost to Lucas in 2008 and 2010. Robbins is a Civil Engineer, and is retired from the U.S. Forest Service. Timothy Ray Murray, 45, of Guthrie has worked with large pharmacy chains. Murray captured 52 percent of the vote to defeat Robbins for the Democrat nomination. In addition to Murray, Lucas will also face an independent candidate in the November election. William M. Sanders, 42, of Stillwater served for 12 years with the Oklahoma National Guard as a supply specialist and was discharged last year.

Fourth District

Congressman Tom Cole, 62, of Moore won the Republican nomination with 88 percent of the vote, defeating Gary D. Caissie, 51, of Norman. Cole was first elected to Congress in 2002. Cole was challenged for the Republican nomination in 2010 by R.J. Harris of Norman. Cole defeated Harris in the GOP Primary, receiving 77% of the vote. Harris, 39, is running as an Independent this time saying he wants to offer voters a true conservative in November. Harris abandoned a bid for the Libertarian presidential nomination to make the race.
There were two Democrats in the Primary election. Bert Smith, 64, ran for the 5th Congressional District three times (2004, 2006, 2008), but moved to Moore. The other Democrat was Donna Marie Bebo , 34, of Fletcher. Bebo won the Democrat nomination over Smith with 58 percent of the vote. Bebo moved to Oklahoma in 2008 and says she is concerned with the corporate influence in politics.

Fifth District

Edmond Republican James Lankford, 44 , is running for his second term on his conservative record. He was not challenged for the GOP nomination. On the Democrat side will be Tom Guild,57, of Edmond who was the only Democrat to file for the seat. Guild taught political science and legal studies at the University of Central Oklahoma for 27 years and for three years at Oklahoma City University. He ran for the seat two years ago but was defeated in the Democrat Primary. Years ago, when he was a registered Republican, Guild made three races for a seat on the Corporation Commission, but lost in the Republican primary the last two times. He even went so far as to put the word “Reagan” on his campaign signs, and claimed to be a conservative Republican. He now calls himself a Progressive Democrat.
Two Independent candidates will also be on the ballot in November. Robert T. Murphy, 64, of Norman (you don’t have to live in the district) has run for various offices in the past, including Congress. He has previously run as a Libertarian and as an Independent. The other Independent is Pat Martin, 28, of Jones who is a training manager at a software company. He was formerly registered as a Republican.

There are no reader comments about this story

Ad Your Comment: