By Constitution Staff

Senator Tom Coburn's unexpected decision to leave the Congress two years early has created the unusual situation of Oklahoma voters choosing two U.S. Senators on the November ballot, as the seat held by Senator Jim Inhofe was already up for election in 2014. Because Coburn's seat was not up until 2016, the special election for his post will be for a "short term" of just two years, while Inhofe's post is for the full six-year term.

Senator Jim Inhofe is running for reelection. Inhofe, 79, has been a conservative leader since his days in the Oklahoma Legislature, as Mayor of Tulsa, his time in Congress, and while in the U.S. Senate. Inhofe was first elected to the Senate in a special election in1994, and reelected with ease since then.

Despite Inhofe's usual ranking in the Top Five of conservatives in the Senate, he has drawn three primary opponents, including Erick Wyatt, 35, of Norman. Wyatt is a retired U.S. Army sergeant, who served in Iraq. He holds to traditional conservative values, and wishes "to limit government's invasion into our lives and liberties." His priorities are God, Family, and Country. Evelyn Rogers, 61, is a college librarian and perennial candidate. She ran for the the U.S. Senate seat in 2008, and this will be her seventh run for federal office. Rob Moye, 58, of Yukon is another Republican in the race. The winner of the Republican contest will face Independent candidates Ray Woods, 78, of Fairview; Joan Farr, 48, of Broken Arrow; and Aaron De Lozier, 30. Matt Silverstein, 33, of Bixby is the only Democrat in the race. Inhofe is heavily favored to win another six years in Congress' "Upper House."

The "open seat" created by Coburn's early exit is drawing a much more spirited battle, attracting some strong candidates. Seven candidates are running for the Republican nomination, which has become "tantamount" to election in Oklahoma. The large number of GOP candidates, including three who have already proven their ability to get elected to public office, seems to point to a run-off.

Randy Brogdon has the reputation as the most conservative candidate in the race, based on his 93% Conservative Index score while serving in the state Senate. After a long career as a private business owner, Brogdon entered politics. Four years ago, Brogdon gave up his seat in the Oklahoma Senate to run for governor, losing to Mary Fallin. Fallin bested Brogdon, with 55% of the vote. This state-wide contest in which he ran a strong race against a long-time officeholder in the Sooner State, has given Brogdon strong name recognition and supporters across the state.

Brogdon, 60, of Owasso regularly scored 100% on the Conservative Index, and was the first to garner a perfect score in the Senate since 1979, the first year of the Index. During his tenure, Brogdon was known as a champion of the Second Amendment Right to Keep and Bear Arms, pro-life on abortion, opposed to violations of civil liberties, against the use of foreign law in Oklahoma courts, in favor of the Tenth Amendment and "states' rights," for local control of schools, in opposition to subsidies for big business and other crony capitalism efforts, against reckless government spending, for efforts to reduce taxes (such as repeal of the Death Tax), against efforts to unionize municipal employees, and pushed efforts to control illegal immigration.

Brogdon has pledged not to vote for Sen. Mitch McConnell as leader of the Republicans in the U.S. Senate and challenged his opponents in the race to do the same. McConnell has been scorned by conservatives for his failure to aggressively push the conservative agenda in the U.S. Senate. Thus far, none have taken him up on that challenge. When they appeared at the OCPAC meeting, the other candidates said that is a decision they would make after they are elected.

Congressman James Lankford, 46, of Edmond was the first major candidate to enter the race, and was established as the early favorite. After many years in church youth camp work, political novice Lankford surprised many observers with his election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010. While Lankford ran against the Washington Establishment in his first race, his cumulative "Freedom Index" score, as published by the highly respected New American magazine, gives him only a 66% score in conservative, limited-government principles.

Lankford has cast many good votes while in Congress, including a vote to defund ObamaCare, a vote to require executive branch agencies to obtain approval from Congress before proposals by government agencies could have legal effect (with a major proposal defined as anything involving in excess of $50 million, anything which could have an adverse effect on the economy, any regulations pertaining to implementing a carbon tax, and any rules made under ObamaCare), a vote to approve the Keystone Pipeline, a full audit of the Federal Reserve System, a vote to prohibit federal funding to purchase health insurance covering abortion, and a vote to prohibit funds for any military actions against Libya, unless Congress were to declare war on Libya.

However, Civil libertarians have concerns about Lankford's voting record. For example, Lankford voted no to a bill that would have terminated blanket collection of records under the Patriot Act and prevent the National Security Agency (NSA) and other federal agencies from using its provisions to collect records of those not subject to an investigation, and no to an effort to eliminate the indefinite military detention of citizens and to transfer the accused to trial in a civilian court. Additionally, Lankford voted to legalize the massive sharing of private user online data by Internet companies with federal agencies, such as the NSA.

House Speaker T.W. Shannon, 36, of Lawton has been called the most conservative Speaker in modern times, with a Conservative Index cumulative score of 74%. While serving in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, Shannon has compiled a mostly conservative record. During his tenure, Shannon has voted to oppose the use of foreign law in Oklahoma courts, has voted consistently for the Second Amendment Right to Keep and Bear Arms, for a pro-life position on abortion, for workers' compensation reform, reduction in tax rates, reform of out of control food stamp programs, in opposition to the use of bonded indebtedness as a way of financing state government, for Tort Reform, for placing a cap on property tax valuations, against affirmative action, for vouchers for education, for the Tenth Amendment and "states' rights," for the protection of civil liberties, for efforts to control illegal immigration, and against much wasteful government spending.

Shannon has also cast some votes which have kept him from achieving Top Conservatives status on a regular basis. For example, Shannon has voted to subsidize big business interests at times, for some bonded indebtedness, and for allowing foreign court judgments to be recognized in and enforced by Oklahoma courts.

Before entering politics himself, Shannon worked for former Congressman J. C. Watts, Jr., and in the campaign of Congressman Tom Cole.

Andy Craig, 41, calls for a constitutional amendment to define marriage as between one man and one woman, is for a balanced budget amendment, is pro-military, and contends that doctors should have to put up with as "little government interference" as is possible. Craig calls himself a pro-life, and pro-Second Amendment candidate. "The tenth amendment tells us that [the rights] states have not specifically given to the federal government to control are retained by the state," Craig contends. Craig calls for a "restoration of traditional values. When we have the right core values, everything else will fall in line." Craig and his wife, Michelle, live in Broken Arrow.

USAO history professor Kevin Crow, 46, also calls himself pro-Second Amendment, but has a slightly different take on some other positions. Professor Crow said he would not privatize social security, but opposes any new entitlement programs. He would leave issues like abortion, same-sex marriage, and drug laws to the states. On foreign policy, Crow said he "will not vote" to put any soldiers at risk on foreign fields, unless the nation is directly threatened. Crow argued that it is "not our place to pick a winner in any confused civil war," and called for a return to the non-interventionist foreign policy established by George Washington in his Farewell Address. Crow is from Broken Arrow.

Eric McCray, 33, a Tulsa mechanical contractor with McCray and Sons Heating and Air, said, "We need to move away from cheap talk about deficit reduction toward debt elimination, and I will never vote to increase our national debt."

Jason Weger, 31, said it is time to "actually limit the size of government and not just talk about it...It is time to follow the Constitution all of the time, not just when it is convenient." Weger calls for a fairer, flat tax, a reduction of Senate pay to $44,000 per year, favors the covering of pre-existing conditions, the strict enforcement of current immigration laws and a strong border. Weger contends, " (T)he Republican Party loses when it preaches the bible and preaches about abortion and gay marriage." Instead, Weger argues, "We must focus on the national debt . . . If we focus on limiting the size and scope of government, other issues will slowly work themselves out — the NSA will stop spying on innocent citizens, the IRS will treat all citizens fair no matter their political affiliation." Weger is a 31-year old paramedic who lives in Norman. He will soon graduate from OU with a Masters of Public Administration.

State Senator Connie Johnson, 61, of Forest Park (12% Conservative Index) is the favorite to win the Democrat nod over two primary opponents. Jim Rogers, 79, of Midwest City is a retired teacher and a frequent candidate. This is his fifth run for the U.S. Senate, and he has run for other offices as well. Patrick Michael Hayes, 39, of Anadarko is the third Democrat.

There will also be an Independent candidate on the November ballot. Jark Beard, 54, is from Oklahoma City.