Veterans, candidates and an approaching primary election

“Conditions win elections and not speeches.”

That assertion was once made by Oklahoma’s most famous Democrat, Will Rogers.  If the conditions created by implementing radical ideas enabled by one-party rule in my beloved home state for the better part of a decade are not enough to move a majority of voters to shift the needle away from the extreme policies that have bankrupted us both financially and morally, then any oratory regardless of how articulate will not matter.  All the same, making speeches ranks high among the things that go with the territory when a motivated soul seeks election to public office.  Saturday afternoon such an opportunity was provided for a dozen or so campaigning candidates and a few incumbents.  The venue was Tulsa’s VFW Post 577 and the event was the Veterans Legislative Open House sponsored by the Veterans Committee of the Oklahoma Democratic Party and the First Congressional District.

For the past four years Yours Truly has been deeply involved with the ODP Veterans Committee and have since risen to the elected post of committee vice president.  As a mid-level officer in the state Democratic Party, I am very adamant that our legislators and legislative candidates interface and hear from a critical segment of the voting public on a periodic basis, that being military veterans.  Saturday’s event provided a town hall forum format to achieve that purpose.  The event was open to U.S. military veterans and their friends and families regardless of political affiliation.  At the end of the day it is imperative to  remember that we all took the same oath to support and defend the same Constitution and that we all served, are serving and will continue to serve under the same colors.

Among the candidates present were two military veterans.  Former Army artilleryman Craig Hoxie appears to be the odds on favorite for the Democratic nomination in House District 23 (Tulsa, Catoosa, Verdigris).  I have not met his primary opponent, nor did his opponent attend the event.  Mr. Hoxie is a physics teacher at Tulsa’s Booker T. Washington high school.  His actions managed to capture national notoriety during the Oklahoma Teacher Walkout earlier this spring.  He made top billing of the June 4th issue of New Yorker Magazine.  Craig Hoxie’s stump speech reflected an educator’s intellect and his presentation showed both passion and motivation.  If he becomes the Democratic nominee, the Republican incumbent is going to have to work to overcome a determined and formidable challenger to his reelection.

Candidate Craig Hoxie, HD 23

Air Force veteran Fred Dorrell of Broken Arrow is one of two candidates on the June 26th Primary ballot for the office of Labor Commissioner.  Labor Commissioner is one of several state offices that have over the past decade become accustomed to not having a serious Democratic challenger to GOP control.  The last Democrat elected to this office was Lloyd Fields in 2006.  Mr. Dorrell certainly possesses the experience and the credentials to be a fair and effective Commissioner of Labor.  He is a native Oklahoman and had a long tenure with the United Auto Workers having worked in the Ford Motor Company glass plant for some thirty-four years.  His presentation reflected a keen insight and knowledge of the mechanisms of government and how they relate to the office he is seeking.  It was noted that Mr. Dorrell has a commanding physical presence.

Fred Dorrell, candidate for Labor Commissioner

There were a few incumbent Democratic office holders in attendance.  Representative Monroe Nichols has represented House District 72 (North Tulsa, Owasso, Turley, Sperry) for the past two years and is coming up on his first bid for reelection.  Mr. Nichols has always been very receptive and responsive to input and ideas regarding Veterans Affairs and an array of other issues.  He does have a primary challenger this cycle.  He is expected to prevail in the  primary and he will likely be reelected in a district known for being heavily Democratic.  Mr. Nichols has for me always been an excellent source of what is really going on in the Democratic caucus and in his respective committees.

Rep. Monroe Nichols, HD 72

The current Chairwoman of the Tulsa County Democratic Party is also the only Democrat to file for the office of Insurance Commissioner.  Kimberly Fobbs of Tulsa ran as the Democratic nominee for State Senate District 33 in 2016.  Candidate Fobbs is another one running for an office that has been largely uncontested by any Democratic challenger for the better part of a decade.  The last Democrat to be elected to this office was Kim Holland in 2006.  Holland was defeated for her reelection bid in 2010.  As one who has suffered from insurance company profiteering, I know I can trust Kimberly Fobbs to put the interests of the consumer first.  She has no primary opponent and will face one of three GOP candidates in the General.

Kimberly Fobbs, candidate for Insurance Commissioner.

Blake Cummings, one of four Democratic candidates on the primary ballot for the office of Corporation Commissioner, was in attendance and gave an informative stump speech.  I first met Mr. Cummings back in 2008 when he was a resident of the 4th Congressional District and was challenging Tom Cole for his Congressional seat.  Candidate Cummings has a long career background in oil and gas production and has no inhibitions about returning the Gross Production Tax to its previous level of 7%.  I have not met any of the other three candidates for this office but this was the third Democratic Party event I have seen Mr. Cummings attend.  He currently resides near the town of Seminole.  He and his wife, Donna, are the proud parents of a former Marine.

Blake Cummings, candidate for Corporation Commisioner

Two of the five candidates on the primary ballot for the 1st Congressional District seat attended.  These are the only two of those five candidates I have seen actually do any real campaigning since the filing deadline back in April.  Mrs. Amanda Douglas, a business analyst, wife to a Republican and mother of a toddler, resides in Broken Arrow.  Candidate Douglas is a political novice but her  passion and enthusiasm to be an agent for positive change seem to shine through a little brighter every time I see her.  She has done a good job of building herself up without tearing down anyone else.  Moreover, her stump speech ginned up that very question I posed back in March:   

CD-1 candidate Amanda Douglas

Tulsa attorney Tim Gilpin is thought by many to have the inside track on the nomination.  Candidate Gilpin is not a newcomer to public office.  He has served as a former assistant Oklahoma Attorney General and was a member of the Oklahoma Board of Education for six years.  Since his campaign kick-off in April he has accumulated a few endorsements from organizations like the Oklahoma Education Association and well known public figures like former CD-1 Congressman James R. Jones and former Superintendent of Public Instruction Sandy Garrett.  As a candidate, Mr. Gilpin definitely appears to have a grasp of all the issues pertinent to the office he is seeking along with the skills necessary for the job.  Thus far I have not been able to detect any serious deficits in his knowledge base.

CD-1 candidate Tim Gilpin

A few other State House candidates attended and significantly contributed to the event’s overall success.  One of the candidates for House District 66 (downtown Tulsa, Sand Springs, Prattville) who attended was Angela Graham.  Inspired by the unlikely victory of her close friend Allison Ikley-Freeman in a special election for State Senate District 37 last November, Candidate Graham has yet to show any signs of diminishing enthusiasm.  She does face a primary challenger by the name of Rusty Rowe, a candidate I have met once who was not in attendance at this event.  Ms. Graham is an early childhood education specialist and a huge proponent of public education.  Her district is largely blue collar working class and, like her State Senate role model Sen. Ikley-Freeman, she is willing to invest the sweat equity to earn the necessary number of votes.

Candidate Angela Graham, HD 66

Another State House hopeful seeking office in a very red district who was in attendance was a young south Tulsa attorney by the name of Carly Hotvedt.  Candidate Hotvedt, who has no primary challenger,  is seeking to unseat a GOP incumbent in HD 67, a district I lived in for nearly six years prior to moving to my current location.  I served as chair of a precinct where Democrats were outnumbered by 4 1/2 to 1.  It is my understanding that not much has changed in HD 67, which covers far southeast Tulsa and takes in a small part of west Broken Arrow and northern Bixby.  My hat is off to any candidate who is willing to take on the monumental task of trying to flip such a district from red to blue for it is the tallest of tall orders.  Back to Will’s opening assertion regarding conditions and their effect on elections, this is one district where not enough of the voting public feels the discomfort of the ineptitude of the current legislature and (absent) leadership.

Candidate Carly Hotvedt, HD 67

Randy Padek, one of two Democratic candidates for House District 69 (far south Tulsa, Jenks), was present and delivered a convincing case for his candidacy.  This is the third function I have seen Mr. Padek attend.  He is a public school teacher in Broken Arrow.  During the course of his stump speech he demonstrated an excellent command of the numbers regarding our state’s incarceration rate.  Next to education, criminal justice reform was his next highest priority.  Candidate Padek is a product of Tulsa Public Schools, having graduated from Tulsa Nathan Hale High School in 1975.  He is running in a heavily GOP district however, as Senator Ikley-Freeman demonstrated last year, hard work can eclipse big money and complacency.

Randall Padek, candidate for HD 69

As the event was winding down another incumbent legislator, Karen Gaddis, arrived as did another State House hopeful, J.J. Burnam.  Mr. Burnam, who is running in my current House District, that being HD 70,  has no primary opponent but is going to make a run at unseating the Republican who is finishing her first term.  Rep. Gaddis has a full field and long campaign ahead of her, a primary challenger along with a Libertarian and a well funded Republican.  Both arrived to the event too late to have an audience but we were glad they both made it all the same.

I would like to extend my personal thanks VFW Post 577, to all who helped with this event and especially to the Post Commander Mr. Joshua Starks and the Post Administrator Ms. Dana Bennetch.  The Post’s Centennial Lounge is available for candidate fundraisers for a nominal fee.  This was an excellent venue to host a such a function as today’s.  I would highly recommend it for future such events.