There were 5 Republicans in the House seeking the post of Speaker, last week. Yesterday there were just 2. Then the Republicans caucused and voted in secret. It was a vote between Chad Caldwell of Enid, and Charles McCall of Atoka. Reps. Hardin, Russ, & Ortega had conceded ahead of time and withdrew their candidacies. This vote will occur again, in November, after the elections are certified and the new 57th Legislature is sworn in. There will be some new faces and some current ones will be gone. State Rep. Charles McCall will remain speaker of the Oklahoma House. Caldwell previously told The Oklahoman that he was asked by his colleagues to run. "People are obviously frustrated with the lack of progress, both inside and outside this building. And I'm sure Speaker McCall is concerned," Caldwell said last week. "Any time that you're in a difficult time like this, I think it's natural and good to take a step back and reevaluate things." Charles McCall decline to comment to reporters at the capitol following the Republican Caucus meeting. |
There were rumors floating around political circles last summer, that McCall was eyeing a run for 2nd District Congressman, against MarkWayne Mullin. Both men are young and very wealthy. It would have been a potentially brutal political fight. But the Supreme Court failure and the unpopular view of our current state leadership has made it more difficult for a congressional battle, despite Mullin's unpopular polling.
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Sooner Politics
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