A group of individuals in the Oklahoma Republican party, led by people like Tobacco industry lobbyist Seth Rott; are seeking to radically replace the structure of party leadership in Oklahoma. One source says that US Senator, James Lankford is also behind the effort to give more control to incumbent politicians in the OKGOP. The move would eliminate most of the authority of the current presiding body (the State Committee), and replace it with a largely hand-picked group of designees which (to some degree) the congressional GOP incumbents get to pick.
The move would also eliminate the authority of the State Chairman to oversee the operation and replace that role with an Executive director whom the new Executive Committee would hire. Current Party Rules state that the Executive Committee is only an advisory Committee to the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the state. This would set up the state party to be structured opposite of how each of the state's 77 County GOP organizations operate. The proposal further consolidates power by making the State Budget Committee a 'subcommittee of the State Executive Committee'. |
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Sooner Politics
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