SoonerPolitics.org

Sean Roberts Ordered to Strike Out His Own Nickname

4/26/2022

Following a lengthy and contentious hearing before the Oklahoma Election Board, State Representative Sean Roberts was unanimously ordered(3-0) to take a red pen and strike out the words "the Patriot" from his original candidate filing form.
State Labor Commissioner, Leslie Osborn, sought to have Roberts completely thrown off the ballot for daring to include a nickname he has increasingly been referred to by.
Fellow Representative and arch enemy, Chris Cannady, testified against Roberts, while disgraced for AG Mike Hunter served as Osborn's legal counsel.
Cannady testified that his definition (listen to audio) of a 'patriot' is higher than most. He indicated that his is measured by how much an individual has sacrificed in military battle for his country.
The problem with that redefinition is that it would declare the Revolutionary Minutemen as insurrectionists and the 'Red Coats' who raided the Lexington & Concord armories as "the Patriots".
None the less, Roberts did not convince the election board that the public 'generally' knows him as "the Patriot".

The state election board witnesses while Rep. Sean Roberts complies with the mandated requirement of removing his own nickname from his candidate filing

Jackson Lahmeyer: 'Toward A Sane Marijuana Policy'

4/26/2022

A guest editorial on policy decisions for the US Senate to address.

A major issue confronting the Republican right in the USA, is a matter of prohibition policy. Candidate Jackson Lahmeyer currently serves as an evangelical pastor in Tulsa, OK. His pastoral care informs his understanding of how something can be both beneficial and pose some risk to the individual. He advocates the virtue of responsibility for one's own consumption.
But the matters pressing public policy and the decisions a US Senator needs to be cognizant of, include how federalism (overlapping jurisdictions by multiple governments), is to function when the state governments overwhelmingly dispute the federal government's underlying perceptions.
To that end, he undertook an effort to discuss the pragmatic public policy impacts of our current & rapidly-changing dichotomy between the federal government's policy and laws; contrasting with the realities in more than 40 states who have substantively changed how they regulate cannabis within their state.
For this reason, we are publishing Lahmeyer's position paper for the readers' consideration.

TOWARDS A SANE MARIJUANA POLICY FOR OKLAHOMA AND AMERICA

By Jackson Lahmeyer
Since the passage of state question 788, Oklahoma has experienced the boom of a billion dollar industry creating around 45,000 jobs in our state. At this point, 47 States now have some form of medical cannabis program.

continued..

Kicking 'The Patriot' Off the Primary Ballot.

4/20/2022

Several Oklahomans, in and out of the state capitol, say that Rep. Roberts has become known as 'the patriot' for his advocacy of personal liberty and open government.

What nicknames are allowed on the ballot?

Hundreds of candidates use an informal or nickname. But one candidate doesn't want her opponent to use 'The Patriot' as his part of his ballot name.
Termed out state Rep. Sean Roberts wants to be the next State Labor Commissioner. His former colleague in the House says she wants his nickname dropped from the official ballot. The case comes before the state election board, next week.
Senator Blake 'Cowboy' Stevens has been on multiple ballots under that name. Evidently 'Cowboy' is not as offensive as 'The Patriot'?

Leslie Osborn is protesting 'The Patriot'.

The Oklahoma Election Board released the list of challenged candidacies, Tuesday night. While the docket wasn't comparatively long by recent standards, it contained several challenges in court officers. Nearly half of the dozen challenges were court-related.

Shannon Calls For Federal Term Limits - Signs Pledge

4/20/2022

In an opening volley of the Republican primary campaign for US Senate, former Oklahoma Speaker of the House, TW Shannon; announced his pledge to co-sponsor a constitutional amendment to put federal lawmakers under a limit to their length of elective office.
In a press release, Shannon points out how he quickly rose to the highest office in Oklahoma's legislative branch because of Oklahoma term limits, passed by the voters in 1992.
Shannon's press statement did not include any personally self-imposed term limit unless the entire congress is subject to the same reforms.
If a term limits amendment is adopted by congress and passed by the voters in 3/4 of the states, it will heavily assuage the call for an 'Article Five' Convention of states. Currently, a couple dozen states have pledged delegations to an alternative constitutional body which could forward a proposed term limits amendment without the supermajority support of congress.

TW Shannon joined the Trump team prior to the 2016 primaries. He's pictured with Sarah Palin & Donald Trump, at Tulsa's Mabee Center, on January 20, 2016.

Stitt Gains Endorsements From Legislators - Updated

4/18/2022

Despite many tough negotiations and even an override of an annual budget appropriation, The leaders of both legislative chambers gave their full endorsement of Gov. Kevin Stitt for another 4-year term.
This comes even as a former senator filed to run against him. Former senator Ervin Yen is now running as an independent. Former Republican Education Superintendent, Joy Hofmeister is now seeking the Democrat nomination for governor.
Stitt is not expected to have any difficulty gaining the Republican nomination when the June 28 election is tabulated.
Last week, former president Donald Trump signaled his continued support for Stitt, announcing a fundraising event at his Florida country club & home.
Some are also taking note of which state lawmakers were not in this list. Among the names declining to endorse the incumbent GOP governor, are several eastern and southern legislators in districts with larger tribal populations. It's no secret that the wealthy tribal organizations are furious at Stitt for attempting to take away their protected monopoly of the gambling industry.

More than $10 million in dark money funds are seeking to defeat Gov. Stitt. But the legislature mostly stands by him.

Fresh Black Coffee: Election Bracketology With Randy Krehbiel

4/17/2022

Talk radio legend, Eddie Huff, does a weekly Saturday podcast with David Van of Sooner Politics. This weekend, Randy Krehbiel of the Tulsa World came to the studio to help us break down a massive 2022 election bracket.

Election Bracketology With Randy Krehbiel - full show
The 2022 Oklahoma Election Brackets have been released. Political reporter, Randy Krehbiel of the Tulsa World, came to the studio for an in-depth breakdown of the races settled and the campaigns ahead.
We discuss Randy's big scoop and interview with Former EPA chief and Oklahoma AG, Scott Pruitt.
David discusses the 54 legislative races that have already been decided because only one person filed.

54 Legislators Won Their Elections Today.

4/15/2022

Noncontests dominate the 2022 election cycle.

125 legislative elections were started this week. 54 of them ended today. In the Oklahoma Senate, 6 Republicans and 3 Democrats were declared winners of another 4-year term. This happened because they were the only ones to file for office at the state capitol.
In the Oklahoma State House, 38 Republicans and 8 Democrats were declared the winners of 2-year terms in office, beginning this winter. Their pay packages will exceed $100,000 with travel & lodging stipends, plus other perks.

In short, more lawmakers were elected today than will be in November.

In short, more lawmakers were elected today than will be in November.

Additionally, Republicans will be assured 8 additional Senate seats because only Republicans filed. One Senate seat will be resolved between Democrat candidates.
Of the 24 Senate seats not up for election this year, 23 are Republican, 1 is Democrat. This means only 6 of the 48 senate seats will be a November decision. Republicans therefor retain at least a 75% majority of the Oklahoma Senate.

In the Oklahoma State House of Representatives, 22 more Reps will be decided among Republicans, since only Republicans filed. Democrats will pick up 1 additional seat when they decide between an exclusively Democrat list of candidates.
This means Republicans already retain 50 of the 101 offices. Democrats have secured 9. So, just 42 House seats will be determined by the November elections.

A Capitol Watch Party Gathers

4/15/2022

Many Incumbents Win By Default

As the lines dwindled at the state capitol building, the election board closes at 5pm. This is the deadline for candidates to file in the 2022 general election (held next November.
But perhaps dozens of state & local leaders will head to another full term in office by declaration of the election board, next week. As of Noon, Friday, half the 24 senate contests and 55 of the House races had no more than one filed candidate.

Despite this year's newly-drawn districts, and the absence of covid lockdowns; many incumbents are still unpopposed, as of noon, Friday. Even more interesting, Mark Tedford is a new candidate to the state House with now opponents. He may become a rare 'unelected ' lawmaker. He's seeking HD69, where Sheila Dills chose not to seek a 3rd term.
We've posted the filings as of midday, Friday. Expect champaign corks to pop at 5pm.

Felons, minors, and unregistered voters are not eligible to file for elective office

OCPA Calls Out House Majority Leader For Implied Threats & False Speech

4/14/2022

Majority Leader, Josh West

The Oklahoma Council on Public Affairs, the leading state think tank on Oklahoma policy & government; called out Majority Leader Josh West (R-Grove) for what president Jonathan Small called false information on a key piece of legislation which impacts the retirement pensions of several thousand state employees.
But then Small goes on to describe an implied threat his organization received when OCPA was arranging to deliver an award to the Army veteran.
West has a reputation for angry outbursts. In 2018, an elderly colleague of West's was bullied in the capitol. Sooner Politics carried that exclusive story.
West then formed a dark-money fund to unseat Rep. Mike Ritze, later that year. Yet West accused Ritze of being the one starting a 'civil war'.
That scenario centered around a massive tax increase that West was advocating. Ritze vowed to oppose that tax increase because he pledged to his district that he would not raise their taxes.
West was elected in 2016, having the strong support of poultry corporations along the Grand Lake watershed.

Oklahoma Voters Must Navigate New Electoral Districts This Week.

4/13/2022

When last week's local elections were certified, the state of Oklahoma officially entered a newly organized state and local govt subdivision. Not only are candidates now filing for the new congressional, legislative, and county commissioner districts, but even voters will be moved into new precincts.
Tulsa County Election Board completely overhauled their voting precinct boundaries and numbers.
We've enclosed screenshots from the Legislature's website which provide the only updated info that candidates and voters need in order to find out which precinct & legislative district they now reside in.
This failure of the State & County Election boards to update their web resources has created potential problems with candidate filing, because the state election board is now actively publishing disinformation, which could affect citizens decisions on filing for elective public office.

Every Tulsa County voter was placed in a new precinct, with a different number, this week.

Sooner Politics
Editorial

David Van Risseghem reports the events and adds some perspective.

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David Van Risseghem is the Publisher of SoonerPolitics.org. The resource is committed to informing & mobilizing conservative Oklahomans for civic reform. This endeavor seeks to utilize the efforts of all cooperative facets of the Conservative movement...

"No politician 'checks off every box" in your list of issues. You have to prioritize and use personal discretion regarding every current and future issue that you can imagine. Then you have to also judge integrity & consistency. A candidate's openness to study the issues & courage to think for themselves. Then you need to review their honesty & work ethic. I respect any voter's decision, when they've informed themselves and took voting seriously." - David Van Risseghem

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SoonerPolitics.org is committed to informing & mobilizing conservative Oklahomans for civic reform & restored liberty. We seeks to utilize the efforts of all cooperative facets of the Conservative movement... Content of the diverse columns are solely at the discretion of the dozens of websites who create the content. David Van Risseghem is the founder of this platform.
Sooner Politics News is a platform, not a media site. All our bloggers get their feeds promoted regardless of content. As soon as We suppress or delete even one posting, we become an endorser of whatever We didn't censor..The publisher doesn't (and could not) logically agree with all the content, so we would not expect any rational reader to agree, either. What we do hope, is that readers will think for themselves, and at least be better informed of the issues, events, and values that our citizen journalists work hard to provide for free.. We automate much of the tasks so that our sources' content gets as much exposure as possible. We encourage constructive discussion & debate. The solution is more free speech, not less.