Heavy lift: The Oklahoma Ethics Commission has formalized three working groups to study campaign finance reforms. These include squeezing out independent expenditures from out-of-state sources, increasing reporting thresholds, allowing unlimited transfers from parties to candidates, and coordination between candidates and other entities.
The working groups intend to take public input from across the state, with the first session scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa’s Learning Center Room 221.
Bedfellows: Such things are hard to measure, but consensus seems to be that Gov. Kevin Stitt’s involvement helped tip several Senate primaries last week.
Among them, he helped incumbents Michael Bergstrom and Casey Murdock withstand strong challenges, Brian Guthrie win an open seat in south Tulsa and Jonathan Wingard knock out Senate President Pro Tem-elect Greg McCortney.
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Another of Stitt’s endorsed candidates, Dr. Julie McIntosh, is in an Aug. 27 runoff against incumbent Blake “Cowboy” Stephens.
Stitt’s candidates didn’t all win. Incumbent Cody Rogers in west Tulsa County and Rick Wolfe in Lawton both lost — but by smaller margins than some expected.
University of Oklahoma political scientist Mike Crespin said the power of endorsements, in most cases, is difficult to gauge.
“They tend to matter around the margins,” he said, “but a lot of these races were decided around the margins.”
He also noted that the message sent by Stitt’s working against some incumbents is pretty clear.
“If I want to stay in office and don’t want a primary opponent, I better go along with the governor,” said Crespin.
There is one possible catch. Stitt is effectively a lame duck after this election. By the next elections in 2026, his leverage figures to be greatly reduced. And when the state senators he supported this year next come up for election in 2028, he will have been out of office for two years.
Back to work: The Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services said it was able last week to reopen job preparation and employment services for a category of jobseekers with significant disabilities known as Priority Group 2.
Group 2 is an intermediate level between the most severely disabled, for whom services were reopened in February 2023, and those considered least disabled.
Whittling down ODRS waiting lists has been a priority for lawmakers for years, but budget constraints followed by the COVID-19 pandemic slowed progress.
But who’s counting: Tulsa-area lawmakers made the top and bottom scores on the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy report card.
Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, Sen. JoAnna Dossett, D-Tulsa, and Rep. Suzanne Schreiber, D-Tulsa, were among 15 lawmakers tied for first with 105 points each.
In last place was Sen. Nathan Dahm, R-Broken Arrow, with 28 points.
Campaigns and elections: U.S. Sen. James Lankford told Politico he is not one of those jockeying for position in the 2026 Oklahoma Republican gubernatorial primary, despite widespread rumors to the contrary.
“I laughingly go: ‘I don’t know who the sources are, but they’re not actually from me or my family,’” Lankford said. “That one is fake news.”
- After winning the 1st congressional district’s Democratic primary last week, Dennis Baker summed up his campaign message against heavily favored Republican incumbent Kevin Hern.
“Kevin Hern wants to raise the retirement age for Social Security, privatize Medicare and stop efforts to raise the minimum wage. I don’t. The choice is clear,” Baker said.
- Incumbent Creek County Commissioner Leon Warner lost Tuesday’s Republican primary to challenger Zac Moore by 14 votes, 695-681.
Final score: Stitt signed 488 bills and vetoed 32 during the just-completed legislative session.
Foreign correspondent: Stitt will be in Washington on Tuesday for the SelectUSA Investment Summit, a federally sponsored conference to encourage foreign investment in the U.S.
Stitt is among several governors scheduled to participate in a panel discussion titled “Workforce Development for the Clean Energy Era.”
Meetings and events: Candidates in the Aug. 27 runoff elections will be featured at the Tulsa County Republican Men’s Club at 11 a.m. July 10 at Oklahoma Joe’s, 6075 E. 61st St. Non-members are welcome.
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