Weekly Opinion/Editorial

PRIMARY ELECTION IS PRIMARY!
by Steve Fair

The primary election is next Tuesday and for once, Republicans will have more races on the ballot than Democrats. In Stephens County Republicans will be voting on twelve races and choosing from the twenty-six candidates in the races. Here are the races and the candidates:
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Senator Tom Coburn is up for re-election to his second (and final) six-year term. Dr. Tom has two primary opponents, Kelly Springs and Evelyn Rogers. 4th district Congressman Tom Cole (R-Moore) is running for his fourth term. R.J. Harris from Norman is his opponent in the primary. The winner will be elected for the two-year term since no Democrat filed for the seat.
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The Governor’s race has four Republicans on the ballot. Congresswoman and former Lt. Governor Mary Fallin, State Senator Randy Brogdon (R-Owasso), and two OKC area businessmen Robert Hubbard and Roger Jackson are vying for the nomination. The winner will face the winner of the Askins/Edmondson primary on the Democrat side.
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Five Republicans are on the ballot for Lt. Governor. State Senator Todd Lamb (R-Edmond), State Representative John Wright (R-Broken Arrow), Paul Nosak, Bill Crozier, and Bernie Adler are running for the open seat. It’s an open seat because current Lt. Governor Jari Askins is running for Governor. The winner will face State Senator Kenneth Corn (D-McAlester) in November.
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The State Auditor and Inspectors race has two Republicans- former State GOP Chairman Gary Jones and David Hanigar. The winner will face Steve Burrage in November.
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Ryan Leonard and former State Senator Scott Pruitt are running for Attorney General. The winner will face Democrat Jim Priest in November. In the State Treasurer’s race, voters will choose between former State Senator Owen Laughlin (R-Woodward), and State Representative Ken Miller (R-Edmond). The winner will face Democrat Stephen Covert in the general election. Both of these races are open seats.
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In the Superintendent of Public Instruction GOP primary, Janet Barresi and Brian Kelly are running and the winner will face a Democrat and an Independent in November.
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Mark Costello and Jason Reese are running for Labor Commissioner. The winner will face incumbent Democrat Lloyd Fields who was unchallenged for the Democrat nomination.
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Three Republicans are running for Insurance Commissioner, John Doak, Mark Croucher and John Crawford. The winner will face incumbent Democrat Kim Holland who did not draw a primary opponent.
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Todd Yeager is challenging Corporation Commissioner Dana Murphy in the primary. Murphy is running for a full six-year term after being elected to complete the unexpired term of Denise Bode. No Democrat filed, so the winner of the primary will be elected to the office.
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Senator Anthony Sykes (R-Moore) is being challenged by Linda Molsbee of Newcastle in the State Senate District #24 race. The two Democrats who filed for the seat withdrew after filing and an Independent candidate who filed did not live in the district, so the winner between Sykes and Molsbee will be elected to a four-year term.
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Oklahoma has a closed primary system. Only voters who are registered members of a recognized political party may vote for the party's candidates in primary and runoff primary elections. That means only registered Republicans can vote in the GOP primary and only registered Democrats can vote in the Democrat primary. Some states have ‘open’ primaries. An open primary does not require a voter to be affiliated with a political party to vote for partisan candidates. They can select one party’s ballot and vote for that party’s nomination- even if they are not registered in that party. Twenty states have ‘open’ primaries, including Texas. It’s a system wroth with ‘strategy’ and ‘playing with your vote’ and should be eliminated. Thankfully neither major Party in Oklahoma wants an ‘open’ primary.
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Webster defines primary as, “First or highest in rank, quality, or importance; principal.” But unfortunately primary elections are not placed ‘highest in rank’ by most voters. In most primaries, a voter turnout of 40% is considered good. With the great slate of Republican candidates we have on the ballot, the Oklahoma GOP should have record turnout this year for the primary.
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In person absentee balloting has made it more convenient for citizens to vote. You can vote at the County Courthouse on Friday, Saturday and Monday before Tuesday’s election. Polls are open their normal hours on Tuesday from 7am until 7pm.
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Fellow Republican- study the issues and the candidates that will be on the ballot. Vote for the person who you believe best aligns with your values and will do the best job. But first and foremost vote! After all, it’s “primary!”