Well, the 2010 Primary Elections have come and gone in my home state of Oklahoma. I realize this blog entry will probably only interest the folks of the Sooner State, so my apologies to everyone else. But, here are my thoughts on what happened this week at the polls.

 The Race for the Governor's Mansion

First of all, I'll cover the Democrats. Man, what a shock that Jerri Askins won! Going into Election Day, her opponent, current State Attorney General Drew Edmondson, had a 10 point lead, according to some polls. But, on election night, Askins pulled an upset. This is good and bad. It's good because just in case (and I don't think this will happen) the Dems win this post in November, Askins isn't quite as liberal as Edmondson (he seems very at home with the Moveon.org crowd). So, if we had to endure another Democrat for governor, we could do worse. That being said, she's still a dang dirty Democrat and I'm hoping she does not win the general election! It's bad because she is more moderate, so she might be tougher to beat. Oklahoma is a fairly conservative state (remember, we're the only state where Obama didn't carry any districts). However, when it comes to local elections, many seem to love their moderate Dems. Edmondson would have been portrayed as a far left liberal (which he is) and it would have hurt him with voters. But Askins is more to the center, so she might pull in some of the folks in the rural areas who are economically more Democrat, but socially more Republican.

Now on to the Republicans. It's no shock, for those of us who followed this race that Mary Fallin won against primary challenger Randy Brogdon. I like Brogdon and what he stands for. I think his views are very much in line with the Tea Party movement that I am a part of. Fallin is more of an "establishment Republican," and yes, she voted for the first so-called "bail out." I disagreed with her on that vote. But, Brogdon made a few major slip ups. First of all, he ran a fairly negative campaign. He frequently pointed out the mistakes Ms. Fallin has made as a U.S. Representative. However, you can't win an election by only being negative. Plus, in his negative tone, he was very clear about all of the things he is against (high taxes, increased government regulation, bail outs, etc.) but never clearly articulated what he is for! He told us what he wanted to do at times (like eliminate the state income tax) but never explained how he was going to accomplish such things. Voters want to see a clear plan laid out. Brogdon tapped into the anger many of us are feeling right now, but never rose above that to provide a positive alternative.

I think Mary Fallin will be the next governor of Oklahoma. There is such a backlash right now against Obama and all of the Democrats that Ms. Fallin would have to do something unforgivable to not pull off a victory (or hire Steve Largent or Earnest Istook as campaign managers, which I don't recommend).

5^th Congressional Race

This race had an upset, as well. James Lankford, a political newcomer, actually won the largest percentage of the vote (I think there were five guys in this race) and will face Kevin Calvey in a run-off. James won for several reasons, in my opinion. First of all, he used to manage the popular Southern Baptist camp Falls Creek. He's very well known and well liked among the Southern Baptists of the state, and in Oklahoma, that's one big voting bloc (it seems as if we have a SBC church on just about every other corner). Secondly, he's never run for office before. His two closest opponents in the race had both been members of the state congress. This is definitely an anti-incumbent election cycle for many, and the fact that Lankford is a fresh face in the arena worked to his advantage.

I think Lankford will probably pull off a victory, and I look for him to end up serving Oklahoma's 5^th congressional district. I think he'll do alright, too. He probably won't be much different from Mary Fallin who has held the seat for the last few years, or Earnest Istook, who held the seat before her. He may be a newcomer to politics, but policy wise, not much will change.

 4^th Congressional Race

This is the race I was most interested in, as the 4^th is my district. I voted for RJ Harris, as I wanted him to defeat Tom Cole. Quite frankly, Cole is a bipolar conservative. He's rock solid one day, voting the right way, and then flakey the next day, voting for bail outs and all sorts of bad legislation. I think Oklahoma needs consistent conservatism, and Cole just doesn't offer that. I think several things hurt RJ Harris, though. First of all, he did go negative, and for some reasons politicians can't seem to understand that negative usually doesn't work! Secondly, Cole has a fairly long history in that seat, and is very well known. He's popular with the mainstream Republicans in the area. Harris is more of a libertarian, which is alright by me! But, Oklahoma has a pretty cozy relationship with its establishment Republicans, and "Ron Paulish" candidates just don't fare well (I hope this changes). I knew that Harris really didn't have a shot, but I sure wanted him to win. If Cole doesn't get any better, and no one else steps up, I might seriously consider challenging him in 2012. Just a thought in the back of my mind...

Well, in a nutshell, there are my feelings on the primary. Now we move on to the general election, as I pray conservatives trounce all over liberals this election cycle. My big hope is that Republicans will actually offer a clear, conservative alternative to the socialistic Democrats. It's time to step up to the plate, and not to play softball, either.

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