Editorials
Our Endorsements
Coburn and Lankford
Allow Senator to Continue; Give New Man a Chance
U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn (Rep., Okla.), the ever-vigilant champion of and advocate for common-sense spending practices by the Senate, should be allowed to continue his sometimes Quixotic efforts for fiscal responsibility, and James Lankford, a Republican, could become Sen. Coburn’s counterpart in the House of Representatives if he is elected over his Democratic opponent on Tuesday, Nov. 2.
We endorse both men.
We are particularly excited about the prospects for Mr. Lankford, who wants to succeed U.S. Rep. Mary Fallin (Rep., Okla.) in representing the Fifth Oklahoma Congressional District. He is a straight-forward, plain-talking young man, who, if he wins during the general elections, will have an opportunity to continue advancing his district’s and the state’s interests.
Fallin and Lamb
Congresswoman and Legislator Want to Lead State
U.S. Rep. Mary Fallin (Rep., Okla.) and Todd Lamb, a state legislator, are vying to lead the state as governor and lieutenant governor, respectively.
Congresswoman Fallin has been an effective representative of her district, and she has previously served as a state legislator and then as lieutenant governor. If she succeeds in her gubernatorial election bid, and if Mr. Lamb succeeds in winning the lieutenant governor’s slot, then Republicans would commandeer the state’s two key executive positions, as well as have control of both houses of the State Legislature.
Congresswoman Fallin and Mr. Lamb get our nod today, and we encourage voters to support each of them on Tuesday.
Priest, Jones, Miller and Barresi
Attorney General, Auditor, Treasurer, Superintendent
Jim Priest, a Democrat, is our choice to become the state’s next attorney general; we endorse the candidacy of Gary Jones, a Republican, in his bid to be elected as state auditor and inspector; we support Ken Miller’s bid to be elected as a Republican to the office of state treasurer; and we choose Janet Barresi, the Republican in the race, to become the next superintendent of public instruction.
Mr. Priest far outdistances his Republican opponent in the way of qualifications for the job of being Oklahoma’s chief legal representative, and that has guided us in selecting him.
Gary Jones promises to bring to the job of state auditor the same degree of honesty and integrity he has consistently demonstrated as he helped build his state party’s apparatus, and he, therefore, gets our nod today.
Janet Barresi, judging from her outstanding background in pushing for charter schools in Oklahoma City, will likely do an outstanding job of pushing for high academic and other education standards within our public schools.
She’s our choice.
Johnson: Our Choice for County Commissioner
Continues to Bring Vigorousness, Good Government to Job
Oklahoma County Commissioner Willa Johnson (Dem., District I), seeking reelection, is our enthusiastic choice as she faces an opponent who has nothing to say for himself but that he should be chosen because of his party affiliation.
Commissioner Johnson, on the other hand, has been going from place to place reminding voters of her great track-record of accomplishments as, essentially, the chief executive of District I.
She’s been talking about how she has been bringing improvements to every section of her district, how she has fostered economic development, particularly for northeast Oklahoma City, and how she has succeeded in reaching across the aisle, so to speak, and effectively (and amicably) working with the two Republicans on the commission to get things done for all of Oklahoma County.
She is the kind of public servant we need, and we support her candidacy for reelection on Tuesday, Nov. 2.
