Showing posts with label 4th District. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 4th District. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 28, 2022

Trump endorses Tom Cole for reelection


Former President Donald Trump has endorsed yet another moderate squish for reelection to Congress. Earlier this year, he endorsed 3rd Congressional District Congressman Frank Lucas (over Wade Burleson, a real conservative), and yesterday (apparently), he eleventh-hour endorsed Tom Cole in the 4th District.

🙄 Because of course. 

Friday, May 28, 2021

Congressional Redistricting town halls set for July and August


Congressional Redistricting Meetings Scheduled

OKLAHOMA CITY (May 25th) – The Oklahoma House of Representatives and the State Senate redistricting offices today announced the schedule for town hall meetings on the congressional redistricting process. Legislators and redistricting office staff will answer questions and take comments from the public during the meetings.

Five in-person town halls are scheduled – one in each congressional district. Two virtual town halls also will be held for those who can’t attend one of the in-person meetings.

The town hall meetings are scheduled for:

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Stitt endorsed by Cong. Lucas, former CD3 Reps. Watkins and Brewster


With polls still showing a tight race for Governor, GOP candidate Kevin Stitt has been making a strong push for voters in western Oklahoma's 3rd Congressional District. In the past few days, Stitt has been endorsed by current CD3 Congressman Frank Lucas and former CD3 Congressmen Wes Watkins and Bill Brewster. U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe did a campaign swing with Stitt today in the 3rd and 4th Districts as well.


CONGRESSMAN FRANK LUCAS ENDORSES KEVIN STITT FOR GOVERNOR

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (October 12, 2018) — Congressman Frank Lucas (CD-3) announced his endorsement of Kevin Stitt for Governor today:

“I am proud to endorse Kevin Stitt for Governor of Oklahoma,” said Congressman Frank Lucas. “We need a Governor that will work with President Trump to grow our state’s economy and recruit businesses to our state during this rise in our national economy. Kevin’s business experience and proven leadership make him the candidate for the job. As a fellow Oklahoman, father and Christian we cannot leave this election up to chance.

“As a Congressman from rural Oklahoma, I look for a candidate that is willing to listen to the needs of our neighbors in rural Oklahoma along with those cities across Oklahoma that have very different needs. In my discussion with Mr. Stitt it is evident he is bright leader that wants to work across party lines to lead Oklahoma to be Top 10 and represent all 4 million Oklahomans. He has a detailed plan to move the needle on big issues affecting all Oklahomans.

“When it comes to one of my true passions - agriculture, there is no doubt that Kevin Stitt will serve our state well in this regard. He has sought advice and secured endorsements from the state’s leading agriculture organizations and numerous farmers and ranchers across Oklahoma. As former chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, I intend to work with Kevin in bringing in new trade partners as we build upon our already robust agriculture economy.”

“I am honored to have the endorsement of Congressman Frank Lucas,” said Kevin Stitt. “Congressman Lucas has served as a champion of rural Oklahoma over the years, and I look forward to working with him in order to support our rural communities, capitalize on economic opportunities, and get our state moving in the right direction.”


FORMER CONGRESSMEN WES WATKINS AND BILL BREWSTER ENDORSE KEVIN STITT FOR GOVERNOR

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (October 16, 2018) — Former Congressmen Wes Watkins and Bill Brewster of the third congressional district announced today their endorsements of Kevin Stitt for governor:

Former Congressman Wes Watkins (CD-3) said, “My years in the United States Congress were dedicated to building jobs and the economy of Oklahoma.  With the nation’s economy surging, now is a critical time for Oklahoma to elect a leader who can recruit growth and new opportunities to diversify our economy and build better jobs and a brighter future for us and our next generation. Kevin Stitt is the only candidate for governor who has built private sector jobs.  He has the vision and high energy to make this happen for all of Oklahoma.

Watkins continued, “I greatly appreciate Kevin’s plans to recruit job creators to rural Oklahoma and that he will not leave behind any portion of our State. As a political outsider and a successful entrepreneur, Kevin is not beholden to the big lobbyists or big money groups.  Kevin’s allegiance is to all four million Oklahomans, which is exactly the kind of leader Oklahoma needs. If we want to move our state forward and make Oklahoma a place where our kids and grandchildren want to stay, please join me in electing Kevin Stitt as Oklahoma’s next governor.”

Former Congressman Bill Brewster (CD-3) said, “Oklahoma is at a crossroads in this election cycle. We are destined to repeat history if we do not make serious change in our state government and in our political leadership. This crisis has been two decades in the making and it rest at the feet of both political parties. Kevin Stitt is the only political outsider in the race and the only candidate who has a plan to deliver accountability and transparency in how our state is spending our hard-earned tax dollars. As the founder of the Blue Dog Democrat Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives, I can say first hand that Drew Edmondson is no moderate Democrat. Drew’s liberal tax and spend plan, with no reform in how state government is structured, will be a hard-left turn in Oklahoma’s future. I am proud to endorse Kevin Stitt, and I believe he is the best candidate to lead Oklahoma to a brighter, more prosperous future.”

Kevin Stitt’s plan for supporting Oklahoma’s agriculture industry and rural communities include:

  • Preserving the agriculture sales tax exemption on inputs, which reflect market practices of surround states with similar exemptions.
  • Diversifying our economy and placing an emphasis on recruiting businesses to Oklahoma that can add value to our commodities produced right here in Oklahoma.
  • Becoming Top Ten in infrastructure and government efficiency, a goal which will include making sure our county officials have the resources they need to complete rural infrastructure projects.
  • Improving access to rural healthcare by cutting government red tape, giving healthcare professionals more flexibility and recruiting doctors and nurses to rural areas.
  • Protecting the 60% threshold for ad valorem tax bonds.
  • Protecting private property rights and landowner’s rights.
  • Protecting farmers and ranchers from out of state animal rights groups, as no one raises food and fiber better than Oklahoma’s agriculturists.

Friday, January 15, 2016

Tom Cole draws opponent in Pastor James Taylor


It was never my ambition to run for Congress.  As pastor of Christ Church in Norman, OK and a middle school teacher, I have been happily living a quiet life with my wife, Rapheala.  However, I can no longer sit on the sidelines as my Congressman, Rep. Tom Cole, has drowned our country in debt and is leading our country in the wrong direction.

That’s why last week I announced my candidacy for the 4th Congressional District in Oklahoma.

To know who Tom Cole is, just look below at Cole’s ratings from the leading conservative indices.

Heritage Action:  36%
Freedomworks:  45%
Family Research Council: 75%
Club for Growth:  53%
Conservative Review:  40%

To be candid, Tom Cole’s liberal voting record does not represent the conservative values of the voters of the 4th District in the reddest state of the country.  The people of the 4th District are strong conservatives who want lower taxes and fewer regulations.

Why, you ask, do they keep electing Tom Cole?  It’s simple… they don’t know the real Tom Cole.

No candidate opposing Cole in the GOP primary has been organized enough to raise serious money.  And as long as Rep. Cole has the “show votes” to say he cuts spending, ends Obamacare, etc. with no one to show the voters how liberal Rep. Cole’s voting record really is, he will continue his 13 year career path of voting for liberal programs like Planned Parenthood and debt-ceiling increases.

Tom Cole was elected to the House of Representatives in 2002.  At the time, the national debt was 6 trillion dollars.  After many votes to raise the debt ceiling that Tom Cole supported, today our debt is $19 trillion.  Most recently, in October, Tom Cole voted to “suspend” the debt ceiling so that it can grow unchecked through March 2017, where the debt will balloon to over $20 trillion.

Cole’s vote to increase the debt ceiling also increased the budget and set up the Omnibus, a massive $1.15 trillion spending package that: fully funded Obamacare, Planned Parenthood, Obama’s executive order for amnesty, sanctuary cities, the Syrian refugee resettlement program, and so much more antithetical to our beliefs and values.

This damaging budget process enabled Congress to eventually vote on a repeal of Obamacare that the President could veto.  All sides could declare victory and change nothing.  People are tired of politicians who say they are going to do one thing while campaigning and then do another when they are in office.

As a pastor, I believe God calls Christians to be active in the political arena. However, it’s vital that Christian voters choose a candidate who reflect their biblical values. This led me to write “It’s Biblical, Not Political,” which guides Christian voters on how to vet political candidates to ensure they will follow the Constitution and the intent of our Founding Fathers to limit federal power while protecting states’ rights.

After 14 years, it’s safe to say that Tom Cole has been vetted and it’s very clear that he will continue his liberal votes to increase the debt, fund Planned Parenthood, and do nothing to stop Obamacare.  Albert Einstein said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.  It is time to stop the insanity.

My name is James Taylor and I am running against Tom Cole; but I need your help.  Eric Cantor’s defeat in 2014 set the stage for conservative victories across the country.  Just imagine how the defeat of another John Boehner lieutenant such as Rep. Cole could reverberate in every race in 2016.  But in order for that to happen, I need your financial support to deliver my conservative message to the people of the 4th District in Oklahoma.  Please click here to give to my campaign.

The time has come for a conservative change in Southwest Oklahoma.  Together we can be victorious and bring conservative values, and more important – conservative votes in Congress, to the 4th District.

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Comparing Oklahoma's General Election Candidates on Facebook

Back in 2009, I did a post that attracted a lot of attention about how many Facebook fans Oklahoma politicians/candidates had. I didn't have time to do a similar one before the primary, but here are the statewide general election matchups (post-runoff). Red is for Republicans, Blue is for Democrats, and Gray is for Independent candidates.

U.S. Senate - full term
Jim Inhofe: 36,242
Matt Silverstein: 16,194
Aaron DeLozier: N/A
Joan Farr: N/A
Ray Woods: N/A
U.S. Senate - partial term
James Lankford: 38,863
Connie Johnson: 4,778
Mark Beard: N/A
U.S. House - District 2
Markwayne Mullin: 7,194
Earl Everett: N/A
Jon Douthitt: N/A
U.S. House - District 3
Frank Lucas: 40,116
Frankie Robbins: N/A
U.S. House - District 4
Tom Cole: 9,265
Bert Smith: N/A
Dennis Johnson: N/A
U.S. House - District 5
Al McAffrey: 5,475
Steve Russell: 2,418
Robert Murphy: 17
Tom Boggs: N/A
Buddy Ray: N/A
Governor
Mary Fallin: 35,872
Joe Dorman: 13,445
Richard Prawdzienski: 751
Joe Sills: N/A
Kimberly Willis: N/A
Lieutenant Governor
Todd Lamb: 524
Cathy Cummings: N/A
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Joy Hofmeister: 11,662
John Cox: 4,969
Labor Commissioner
Mark Costello: 4,958
Mike Workman: 580

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Congressional Races go to Runoff

The primary election is over, and there are numerous tidbits to share. However, due to the late hour, and the fact that I have been up since before 4am, I'll just mention the various Congressional races.

Congressional District 1

Congressman John Sullivan easily batted away his primary challengers, and emerged victorious with 62% of the vote. Kenneth Rice came in second with 17%, and Nathan Dahm was third with 14%. All other candidates were under 3%.

Congressional District 2

Charles Thompson came out on top, with a plurality of 33.5%, and Daniel Edmonds was second with 28%. In one of the evening's surprises, Dan Arnett came in third with 16%, and Howard Houchen ended up fourth with 11.5%.

This race will go to a runoff between Thompson and Edmonds.

Congressional District 4

As with the CD1 race, Congressman Tom Cole breezed to victory over his challenger, RJ Harris. Cole received 79% of the vote, and Harris got 21%.

Congressional District 5

Political newcomer James Lankford squeezed by into the lead with 33.6% of the vote, while longtime frontrunner Kevin Calvey came in second with 32.5%. Mike Thompson was third with 18%, and Shane Jett received 10.7%. All other candidates were below 3%.

As with the CD2 race, this will also go to a runoff, between Lankford and Calvey.


The full primary election results can be viewed here.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

RJ Harris Responds to OkiePundit Post

RJ Harris issued the following response to a post by the OkiePundit blog this evening.

Having completely defeated Cole on the issues, supporters of my opponent have decided to "dig for dirt" rather than win in the arena of ideas. Okie Pundit (OP), which openly supports Cole and has taken every opportunity to attack me personally, has now launched a new personal attack about my former name— Jason S. Barnes –and my status as a former resident of Arizona. As most of you already know my mother and father split up when I was very young and my mother settled in Arizona while my dad remained in Oklahoma; after traveling a bit due to being in the military. My mom took a new husband, had my name changed, and allowed my stepdad to adopt me. Later, I discovered what had been done…that I had been taken away from my real dad; my state and my tribe, the Kiowa, and I then took action to repair the damage thirty years in the making.

I am a native son of Oklahoma. My ancestors were both Boomer Sooners and Kiowa and neither my dad moving about due to his service in the military, nor my mother's action to allow the erasure of my heritage, changes that fact. I have a certificate of live birth from March AFB, where my dad was stationed at the time, which proves that my name change was a change BACK to the birth name taken from me by my step father. I also have a Certificate of Indian Blood from the BIA in Anadarko which establishes my native heritage, and I have my father, who is a card-carrying member of the Kiowa Nation and the physician at the Indian Health Services clinic in Carnegie OK for our tribe, who can personally vouch for my Oklahoma and Kiowa heritage. As the final act of my reclamation of that heritage, I have petitioned the State of California to release my adoption records and my sealed birth certificate so that I can finally and fully "come home." Having restored my name to that at my birth, it then became necessary for my wife and children to have their names changed as well. This is something Jennifer did with dignity and aplomb, and OP should be ashamed of itself for insinuating otherwise.

Growing up, I have lived back and forth between Arizona and Oklahoma and have always thought of them as my two homes. However, such was my horror upon discovering what had been done to me that I fixed everything about my recorded identity so as to restore that which had been taken from me, my dad, my tribe and my children. It is then absolutely despicable of OP to make an issue of such a massive personal tragedy over which I had no control of at the time it occurred.

It is not surprising at all that OP would try and make a connection between all of this and my failed Game Stores business— given their record of subpar reporting, analysis and research – except that I have never hid from that failure. I have openly stated on my Facebook page, as well as my biography on my main website, that my small chain of game stores did not survive the economic downturn of 2001 which was brought on by the attacks on 911. I included this, against advice from consultants, because I am proud of my attempt at achieving the American Dream of business ownership even if that venture did not turn out as successful as I had hoped. Of course OP wants you all to think that businesses failing are extraordinary occurrences when those of us that have had to sign a pay roll check and risk our entire personal fortunes on our small businesses know that it is a fact that businesses fail; even good ones.

Additionally, my personal Facebook page has my old name in parenthesis next to my original name so that my old classmates and Army buddies can find me on Facebook if they are looking for me, which is more proof that I am NOT hiding from any past, as OP claims, but am in fact reestablishing my birthright as RJ Harris just as I assert here.

Even worse of OP is its claim that I received some kind of bailout when the fact is that we repaid all of our vendors AND our tax debts. The biggest debts that were discharged, and the only reasons I had to file in the first place, were the un-paid leases on the business properties. The owners of those properties had those returned to them in good order and they were re-leased shortly thereafter.

One of the greatest things about the United States, and our capitalist system, is the opportunity for common people like me to work hard, take risks and rebound after a failure. This is nothing to hide from and nothing to be ashamed of. Unfortunately, politicians like Cole would rather manipulate the system and bailout companies with public money than allow for the healthy restructuring that I and many other small business owners have had to go through. The re-allocation of capital through bankruptcy is a central piece of a free-market economy. Yes my business failed, yes I have had financial difficulties chasing my dreams just as have millions of other American entrepreneurs…but I never asked for or received any bailout. I took my lumps along with the rest and now I am happy to be fighting to restore our federalist system which will halt governmental manipulations of the markets and make it easier and more profitable for other small business owners to stay in business and for those who want to take their shot in the arena to do so.

The biggest thing to take away from all this ugliness is that we must really have Cole on the ropes if his supporters at OP are willing to make such vicious and personal attacks even before having all their facts in order. However, don’t expect Cole to distance himself from any of this as it is highly likely that it came from him to begin with. Isn't it tiring watching politicians trying to hold onto power by personally attacking their opponents rather than defeating them through honest debate?

Patriots, this is where the steel meets the steel and Liberty hangs in the balance. Will you fall for these same old tricks or will you show OP and Cole that you want your Liberty back and that you are ready to vote for a real Liberty Candidate to make that happen? The Spirit of the Founders is counting on you to choose in the affirmative.

FOR LIBERTY!

RJ Harris

PS: My deepest apologies to my mother for having to air our family laundry in public like this. It should be noted that I have forgiven her for her role in all this and we are happily reconciled.

PSS: I encourage you all to think very carefully about voting for a man who would attempt to personally destroy a decorated veteran and esteemed son of our state JUST so he can hold on to the last vestiges of his power. 

We'll continue to update this story/non-story if more unfolds.

OkiePundit: RJ Harris Changed Name To Flee Past

From OkiePundit:
Okie Pundit has just received credible information that indicates RJ Harris, candidate for Congress running against Republican Tom Cole, recently changed his name and moved to Oklahoma in order to conceal a mysterious personal history.   While we are still attempting to locate the actual name-change document, evidence from public sources and people who personally know RJ Harris appears overwhelming. Questions are now arising as to what else voters may not know about Mr. Harris and whether he is fit to serve in Congress.

Click here for the rest of the story.

I dislike the fact that the OkiePundit folks don't have the courage to use their names and stand by what they say, like most respectable bloggers. That said, the anonymous writers at OkiePundit do appear to have done a good job of researching this information.

Click here for the rest of the story on Okie Pundit.