Two groups running new anti-Lankford ads, Coburn speaks out against

Two pro-Shannon groups are now running ads against James Lankford.

First, from the Senate Conservatives Fund:


Next, from Oklahomans for a Conservative Future:


Meanwhile, Senator Coburn, who has said he is staying out of endorsing in this race, came out and slammed the ads in a press release:

MEDIA ADVISORY:  Dr. Coburn Comments on U.S. Senate

 Special Election in Oklahoma

(Washington, DC) — U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK) made the following statement today regarding the U.S. Senate special election in Oklahoma:

“As I prepare to leave public office at the end of the current Congress and return to private life, I have the great luxury of being a spectator during this election season by not seeking office or preparing to serve in the new Congress beginning next year.  It is something I have looked forward to for a long time.  The truth is, I don’t much care for political campaigns.  They are dominated by career politicians and their operatives who have created a perverse but lucrative professional political industry.

“As I watch the special election for the U.S. Senate unfold in our state, I see this political economy in its very worst form with misleading advertisements and allegations against candidates.

“I have come to know James Lankford in his short but very productive time in Washington, and I know he is a man of absolute integrity.  We haven’t always agreed but he is one of the most honest, thoughtful and sincere men I have met in my time in Washington.  He has life experience and a perspective outside the career political bubble by which to make good decisions.  He has fought an often lonely battle against the status quo and has dedicated himself to the hard work of oversight of federal agencies.

“The current political advertisements by groups such as Senate Conservatives Fund and Oklahomans for a Conservative Future supporting T.W. Shannon have crossed an important line- they simply aren’t truthful and they mischaracterize James Lankford’s service in Congress.

“Trust is absolutely paramount in our republic.  The great tension in our country today, for Republicans and Democrats, is that voters no longer trust their elected officials to do the right thing.  That bond of trust is born during elections, and it is a powerful responsibility.

“As a voter, I believe the conduct of a campaign is a critical test of how a man or woman values this great trust.  How someone runs a campaign says a lot about how that person would govern.”

Group airs new pro-Lankford commercial

A new not-for-profit corporation is wading into the U.S. Senate special election here in Oklahoma, this time on James Lankford's behalf.

The Foundation for Economic Prosperity, Inc launched the following TV commercial today, after placing a $178,000 ad buy over the weekend:



Trey Richardson of Oklahoma City is listed as the agent for the group. Here's some information about Richardson from his LinkedIn account:

"Trey Richardson is managing partner of Sagac Public Affairs and GR Pro, national companies providing communications, research, fundraising, issue advocacy and management solutions to hundreds of political, non-profit and corporate organizations. Known for his creativity, he has influenced the direction of political finance and issue advocacy activities throughout the United States for two decades.

Prior to Sagac and GR Pro,Trey led the political action operations of the National Association of Realtors, designing strategy and operations for the raising and distribution of all election-related funds. He also provided strategy and management for the Association’s partisan communications and issue advocacy efforts.

Trey began his career in the political division of the Oklahoma Republican Committee in 1986 under Congressman and then-Chairman Tom Cole. He continued that career path to the 2000 Bush/Cheney Presidential campaign and the Republican National Committee where his firm raised and managed online fundraising activities for the efforts. He is a veteran Presidential fundraiser having worked not only for George W. Bush, but John McCain, Mitt Romney, and Steve Forbes. He has led finance teams for congressional and gubernatorial candidates such as, Jim Inhofe, Mary Fallin, James Lankford, J.C. Watts, Tom Cole, Frank Lucas and Ernest Istook.

Trey has been named as one of the “Top Political Action Leaders in America” by industry publications, and has received numerous awards for association and government affairs programming. Trey has served in various leadership positions for the National Association of Business Political Action Committees, the American Association of Political Consultants, Association of Fundraising Professionals, American Society of Association Executives and The State Chamber of Oklahoma."

The Foundation for Economic Prosperity, Inc., isn't the first "Super PAC" to get behind Lankford: earlier this month, the First Amendment Alliance Education Fund spent $97,000 on a TV ad supporting Lankford.

Oklahomans for a Conservative Future, Inc., is the main group pushing T.W. Shannon's candidacy. OCF has spent over $435,000 so far in the race, running ads and sending out mailers on Shannon's behalf. OCF initially got into some hot water over filing as a for-profit corporation instead of a not-for-profit (they say it was a clerical error).

Who is behind 'Oklahomans for a Conservative Future'?

The Sunlight Foundation, a non-partisan (though left-leaning) transparency/openness organization, has tackled the issue of who is behind Oklahomans for a Conservative Future, the new group that is throwing hundreds of thousands of dollars behind T.W. Shannon's Senate campaign.

From SunlightFoundation.com:

An Oklahoma City construction executive and two state lobbyists with ties to a federal political action committee may have found the latest wrinkle in spending big on elections without revealing the source of their funds: registering as a for-profit corporation. Oklahomans for a Conservative Future Inc., a freshly-minted business in the Sooner State, has already spent $300,000 supporting the underdog campaign of T.W. Shannon in the Republican special primary this June. Because it's not organized as a political committee, the company won't have to disclose the source of its funds to the Federal Election Commission. And because it's not a 501(c)4 social welfare nonprofit, it doesn't face the limits on how much of its income it can spend on politics that tax law puts on groups like Crossroads GPS or the League of Conservation Voters.

They continue:

Paul Ryan of the Campaign Legal Center tells Sunlight in an e-mail that avoiding political disclosure is not as simple as registering a for-profit corporation: "Regardless of the corporate form or tax status this group chooses, the federal law definition of “political committee” applies the same way—(1) has the group made expenditures and/or received contributions exceeding $1,000 in a calendar year?  And (2) does it have as its major purpose influencing federal elections?  If the answer to both of these questions is yes, then Oklahomans for a Conservative Future Inc. is a “political committee” under federal law and must register with the FEC and disclose its contributors." As of publication, OCF has not registered as a political committee with the FEC. It is not clear what type of business the corporation — which lists its address at an Oklahoma City UPS Store — engages in. 

According to paperwork filed with the Oklahoma Secretary of State, the three individuals behind OCF are Xavier Neira (vice-president of Manhattan Construction), Chad Alexander (longtime political consultant/lobbyist), and Stephanie Milligan (PAC administrative director and lobbyist).

Neira, Alexander, and Milligan have (or have had) ties to T.W. Shannon's campaign consultant, Fount Holland. In fact, Alexander and Holland have been partners in the firm Majority Designs.

That certainly puts an interesting twist into things.

Pro-Shannon group's poll has Lankford 37%, Shannon 28%

Oklahomans for a Conservative Future, the new group that has poured over $300,000 into supporting T.W. Shannon's Senate bid, issued a memo detailing new polling data that shows early movement in the U.S. Senate race.

Public Opinion Strategies Oklahoma Senate Republican Primary (link)

• James Lankford - 37%
• T.W. Shannon - 28%
• Randy Brogdon - 7%
• Other - 3%
• Undecided - 25%

Poll of  500 likely Republican primary voters, taken March 16-17, MoE of +/-4.38%

(conducted via telephone survey, 100 interviews being cell phones respondents)

Read the memo at this link.

I'll be posting more information on Oklahomans for a Conservative Future soon.

"Oklahomans for a Conservative Future" makes large Shannon support buy

T.W. Shannon's run for U.S. Senate recently received help in the form of a significant independent expenditure campaign. A new group called Oklahomans for a Conservative Future, Inc, has launched statewide television ads and direct mail urging Oklahoma Republican voters to support the former State House Speaker.

The group filed organizational paperwork with the Oklahoma Secretary of State on February 5th, 2014, the week after Shannon officially announced his Senate candidacy. Bloomberg.com has excerpts of the television commercial narration.

Shannon is one of seven Republicans seeking to replace retiring Sen. Tom Coburn.