Brecheen releases video on Tom Coburn's influence and mentorship, endorsed by Coburn's widow

Former state senator Josh Brecheen is one of 14 Republicans running for the 2nd District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Brecheen served as an Oklahoma State Senator from 2010 to 2018, representing Senate District 6 in southeast Oklahoma. From 2004 to 2010, Brecheen worked as a field representative for U.S. Senator Dr. Tom Coburn. Since leaving the State Senate, Brecheen has run a small excavation/trucking business in Coalgate. 

Brecheen was one of the most conservative members of the legislature during his eight years there, ranking third-most conservative in the Oklahoma Constitution's Conservative Index, and tied for second in the American Conservative Union ranking.

In this video, Brecheen talks about the influence of his mentor, Dr. Coburn. Coburn's widow, Carolyn, is supporting his candidacy.

Coburn features in ad for Josh Brecheen

U.S. Senator Tom Coburn features in a new television ad for State Senator Josh Brecheen, who is in a tight re-election race in Senate District 6 (Atoka, Coal, Bryan, Johnston and Marshall Counties).



This follows the firestorm caused by State Chamber's endorsement of Brecheen's Democratic challenger, Joe Hill. Mike McCarville has covered the issue very thoroughly on his blog, the McCarville Report.

Jay Paul Gumm: From State Senator to Embezzler

Then: 2010

Now: 2013

Playing a role in putting a good candidate in office is a gratifying feeling. However, when the incumbent you helped defeat ends up in jail a few years later.... that is just the icing on the cake.

Thus is the sad situation that former State Sen. Jay Paul Gumm finds himself in now.


Back in 2010, I helped Republican Josh Brecheen, a first-time candidate, in his insurgent campaign against Gumm, the entrenched Democrat incumbent. Seemingly against all odds, in a 'Little Dixie' district that had never elected a Republican to the State Senate (more than 80% of voters were Democrats) and facing a two-term Senator, Brecheen procured 56% of the vote, and ousted one of Oklahoma's most prominent and promising Senate Democrats.

After losing the election, Gumm and his family moved to Mississippi, where he took the position of executive director for the Stone County Economic Development Partnership. On Friday, he was arrested for embezzling over $24,000 from the agency. According to news reports, Gumm is the third employee from the SCEDP to be accused of embezzlement in the past year (one woman embezzled over $300,000).

During the 2010 campaign, questions were raised about certain aspects of Gumm's finances (personal and campaign). Do his current money problems have a root in the past? We may never know, but voters in Senate District 6 can take heart that they put the right man in office in 2010 -- and kicked the right guy out.

Human Events profiles SD6 candidate Josh Brecheen

The national conservative news site Human Events recently wrote a profile on Oklahoma State Senate District 6's Republican candidate, Josh Brecheen.

You could sum up most elections this year as the established politician vs. the concerned newcomer. And voters craving a concerned newcomer in Oklahoma’s 6th District have a horse in that race; literally.

Josh Brecheen, 31, has been training and breeding horses since 2002. Now, he’s a Republican candidate running for state senate against Democratic incumbent Jay Gumm.

Historically, Oklahoma’s 6th District is a stronghold for Democrats. Gumm has represented the district for eight years. But that might be changing according to a recent poll that shows Brecheen ahead by six points running into the election.

Click here to read the rest of the article on HumanEvents.com.

SHOCK POLL: Brecheen Leading Gumm

I say "shock poll", because that's the only way a Democrat can view this news: Republican candidate Josh Brecheen is leading 8-year incumbent Democrat State Senator Jay Paul Gumm 46-40, according to a recent poll.

The two are running for State Senate District 6, which covers all or portions of Atoka, Bryan, Coal, Johnston and Marshall counties (covering the communities of Durant, Tishomingo, Madill, Coalgate, and most of the Lake Texoma area).

Just under 20% of voters in the district are registered Republican - never has a Republican won a State Senate race in Atoka, Bryan, Coal, Johnston or Marshall counties. Even for State House, a Republican has only won in Atoka County once (1909), and Coal County once (1921)

Brecheen is in excellent shape to make history by becoming the first GOP legislative candidate to represent these five southeastern counties in the State Senate. Frankly, from everything I have seen about this race, I am not surprised that Brecheen is leading. I'm fully convinced that Brecheen will make history by winning this race.

Halloween's Coming Early to SD6

To learn more about Josh Brecheen, and his campaign for the State Senate, visit www.BrecheenForSenate.com.

OK Senate Dems try to explain GOP interest in Josh Brecheen/SD6 - bad poll numbers in SD42

The Oklahoma State Senate Democrats PAC issued the following press release today, after attention has been drawn to Senate District 6 and GOP candidate Josh Brecheen. Brecheen is running a stiff challenge to eight-year incumbent Jay Paul Gumm (D-Durant).

The Democrats reasoning for the GOP's new interest in Brecheen? Bad poll numbers in another district. Read below:

OK Senate Democrats PAC: What’s Sending Oklahoma Republicans on a Desperate “Fishing Expedition” in Southeast Oklahoma? Dismal Poll Numbers in Senate District 42

Oklahoma City – Recent polling out of Senate District 42 shows Sen. Cliff Aldridge’s re-election hopes are fading fast – which might explain why State Senate Republicans are suddenly interested in playing in Southeast Oklahoma.

“When Oklahoma State Senate Republican leadership and campaign operatives suddenly announced their interest in Josh Brecheen and Southeast Oklahoma, the question that immediately came to mind was ‘why’,” said Jody Murphy, Executive Director of the Oklahoma State Senate Democrat PAC.  “And by the looks of things, the only answer we can come up with is ‘desperation.’”

Poll numbers released today by the Oklahoma State Senate Democrat PAC from a late-May poll of likely November voters in Senate District 42 conducted by Myers Research Strategic Services indicate that two-term incumbent Sen. Cliff Aldridge’s re-election numbers are extremely weak:

• Just 27% of voters polled would choose to re-elect Sen. Aldridge, while 33% would choose someone new;
• Sen. Aldridge’s re-elect is even weak among voters in his base of registered Republicans – just  45% of registered Republicans say he deserves to be re-elected, while 19% say they would choose someone new;
• For a two-term incumbent, Sen. Aldridge’s name recognition is dismal, with just 45% of likely voters able to identify him by name;
• Finally, and most shockingly, just 26% of voters rated Aldridge favorably, while 12% gave him unfavorable personal reviews.

With poll numbers clearly painting Sen. Aldridge as vulnerable, State Senate Republicans and their campaign operatives may be more disappointed with Sen. Cliff Aldridge than they are enamored with Josh Brecheen and his long-shot campaign.

“If I was working with an incumbent with poll numbers as dismal as Sen. Aldridge’s, I might be interested in going on a desperate fishing expedition in Southeast Oklahoma too,” said Sen. Andrew Rice, incoming Senate Democratic leader and Chairman of the Oklahoma State Senate Democrats PAC.

This press release smacks of fear on the part of the Democrats - fear of losing SD6 to Josh Brecheen.

Brecheen held a fundraiser last night in Durant with U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn. I was able to attend the event, and let me tell you, the Democrats have plenty to fear. Over 250 people were at a Republican fundraiser in Little Dixie, and probably 90% in attendance were local residents.

photos courtesy of Karen Kraakavik- www.reigninggracephotography.com

Sources close to the campaign state that, while they were still counting the funds raised, Brecheen has more than closed the fundraising gap with Gumm just from the money raised at the one event last night. According to the last ethics reports, which covered up until August 9th, Gumm had $73,297.09 in cash on hand, and Brecheen had $23,139.77.

Yes, if I were the Democrats and Jay Paul Gumm, I'd be going on a "desperate fishing expedition to Southeast Oklahoma"...