Some very familiar names have announced their desire to be top dog in the state of Oklahoma and there are very few surprises, if any at all. Here are a few of my observations...
Gary Richardson, a Tulsa attorney and arch enemy of the Turnpike Authority, has decided that he's going to run as a Republican this time and his tactics thus far have been far different. He has been posting on social media a multitude of religious affections that will apparently appeal to the religious right in the state and that is a voting block important for the GOP that is as necessary as oxygen.
Lt. Governor Todd Lamb is the odds-on favorite for the post because of his connections to Frank Keating and the "Chamber Establishment." He took a bold stand by separating himself from the desires of Governor Fallin to raise taxes to heal the budget wounds, and his staunch 2nd Amendment position in Oklahoma will help him a lot. He already has a massive war chest of over $1million and money will continue to pour in.
State Auditor Gary Jones has also announced his intentions to run and to be frank, he's probably one of the best candidates out there to fix the problems we're facing as a state. He's a fiscal hawk and is not afraid to rock the boat where fraud and waste are concerned. It was Jones, after all, that revealed the waste with the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office. The test will be whether or not Jones can secure some of the right wing votes as well as the establishment GOP that Lamb has secured.
Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett has been rumored to be eyeing the Governor's Mansion, but it is still yet to be determined whether or not he can steal the Chamber money from Lamb. Cornett brought the NBA to Oklahoma City (at least that is what the electorate believes) and he's extremely popular in Oklahoma County. Could he get Tulsa County support? Maybe. Is he the guy to secure rural Oklahoma votes? No way.
On the Democratic side, Scott Inman is going to run. No. Just no. He doesn't stand a chance.
Former State Senator Connie Johnson is running as well, but again, no. She is way too far to the left to win statewide in Oklahoma, but someone has been telling her she can win. That person deserves to be taken out to the woodshed because she is going to take money and votes from Inman who has a better chance than Johnson; as slim as that may be.
Some of the other madness I've been following:
Oklahoma City Mayoral race/non-race is kind of fun at this stage too. County Commissioner Brian Maughan has announced and State Senator David Holt has also announced his desire to be the Mayor of Oklahoma City. Why either would want to take the pay cut is beyond me.
Radio Shake Up continues. KTOK let Jason Doyle go recently and it follows the trend that iHeart Media is trimming the sails so they can afford the syndicated programs for other stations such as KJ103 and the Ryan Seacrest show. Jason was the afternoon guy and I had the pleasure of sitting in with him for a show. He will be missed. He has been replaced by the station program director, Lee Matthews. Again. Further up the dial, KOKC 1520am is plugging along with their mix of local and syndicated programming, seeing their program director Tod Tucker at the helm for some air time. The market is ripe for radical change in talk radio and whomever jumps on the opportunity will profit.
There will be more Gorilla Rants to come...
Ron "Gorilla" Black
