Okie Pundit

Remember when state legislators thought it would be a GREAT idea to turn Oklahoma into the Outer Space Travel Mecca of the World?  They thought it was such a great idea, they gave $18 million of your money to Rocketplane, Inc., a private corporation that failed worse than Ernest Istook’s gubernatorial campaign. And, now, guess [...]

We’re about a week behind in posting this, but better late than never, right? OkiePundit’s Hero of the Week Award goes to Representative Jabar Shumate (D-Tulsa) for his steadfast support of school choice efforts in Oklahoma.  Shumate is one of a handful of brave Democrats in the state legislature who support school choice initiatives and [...]

Lost in the day after the election aftermath is some good news coming from the Oklahoma House of Representatives.  House Speaker-Designate Kris Steele announced a series of reforms and actions designed to make the conference committee process more transparent. Among the reforms and actions announced by Steele are: A hard 24-hour rule that will require [...]

Rep. Mike Christian is fingering Oklahoma County Commissioner Brian Maughan as the source of the allegations that he conspired with Rep. Randy Terrill to create a position in the Medical Examiners Office for State Senator Debbie Leftwich. The position was to be created and filled by Leftwich in return for her not running for re-election, [...]

We are hearing that Republican will finally get a candidate for House District 44, the central Norman house seat currently represented by Bill Nations. Nations is term-limited and cannot run again. Until now, Republicans had no candidate in this race, which is a tough district for the GOP to pick-up. Sources tell us Kent Hunt, [...]

Republican Jim Harvey, a local tea party activist and patent attorney, has withdrawn from the House District 45 race due to health concerns.  Harvey announced earlier this year that he would seek the Republican nomination to take on Democrat Wallace Collins. Harvey’s withdraw leaves Aaron Stiles as the only Republican candidate in the race.  Stiles [...]

If this AP report is correct, then State Senator Randy Brogdon and State Representative Charles Key need to resign their posts immediately and slink away into the shadows, never to be heard from again. “Frustrated by recent political setbacks, tea party leaders and some conservative members of the Oklahoma Legislature say they would like to [...]

The Oklahoman: “Lawmaker Exemption Keeps Public in the Dark on Records” Years ago the Oklahoma legislature carved out for themselves an exemption from the Open Records Act, thereby keeping Oklahomans from obtaining “lawmakers’ e-mails, letters, drafts of bills, memorandums, calendars, phone call logs and other records that might show how those entrusted with the public’s business [...]

Last month we reported about the glaring disconnect between Randy Brodgon’s rhetoric and voting record when he opposed a bill that featured the same conditions as a bill he supported a few years ago. This time, he’s opposing a bill he voted for last month! Watch the video below from last Saturday’s FOI Oklahoma conference: [...]

Norman is set to have two bruising battles for state house this year. In House District 44, an open seat has officially drawn two into the race, both on the Democrat side. Emily Virgin and Isaiah McCaslin, both OU students, first announced their candidacy months ago. We have been hearing rumors that David Perry, former [...]

Last week a Senate committee defeated Senate Joint Resolution 62, which would have allowed voters to decide if grocery stores in Oklahoma and Tulsa counties could sell wine and high-point beer.  The measure was defeated 5 to 4. State Senator and gubernatorial candidate Randy Brogdon voted against SJR 62. The Tulsa World writes, “Brogdon said [...]

Some Norman residents are questioning the uncharacteristic leniency extended to Representative Wallace Collins’s son, Ryan Collins, during criminal proceedings involving a DUI conviction and probation violation.  According to one Norman resident who is familiar with the situation, Ryan Collins should have been charged and jailed for violating the terms of his probation stemming from a [...]

Yesterday represented the largest increase in web traffic to Okie Pundit we’ve seen since we took over in December. We received dozens of emails from people wanting more information and from some wanting to provide their own information.  Several other Oklahoma political blogs picked up the Dan Sullivan and Cliff Aldridge campaign contribution story and [...]

Okie Pundit is still receiving new information, but this is what we know at this time about contributions made to Representative Dan Sullivan, Assistant Majority Floor Leader, and Senator Cliff Aldridge. Two Republican legislators accepted a total of $24,000 in campaign contributions over a period of three days in September from an insurance company that [...]

Another day, another OU student enters the race for the House District 44 seat currently occupied by Rep. Bill Nations (D-Norman).  Last week, Democrats Matthew Hecox and Isaiah McCaslin entered the race, while this week ushers in first-year law student Emily Virgin, also a Democrat.  Virgin cited her family’s history in politics as motivation for [...]

Republican Jim Harvey announced his intention to seek the GOP nomination for House District 45, a seat currently occupied by Democrat Rep. Wallace Collins.  Harvey says he is running because he’s concerned about the increasing size of government. “I have watched as the federal government has increasingly encroached upon matters that are more appropriate for [...]

Last week Matthew Hecox announced his intention to seek the Democratic nomination for House District 44, which is currently occupied by Representative Bill Nations (D-Norman), and this week brings another confirmed entrant.  Isaiah McCaslin officially announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination yesterday, saying he intends “to build alliances with anyone interested in improving Oklahoma.” [...]

Earlier this week we mentioned we had an exclusive story about possible illegal spending by the state legislature.  Unfortunately other obligations have arisen and we’d like to continue our research into the issue.  We do promise to have it next week, so stay tuned.

The Norman Transcript reports that University of Oklahoma senior Matthew Hecox, 22, announced his candidacy today for the Democratic nomination for House District 44, the seat currently occupied by Rep. Bill Nations. “We must give our citizens the best possible education and one that will prepare and encourage them to go to college.I will always [...]

House races are gearing up in Norman and it looks to be a barn burner in one seat, a snooze in another, and a rematch in a seat that has seen rematch after rematch. In House District 44, Representative Bill Nations is retiring after serving 12 years and being term limited.  The rumored Democrats in [...]