The election to replace Glenn Coffee as the new Oklahoma Senate President Pro Tempore has been thrown into disarray by the threats of four Senate Republicans who are threatening to join the Democrats during the vote. The caucus vote is supposed to occur this coming Monday.
Senators Jim Reynolds, Harry Coates, Jonathan Nichols, and Steve Russell are angry with the caucus’s choice of their colleague Brian Bingman and have vowed to vote against him on the floor unless the election is delayed. Credible sources confirm Bingman has a substantial majority of Republican votes to become President Pro Temp and would be easily elected if the vote were held today.
The other candidates are Brian Crain, Cliff Aldridge, and Harry Coates. With the votes of Russell, Nichols, Reynolds, and himself, Coates has four votes in the caucus. Aldridge and Crain aren’t considered viable.
The sources confirm the four renegades are threatening to join with Democrats to elect Harry Coates President Pro Tempore. Coates has the support of Democrat Charlie Laster, who is likely working with his colleagues to gain support for Coates in the Democrat caucus. With Republicans controlling a 26-22 majority, the switch of the four senators would be enough to elect Coates as long as the Democrats agree to terms. The Democrat caucus is now salivating at the possibility of a Republican civil war and a return to a semblance of power.
The disagreement arises partially due to issues surrounding Senate staff and the recent departure of Fred Morgan. We also know that Jim Reynolds is on the payroll of Harry Coates, which helps explain his intransigence.
The news of the four obstructionist Republican Senators is disappointing for Republicans and conservatives across the state who worked for years to finally win the State Senate. In many ways, this is the behavior you expect out of spoiled children. When they don’t get their way, they throw fits and threaten to run away. They either ignore the consequences of their action or are so myopic they can’t see them.
In this case, if Coates was elected with Democrat support, the Senate would once again be beholden to the Democrat caucus, which will be led by ultra-liberal Andrew Rice. Coates would have to follow the orders of Democrats or risk them withdrawing their support.
We have no horse in this race. We honestly don’t know much about Bingman or Coates, but we’re sure they’re both good people. We have been involved in politics for a long time. In that time, we’ve supported various Republican candidates in primaries. Some we’ve won and some we’ve lost. But not once did we throw a fit when our candidate lost and threaten to support the other side simply because we didn’t get our way.
Of course, for many of us, the involvement of Steve Russell and Jonathan Nichols in this plot is a major disappointment and embarrassment. They were elected in 2008 in the wave that finally brought an end to Democrat control of the State Senate and they are now placing that victory in jeopardy.
Word is both Russell and Nichols have their eyes set on higher office. If they maintain their obstructionist and, as others have put it, “treasonous” stance, they will surely see their hopes of higher office evaporate before their eyes.
Okie Pundit’s unsolicited advice: if you’ve lost, suck it up, boys. Stop acting like children.
Another take from OKPNS here.
Good for the Senators. I am glad to see politicians that can be independent minded and don’t always go with the caucus. This group of Senators are good conservatives and straight men. I respect their discision. Maybe a litle shake up on the House side is needed.