Hofmeister criticizes Barresi's maiden name on filing

The race for State Superintendent just got a little warmer, as Republican challenger Joy Hofmeister sharply criticized incumbent Republican Janet Barresi's use of her maiden name in her candidate filing last week. Here is Hofmeister's press release (complete with the misspelling of Barresi's maiden name).

Janet Costello Barresi Plays the Name Change Game

(OKLAHOMA CITY – Tuesday, April 15, 2014) “Janet Barresi cannot seem to get her story straight, and now she can’t even decide what name she wants to go by on the primary ballot,” said Republican challenger Joy Hofmeister.

“There’s little question that she’s trying to trick the voters. Not only is Janet Barresi trying to trick them about her position on Common Core, but she’s also trying to trick the voters about her name.

“In an attempt to fool Oklahoma voters, Janet Barresi has, for the first time, decided to list her maiden name on the June 24 primary ballot.

“In fact, since 2009 her campaign has filed official quarterly reports without ever using her maiden name, Costello.”

“As a result of the name game, ‘Janet Castello[sic] Barresi’ will be listed on the primary ballot. This is nothing but an old political ploy to trick voters into thinking someone else is on the ballot,” Hofmeister said.

“My campaign originally thought to challenge this but decided not to clog the Oklahoma Election Board’s docket with her shenanigans,” Hofmeister said.

“We have to give her credit. She clearly understands that she is so unpopular and so controversial, that even Ms. Barresi knows she needs a new brand. We know Oklahoma needs a brand new State School Superintendent, one who doesn’t try to fool parents and teachers and now even voters,” Hofmeister said.

“Clearly, this game is as an admission that even Barresi knows she is her own worst enemy as the June primary approaches.

Our guess is that Janet Barresi is using her maiden name to confuse Oklahomans and glean votes from incumbent Mark Costello, our popular State Labor Commissioner.”