2020 Primary Election: Tips and Picks

Tomorrow is the Oklahoma Primary Election, and voters all across the state are now heading to the polls to decide nominees in many different races. Here is some information that may be helpful with your voting plans.

If you don't know where to vote, or want to see your sample ballot, use this helpful link from the Oklahoma State Election Board to find out.

Here are a few of my voting picks. Work and family activities prevented me from getting into more detail on many of these races, but here are some basic thoughts.

• Corporation Commissioner: Todd Hiett. Hiett seems to have been a solid commissioner, and his challenger is 85 and a perennial candidate.
• United States Senate: J.J. Stitt. This is a protest vote, as I don't think Inhofe -- who will be 86 two weeks after the general election -- should have run for re-election.
• U.S. House, District 2: Joseph Silk. Silk is a conservative stalwart, and the most dedicated defender of the unborn that the Oklahoma legislature has ever seen. He would make a fantastic congressman. As I've pointed out before many times before, Markwayne Mullin is a remorseless pledge-breaker, and I will not reward that dishonesty and lack of integrity with a vote.
• U.S. House, District 4: James Taylor. Incumbent Tom Cole is the most liberal Oklahoma Republican in Congress, and should have been ousted long ago.
• U.S. House, District 5: David Hill. Hill seems to be the most conservative in a crowded field. He was the only candidate to say “I am pro-life without exception” in the National Right To Life candidate questionaire; the others had some sort of exception or excuse to support abortions in certain cases.
• State Senate District 7: Warren Hamilton. Hamilton seems to be a fiery conservative, dedicated to the cause of abolishing abortion in Oklahoma. Incumbent Larry Boggs has been more conservative than most of the rest of the State Senate, but I feel that Hamilton would be a more eloquent and rock-solid member.
• State House District 3: Rick West. Rick was one of a handful of conservative champions in the 2017-2018 legislative sessions and special sessions before opting to not run for reelection in 2018. He would be a fantastic addition to the Legislature.
• State House District 11: Wendi Stearman. I've heard great things about this homeschool mom running against one of the most liberal legislative Republicans.
• State House District 14: George Faught. I'm biased, of course, but here's what Charlie Meadows of OCPAC wrote about my dad: "Faught’s leadership is needed for insight into who are the fake conservatives. He knows who the snakes are at the Capitol and what rocks they slither under." The incumbent and his allies are running a nasty and slanderous campaign and should never be rewarded with elected office.
• State House District 61: Kenny Bob Tapp. If you want a hard-working conservative representing the Panhandle, KBT is your man.
• State House District 69: Angela Strohm. Strohm's husband was also a member of the conservative core in past terms. She would carry on that representation well.
• State Question 802: Vote NO. Oklahoma can't afford this disastrous measure. You can read a host of reasons at the many posts and viewpoints I've published on this.
• Muskogee County Sheriff: Michael Mahan. I appreciated his responses to my candidate forum, and respected Second Amendment individuals in the area support him.
• Muskogee Mayor: Marlon Coleman. I appreciate his positive campaign and his seeming ability to overcome differences and unite folks from a broad coalition. His opponent has surrounded himself with unsavory characters and run nasty campaigns both this round and two years ago.
• Muskogee City Proposition: I voted yes. I prefer a strong-mayor form of government to the council-manager form we currently use. That said, this isn't a huge issue for me. Read arguments from the Yes side here, and the No side here.

You can also find recommendations and picks that I generally agree with from Michael Bates of BatesLine.com, and the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee. You can also view survey responses at iVoter Guide (put out by the American Family Association and the Family Research Council), the Oklahoma 2nd Amendment Association, Oklahomans for Life, and Free The States (abortion abolition group).