Featured: University of Tulsa President Brad Carson, a two-term Democratic representative from Oklahoma’s Second District and an unsuccessful 2004 U.S. Senate candidate, offered a sobering assessment of state politics during who appeared Thursday at the Tulsa Press Club.
“I’m really excited about it,” Carson said. “My disappointment…comes from the fact that I may no longer share what my parents taught me, which is that politics is the most important way to change the world.
“Our culture today, traditions, higher education, these are the things – I tell my son, ‘Pursue those. You can change the world, though.’ That’s important. These are better ways than politics ,” he said.
“What’s going on in American politics or national politics — across the country, not just in Oklahoma — I’m not sure that’s the way to make a difference.”
Savings: The books are closed on the 2022 fiscal year and the state boasts $2.8 billion in savings, including a record $500 million in the so-called 1017 education fund.
Gov. Kevin Stitt said the surplus leaves the state “in a clear position to provide real relief” — read: tax cuts — “to Oklahomans.”
Campaigns and elections: The Libertarian Party didn’t win the majority of the vote in Oklahoma, but it won a strong showing in the Nov. 8 general election.
Republicans will be ranked second, Democrats third.
New Chairman of the National Republican Party A.J. Ferate is not shy about praying for GOP candidates he believes are off track.
Ferate, a longtime political activist, scolded the U.S. Senate candidates. Markwayne Mullin and T.W. Shannon for promoting the idea that the 2020 presidential election was “stolen” from former President Donald Trump, and he did the same with 2nd Congressional District candidate Avery Frix, who made loyalty to Trump a cornerstone of the campaign. home.
Former Congresswoman Kendra Horn, the Democratic candidate to succeed Sen. Jim Inhofe, released a new video after last week’s televised debate that also plays on the idea that Mullin is an “extreme” out of step with the average Oklahoman.
The ad highlights a May interview Mullin did with New Tang Dynasty Television, a channel focused on Chinese exiles and devoted to the Epoch Times, an organization favored by anti-ballot and Trump fanatics.
During the debate, Mullin said companies that don’t like Oklahoma’s abortion laws should leave.
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jason Bollinger announced a series of meetings leading up to the Aug. 23 election. Dates, times and locations for the Tulsa area meetings are still to be determined.
Employment: The number of unemployed people in the state increased by 11,400 in June, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ survey of households, while the workforce decreased by 1,200.
Tulsa added 3,200 unemployed people, which appears to be in line with seasonal patterns. The state and city are still below last year’s unemployment rate.
The survey, based on data collected from employers, put employment nationwide at 1.69 million, up 2,500 from last month and about 43,000 from the same month last year.
Tulsa employment was unchanged from May at 458,800 and up 15,000 from June 2021.
Meetings and events: The Tulsa Press Club, 415 S. Boulder Ave., on the first floor of the Atlas Life Building, is hosting two public candidate forums this week.
Republican gubernatorial candidate April Grace will speak at 5:30 p.m. Monday, and the Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful. Jason Bollinger at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. Both are free and open to non-members.
Key facts: E. Every Child., an advocacy group affiliated with the Koch political movement, hired Rep. Tom Newell is the former vice president of government affairs. … Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor said the state is joining the state’s Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force.
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