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Republican voters in House District 70 will have a novel experience on June 26.
A primary.
Not since 2000, when Ron Peters defeated Jay Shrewder, has HD 70 had a GOP primary - or much of a race of any kind, for that matter. In six terms, Peters had only one general election opponent.
Now, with Peters term-limited, the central and south Tulsa seat is again open, and - with no Democrat or independent filing for the office - is again guaranteed to remain in Republican hands.
Three candidates have entered the GOP primary: attorney David Davis, energy investor Shane Saunders, and small business owner Ken Walker. If none wins a majority in the June 26 primary, a runoff will be held Aug. 28.
All three candidates stress basic Republican tenets of lower taxes and smaller government, but all three say they are also concerned about public education.
Davis said new revenue for education from the state lottery and Indian gaming has been largely negated by reductions in education's share of general revenues.
"We're still battling one other state for the lowest rung in the nation," he said. "We don't need to be 49th out of 50."
Saunders said education has been the foremost issue among the voters he's spoken to.
"That's the No. 1 thing people bring up to me," he said. "The parent group '49th Is Not Okay' has gained a significant amount of traction."
Saunders said Oklahoma has too many districts and too many administrators, and that significant money could be saved by reducing both.
"Finding a way to help out the education system is extremely important," Walker said. "One thing I would do is encourage more churches and businesses to adopt schools."
All three candidates said that while tax cuts may be desirable, they should be approached with caution. They also all indicated skepticism concerning the popular culture museum proposed for the Brady District, but said they were withholding final judgment.
In fact, the three of them don't seem to greatly disagree on many things except which of them would make the best state representative.
"If you look at the basic Republican issues, there's not much difference in any of us," Saunders said. "We're all pro-life, we all support the Second Amendment, we're all for job creation and business growth and lower taxes."
Background and experience, they seemed to agree, were the distinguishing characteristics in this race.
Walker, 40, is an Army veteran and Rhema Bible Training Center graduate who has trained as a professional chef and now operates Shepherd's Guide, a Christian business directory.
He also spent a year walking from Maryland to California "as a matter of my faith, communicating the gospel to people and also speaking in churches across the country."
Walker said he grew up on a farm in Maryland and has "lived the conservative model of faith, family and relying on community organizations."
He said he would "love to find a way to cut the taxes on essential groceries and things like diapers and wipies and things like that. That would positively affect everyone immediately."
Davis, 63, said his "life experience" sets him apart from his two younger opponents.
"I've been down the road a time or two and understand people's problems and concerns," Davis said. "I'm also the only one who has studied the law and who has dealt with ... the legislation and statutes, studying the statutes, litigating the statutes."
Davis said his practice is mainly concerned with employment, oil and gas and real estate law. He said he also has some familiarity with the state Department of Human Services and the Corporation Commission.
"I know the problems that have occurred there and can speak to those."
Davis said he would like the state to depend more on oil and gas revenues and reduce reliance on other taxes. He also said he believes the state can save money by reducing the number of boards, commissions and agencies.
Saunders said much the same thing, saying school districts are not the only thing Oklahoma has too many of.
"Everybody tries to tell me Oklahoma runs a pretty lean ship when it comes to (state) government," he said. "I want to dispel that notion. We have over 600 state agencies, boards and commissions."
Saunders, 31, operates his own oil and gas company, Trident Energy. During the early part of the last decade, he was on U.S. Rep. John Sullivan's staff.
That experience, Saunders said, sets him apart.
"The thing that gives me a leg up is that I understand how all the pieces fit together," he said.
