Rep. Jim Bridenstine took shots at Tulsa mayoral candidate Kathy Taylor in a 60-second radio ad, saying Taylor left the city "on the brink of bankruptcy when she quit" in 2009 and that she is "the Obama candidate for mayor." MICHAEL WYKE / Tulsa World
Rep. Jim Bridenstine's decision to get involved in the Tulsa mayor's race - taping a radio spot that slams Kathy Taylor and paying for it from the Friends of Bridenstine fund - was bold.
But then no one has ever accused the congressman of timidity.
Traditionally, Oklahoma's congressional delegation has avoided getting involved in local politics. There have been exceptions, but this is more intense and personal than any of the examples I can think of.
Bridenstine's 60-second ad says Taylor left the city "on the brink of bankruptcy when she quit" in 2009 and that she is "the Obama candidate for mayor."
My colleague, Kevin Canfield, first reported the story on Tuesday and the full version of the ad is attached to this online version of the story he wrote:
tulsaworld.com/bridenstinetaylor.
The conventional wisdom is that members of Congress want to be "above" local politics. On a practical level, you pick up extra enemies that you don't need when you get involved in someone else's race. On a higher level, a member of Congress doesn't want the public to think he's taking his eye off national issues.
The potential effect of Bridenstine weighing in on the race also is questionable.
As one observer pointed out to me, people who were going to vote for Taylor weren't likely to listen to Bridenstine, and people who take their cues from Bridenstine weren't going to vote for Taylor.
The radio message might rally people who were already going to vote for Bartlett, but it has a high potential cost, so there must be some political gain to balance it out - thus starts speculation about ulterior motives.
I asked Bridenstine why he made the ad. He told me that Kathy Taylor hasn't hesitated to get involved in national politics - by making donations to Barack Obama and "gun-grabbing" politicians such as Sens. Chris Coons, D-Del., and Chris Murphy, D-Conn.
She also has contributed to Emily's List, a political action committee for pro-choice Democratic women running for Congress, he said.
If he has to fight against people in Washington who have Taylor's funding, Bridenstine said, he might as well do his part to fight against Taylor in Tulsa.
Later, Bridenstine's people added some other candidates to the list of those Taylor has supported - including U.S. House candidates Christie Vilsack in Iowa and Alan Gentges in Oklahoma - but it's interesting that two of the first names that came to his mind (in a list of people he is struggling against in Washington) were U.S. senators.
In a general sense, Bridenstine is in a struggle with Democrats throughout Congress, but he's a member of the House of Representatives, at least right now.
There's speculation out there that the radio ads reflect Bridenstine's aspirations to succeed U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, who is voluntarily leaving the Senate in 2016.
That could pit Bridenstine against a lot of GOP heavy-hitters. He would be in a much better position for such a run if he were on a friendly basis with the Republican elites of Tulsa.
That's a group that can raise a lot of money for a candidate, isn't as conservative as Bridenstine, likes Dewey Bartlett and is still smarting from the outsider's defeat of John Sullivan.
So, a move to help Bartlett in what looks like a tough race might broaden Bridenstine's home base.
Bridenstine says not to look for complex answers when a simple one explains the facts:
He's a conservative. He wants conservative government in Tulsa. He made the ad to get out the conservative vote.
Wayne Greene 918-581-8308
wayne.greene@tulsaworld.com
Original Print Headline: Bridenstine wades into the mayor's race
Column - Greene
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