The two leading candidates to succeed U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn seem to be taking different approaches to their day jobs.
First District Congressman James Lankford has resisted letting the campaign interfere with his work in the U.S. House. Until missing 10 votes on Thursday and Friday, Lankford had answered 129 of 131 roll call votes taken since he decided to run for the U.S. Senate.
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"I still have a job to do," he said. "I'm still going to do that job."
Former Oklahoma House Speaker T.W. Shannon, who still represents District 62 in southwest Oklahoma, has missed 305 of 385 votes this session, which began just after Shannon declared his candidacy for the Senate.
Officially, he's been absent 11 of 36 days the House has met, though Shannon has often failed to vote even on days he is listed as present by the House clerk.
"This campaign is about something larger than a few votes at the state Capitol," Shannon said in an email. "It's about the future of our country."
Shannon pointed out that his previous voting and attendance records have been exemplary. In 2013, as speaker of the House, he missed only 14 of 1,078 roll call votes.
"I have always been a dedicated conservative voice for the people of my district, and that hasn't changed," Shannon said. "My constituents know full well where I stand on important issues like tax cuts, opposing debt, and fighting against government overreach."
Lankford sees things differently.
"The people of central Oklahoma have one voice in the House," he said. "Me. If I stop doing my part, they have no voice. I'm not going to do that."
Voting, arguably, is not the most important activity in either body. The fate of most legislation is decided in committee rooms and private conversations with other legislators.
Lankford, a member of the influential House Budget Committee and a leading GOP policymaker, said he has not slacked off on his committee assignments.
As speaker, Shannon was an ex officio member of every House committee. Since his resignation a few days into the session, he has not been assigned to any committees.
Beyond that, comparing Lankford's and Shannon's voting records comes with many caveats.
First, the U.S. House and the Oklahoma House operate on different schedules and have different procedural customs.
The Oklahoma House generally meets four or five days a week for about four months. For a variety of reasons, it has many more roll call votes, sometimes as many in a day as the U.S. House does in a month.
The U.S. House generally meets three to five days a week, three weeks out of four, year-round except for an extended vacation at the end of the summer. That fourth week, known as a "district work period," gives Lankford a block of campaign time that Shannon does not have.
The other side of that is Lankford spends about three-fourths of his time in Washington, where few people will be eligible to vote for him in the June 24 GOP primary.
"There is no substitute for looking a person in the eye and telling them who you are," Lankford said.
Shannon could be doing that every day — and is, in fact, doing a good deal of it — but he's also spending a lot of time outside the state. He's been to Washington to ask for the support of influential conservatives and raise money, and he's the featured speaker at the Georgia Republican Party's Spring Gala on Monday.
He is scheduled to be back in Oklahoma on Tuesday to speak to the Republican Women's Club of Ottawa County in Miami.
Shannon's travels are partly because Lankford, as a sitting congressman, started the campaign with about a $500,000 head start. None of the money Shannon raised as Oklahoma House speaker can be used in the Senate race, though it is common practice for donors to accept refunds for state contributions and then issue new checks to the same person's federal campaign.
Shannon's strategy also seems to involve building a national reputation and getting as many endorsements and plugs from as many national figures as possible. Most recently, he was endorsed by retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, a name perhaps not familiar to the average Oklahoman but well-known in conservative circles.
As the primary nears, Shannon's and Lankford's tendencies may switch.
Shannon suggests he may be more in evidence the last few weeks of the session, when most of the final votes are taken.
Lankford concedes he may have to skip some days in Washington.
"I'll have to make those decisions as they come," he said.
"I'm not going to stay (in Oklahoma) when major bills are on the floor," Lankford said. "On days we're voting on post office namings, I may not be there."
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Rules of Conduct
Welcome to the discussion.
15 comments:
Kristen Scott posted at 11:54 am on Mon, Apr 7, 2014.
BROGdon?!?
Bwaahaahaaahaa.
Rick Stiles posted at 10:11 am on Mon, Apr 7, 2014.
I am very suspicious of politicians in general, but not of this man. I've been fortunate enough to spend some one-on-one time with James Lankford. Those conversations with him have proven to me that his commitment to liberty and the Constitution is unquestionable, his decision-making logic is unassailable and he is tireless in his efforts. He will take big steps when he can and small steps when he must, but his goal is always to contain the federal government within the boundaries of the Constitution.
Several times I disagreed with a position he took. But after questioning him about them, I walked away feeling better. Each time, he had more information than I, he studied the issue more deeply than I, and he made the decision I would have made if I had thought it through as he had. James Lankford is a special man that Oklahomans should feel blessed to have represent them.
Lanny Sells posted at 8:17 pm on Sun, Apr 6, 2014.
I think I'm going to lose my stomach thinking about these two whiners and complainers. They have nothing to hang their hat on but finger-pointing.
Dana Asher posted at 7:15 pm on Sun, Apr 6, 2014.
Lets see....Lankford was a towel folder at Falls Creek....now just another bend over specialist for unlimited spending for the military and cutting social programs.
Shannon is doing what he does best...nothing! Nothing like working full time at doing nothing!!
Vote for someone, who wants to help and work for "we the people"!!
a blueberry in the tomato soup posted at 2:32 pm on Sun, Apr 6, 2014.
[sleeping]...really? Fox News leads the ratings game of news now .. especially in Okiehoma - and when the media stops putting candidates under the microscope - then the media has stopped doing their job -
Mert Rozman posted at 12:31 pm on Sun, Apr 6, 2014.
Sounds like Shannon has pretty much quit his legislator's job.
Although he's still on the public payroll.
Mert Rozman posted at 12:30 pm on Sun, Apr 6, 2014.
The last phrase of Royce's comment ("either one...") is true.
The rest is nonsense.
Royce Currieo posted at 11:35 am on Sun, Apr 6, 2014.
Both candidates are sterling American Patriots. Since the Democrats have no candidate with these qualities, either one can wax any Democrat stupid enough to run against them.
lakia johnson posted at 10:41 am on Sun, Apr 6, 2014.
Why would ANYONE conservative want to put themselves in the crosshairs of the "liberal- we will destroy every aspect of your life" media?
Jean Taylor posted at 10:36 am on Sun, Apr 6, 2014.
Randy Brogdon has my vote. Shannon is flying under the Tea Party invisible cloak, but his voting record and bills he's sponsored have had nothing to do with the Tea Party movement, and everything to do with politics.
Lankford revealed he might be a career Politician, too, when asked how he was going to vote, responded, "I'm not going to vote on a controversial subject a week before I announce my run for the Senate!" No John Wayne, there.
It's getting so, that if the Tulsa World endorses or emphasizes certain candidates over others, it's the "others" we need to be taking a closer look at. In this case, it's Randy Brogdon. Check him out at randybrogdon dot com.
Mert Rozman posted at 9:41 am on Sun, Apr 6, 2014.
Is this the best that the Republicans can do?
Seriously?
David Taylor posted at 9:25 am on Sun, Apr 6, 2014.
"This campaign is about something larger than a few votes at the state Capitol," Shannon said in an email. "It's about the future of our country."
Actually, it is about the future of Shannon.
kayla chinga posted at 9:12 am on Sun, Apr 6, 2014.
This is obscene. Did it come as a surprise to Shannon how often he would be needing to be in the office? Why did he even run for the office he has now? If I were Mr LankfordI wouldn't even have to hit on any other topic. Just show up and ask Shannon why he refuses to do his job.
Gordon Mills posted at 8:11 am on Sun, Apr 6, 2014.
I hope the voters don't make the same mistake they made with 0 and select the rookie.
John Swofford posted at 7:42 am on Sun, Apr 6, 2014.
One candidate takes his oath of office seriously and the other not so much. While I can't agree with much either candidate believes, it's pretty telling about the cut of the man how hard he works at his current commitments instead of running for higher office.