Republican Rep. Mary Fallin won her seat in Oklahomas 5th District in 2006 when Republican predecessor Ernest Istook left it open to challenge Gov. Brad Henry a rare popular Democrat in the strongly GOP-leaning state.
Now with Henry who easily defeated Istook up against the states term limit Fallin has launched her own bid for governor in a 2010 race that provides a much stronger GOP takeover opportunity.
The situation in the 5th District race to succeed Fallin however is partisan status quo. A conservative Republican stronghold that gave 59 percent of its presidential vote to GOP nominee John McCain in 2008 and 64 percent to President George W. Bush in 2004 the 5th appears nearly certain to stay in the incumbent partys hands.
The status of the open 5th District seat as a Republican prize is underscored by the fact that three candidates already are actively campaigning for the partys nomination while no Democrat has yet stepped forward to run.
The GOP at present consists of state Rep. Mike Thompson and two Republicans who competed for the seat the last time it was open in 2006 but lost to Fallin in the primary: former state Rep. Kevin Calvey and physician Johnny Roy.
Calvey who finished fourth of six candidates with 10 percent of the vote in the 2006 House primary this time has secured an early endorsement from the national conservative political organization Club for Growth. He also got a fundraising jump on the competition by reporting $271000 in receipts including $100000 from his own pockets and $259000 in remaining cash on hand as of June 30.
But Thompson wasnt far behind with $219000 in receipts (none of that from his own pockets) and $178000 in cash on hand. Thompson has a wide support base in the Oklahoma business community including those who control purse strings to royalties from the states economically crucial oil and gas resources. First elected to the state legislature in 2004 Thompson is chairman of the state House Energy and Utility Regulation Committee.
Calvey and Thomson are both running for first" said Ronald Keith Gaddie a political science professor at the University of Oklahoma.
Roy appears a long-shot candidate having finished sixth and last in 2006 with 3 percent of the vote. But Gaddie suggests Roy an Iraqi immigrant shouldnt be counted out. His campaign manager is Kyle Loveless who has run the campaigns of several popular Oklahoma politicians including Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett who finished second to Fallin in the 2006 Republican House contest.
If Johnny Roy shows up with $125000 and he is on television" he has a good chance of getting votes Gaddie added.
While Democratic recruiting has been slow party officials say they arent ceding the seat and expect to have a viable candidate by the filing deadline next June.
One prospect is Jim Roth who was appointed by Henry to the states regulatory corporation commission in 2007. Though Roth who is openly gay lost a statewide election for that office in 2008 he won the vote in the 5th District.
Karina Henderson communications director for the Oklahoma Democratic Party said that the 5th has traditionally been strongly conservative." But she claimed that the district which includes most of the state capital of Oklahoma City has been trending more towards the Democratic side" adding Its a lot more moderate."
Henderson said the party would encourage potential candidates to concentrate on the health care debate and the recent impacts of the economic recession on the state.
Republican Rep. Mary Fallin won her seat in Oklahomas 5th District in 2006 when Republican predecessor Ernest Istook left it open to challenge Gov. Brad Henry a rare popular Democrat in the strongly GOP-leaning state.
Now with Henry who easily defeated Istook up against the states term limit Fallin has launched her own bid for governor in a 2010 race that provides a much stronger GOP takeover opportunity.
The situation in the 5th District race to succeed Fallin however is partisan status quo. A conservative Republican stronghold that gave 59 percent of its presidential vote to GOP nominee John McCain in 2008 and 64 percent to President George W. Bush in 2004 the 5th appears nearly certain to stay in the incumbent partys hands.
The status of the open 5th District seat as a Republican prize is underscored by the fact that three candidates already are actively campaigning for the partys nomination while no Democrat has yet stepped forward to run.
The GOP at present consists of state Rep. Mike Thompson and two Republicans who competed for the seat the last time it was open in 2006 but lost to Fallin in the primary: former state Rep. Kevin Calvey and physician Johnny Roy.
Calvey who finished fourth of six candidates with 10 percent of the vote in the 2006 House primary this time has secured an early endorsement from the national conservative political organization Club for Growth. He also got a fundraising jump on the competition by reporting $271000 in receipts including $100000 from his own pockets and $259000 in remaining cash on hand as of June 30.
But Thompson wasnt far behind with $219000 in receipts (none of that from his own pockets) and $178000 in cash on hand. Thompson has a wide support base in the Oklahoma business community including those who control purse strings to royalties from the states economically crucial oil and gas resources. First elected to the state legislature in 2004 Thompson is chairman of the state House Energy and Utility Regulation Committee.
Calvey and Thomson are both running for first" said Ronald Keith Gaddie a political science professor at the University of Oklahoma.
Roy appears a long-shot candidate having finished sixth and last in 2006 with 3 percent of the vote. But Gaddie suggests Roy an Iraqi immigrant shouldnt be counted out. His campaign manager is Kyle Loveless who has run the campaigns of several popular Oklahoma politicians including Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett who finished second to Fallin in the 2006 Republican House contest.
If Johnny Roy shows up with $125000 and he is on television" he has a good chance of getting votes Gaddie added.
While Democratic recruiting has been slow party officials say they arent ceding the seat and expect to have a viable candidate by the filing deadline next June.
One prospect is Jim Roth who was appointed by Henry to the states regulatory corporation commission in 2007. Though Roth who is openly gay lost a statewide election for that office in 2008 he won the vote in the 5th District.
Karina Henderson communications director for the Oklahoma Democratic Party said that the 5th has traditionally been strongly conservative." But she claimed that the district which includes most of the state capital of Oklahoma City has been trending more towards the Democratic side" adding Its a lot more moderate."
Henderson said the party would encourage potential candidates to concentrate on the health care debate and the recent impacts of the economic recession on the state.
