National Journal: Oklahoma’s Oh-So-Sweet Primary
Oklahoma’s Oh-So-Sweet Primary
By Andrea Drusch
For a state known for its red dirt, there’s not much mud being slung in Oklahoma right now.
Compared to Republican primaries this cycle in Nebraska and Mississippi, the race to replace Sen. Tom Coburn is a downright pillow fight. As in most Republican primaries, the differences between the candidates are subtle at best. But in Oklahoma, the campaigns’ hesitance to play hardball is making what little contrast there is hard for voters to find.
Oklahomans didn’t see a negative TV ad between Rep. James Lankford and former state House Speaker T.W. Shannon until three weeks before the June 24 primary, when the pro-Shannon group Oklahomans for a Conservative Future took a light hit at Lankford for his votes to raise the debt ceiling. Even then, the candidates’ comments about the move were almost untenably polite.
“As brothers in Christ, Congressman Lankford and I are competitors, not enemies,” Shannon’s campaign said in a statement, almost apologizing for the group’s ad.