Candidate Filing Less Than A Month Away, But Few Challengers Emerge
Despite voter frustration, House very likely to look the same next year
by Chris Casteel, NewsOK.com
Despite talk of widespread dissatisfaction with the Oklahoma Legislature, three quarters of the House members running for re-election have yet to draw a challenge.
Among those who don’t have opponents are the people who run the House: Speaker Charles McCall and the top three members of his Republican leadership team.
In all, 40 of the 57 House Republicans seeking another term do not have an opponent who has registered with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission. Candidates must register when they have raised or spent $1,000.
Democrats, the minority party in the House, have it even easier, proportionately. Of the 21 Democratic incumbents running this year, only three have drawn opposition. Even a couple Democratic incumbents who narrowly flipped Republican-held districts in recent years have no challenger.