Home Stretch: Will This Week Tip The Scales For Shannon, Lankford Or Neither?
SHANNON, LANKFORD NECK-AND-NECK HEADING INTO FINAL STRETCH OF OK SENATE PRIMARY
by MICHAEL PATRICK LEAHY, Breitbart.com
Most years, two term Congressman Jim Lankford (R-OK) would be considered a shoe-in to replace retiring Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) as his party’s nominee in the upcoming Oklahoma U.S. Senate Republican primary this June 24. With a reliably conservative voting record (Heritage Action Scorecard rates him at 82 percent) and the support of the Washington establishment, Lankford entered the race when Coburn suddenly announced his retirement in January with a 37 point lead in the polls.
But Lankford’s top challenger, former Oklahoma House Speaker T.W. Shannon, has made a surprisingly strong challenge, climbing from a huge deficit to run neck-and-neck with Lankford in polls from this spring.
Shannon served as the youngest Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives ever from 2012 to 2014. While there, he established a strong conservative record as a fiscal hawk, supporting efforts to eliminate the state’s debt by selling off unused state assets. He has continued in his Senate campaign to support classic conservative positions.
Shannon’s limited government message has garnered the support of a host of national Tea Party groups–including the Senate Conservatives Fund–as well as some high profile Tea Party favorite politicians. Sarah Palin, Mike Lee, and Ted Cruz have all endorsed him.