The headline may seem a bit ironic, if you are thinking about the passage of SQ 788, the medical marijuana bill. But it actually refers to the number of pro-business candidates that we supported who won or are in the primary.
The biggest disappointment was Lt. Governor Todd Lamb not making the runoff for Governor. Our history with Lamb when he was a state senator was our biggest reason for supporting him. His pro-business reputation and his authorship of one of our most important pieces of legislation deserved our support. But our disappointment is balanced by the fact that both Mick Cornett and Kevin Stitt appear to be two pro-business candidates.
I recently read a story in Oklahoma Watch that said, “The biggest prize will be the 23.9 percent of GOP primary voters who cast ballots for Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb, the one-time favorite in the race who was eliminated after he came a few thousand votes shy of cracking the top two. A June 6-7 poll by Right Strategy Group found that more than half of Lamb supporters identified themselves as “very conservative”. This could favor Stitt because about 47 percent of his supporters said they were “very conservative” while just 30 percent of Cornett’s backers identified similarly. August 28 will give us the answer.
We backed Matt Pinnell for Lt. Governor and he advanced to the runoff where he will face Corporation Commissioner Dana Murphy.
We backed Mike Hunter for Attorney General and he advanced to the runoff where he will face Gentner Drummond. This was a very bitter primary and many wonder if it will be just as bitter during the runoff election.
We backed all the incumbents for Congress and they all won their primaries without a hitch. In the open seat for the 1st Congressional District we backed businessman Kevin Hern who advanced to the runoff.
In the vast majority of House and Senate races for the Oklahoma Legislature, we fared very well. We were involved in 5 Senate races and won 4. We were involved in 14 House races in which those we supported won 10, made the runoff in 2 and lost 2.
So once again, thank you to those who helped by voting and especially to those who supported our PAC. And remember, if you donate to Build-PAC by July 15, you are also helping our state PAC in time to make an impact in the general election. Send me an email and I will give you the details on how to help your industry.
