EDMOND — A rush of political candidates will file for county, state and federal elective office beginning Monday at the State Capitol Building. The State Election Board and 77 county election boards will open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for a three-day filing period through Wednesday.

The statewide primary election will be July 29.

Federal offices up for election that serve Edmond include the Senate seat of U.S. Sen. James M. Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, and Congresswoman Mary Fallin, R-Oklahoma, for the 5th District.

“We will be filing Monday morning,” Fallin said. “In my campaign, I want to continue to listen to the people of Oklahoma and make sure I’m listening to their needs and their issues.”

Inhofe’s office said he also will seek re-election this year. The senior senator from Oklahoma has served in the Senate since 1994.

Candidates will be able to file for two state Senate seats occupied by District 41 Sen. Clark Jolley, R-Edmond, and District 47 Sen. Todd Lamb, R-Edmond.

Candidates may also file for each of the five state house offices covering Edmond. These offices serve two-year terms.

“Hopefully, with a clear Republican majority for the first time in state history, we’ll be able to push for some issues which have been shelved by past leadership, such as establishing more fairness in the school funding formula for larger districts, such as Edmond,” said Jolley, who will run for a second four-year term of office.

Jolley plans to continue strengthening child health and safety outcomes, improve the financial literacy of graduating high school students and offer help with public safety issues.

Oklahoma’s conservative advancements inspire Lamb to seek re-election. “I think I can still make a positive difference in the state Senate for Senate District 47 a well as the entire state,” said Lamb, who was a former Secret Service agent.

Edmond’s state representative offices include House District 31 served by Rep. Jason Murphey, R-Guthrie; House District 81 served by Rep. Ken Miller, R-Edmond; House District 39 served by Rep. Marion Cooksey, R-Edmond; House District 96 served by Rep. Lance Cargill, R-Harrah; and House District 83 Rep. Randy McDaniel, R-Edmond.

Cooksey said her priorities include a focus on education and repairing roads and bridges, the Department of Corrections and the Department of Human Services.

“Health care in the state is also a very high priority because of the number of uninsured,” Cooksey said.

Representing District 81 in the House has been an honor, said Miller, who will seek a third term in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

“I first ran for office because I believed my experience in education and economics provided me a unique skill set to serve and that still holds true today,” said Miller, who served as chairman of the Appropriation and Budget Committee in this past legislative session.



race heating up for HD 96

The Sun was not able to reach Cargill to learn if the former Speaker of the Oklahoma House will announce his candidacy.

Former Edmond Memorial High School teacher and football coach Mike Idleman of Choctaw said he is ready to challenge Cargill in the Republican primary for HD 96. Education, infrastructure, tax reduction and controlling government spending are among his interests. Idleman owns a court reporting business and is a regional vice president for Primerica Financial Services. He’s concerned about the role of money in politics.

“You shouldn’t have to spend thousands of dollars if you’re the right guy for the job,” he said.

Dianne Hunter, D-Edmond, will seek the nomination for Oklahoma’s 96th House District as well. “I’m running for a seat where the incumbent is spending my tax dollar and my tax dollar is going for the incumbent’s salary and yet the incumbent can’t remember to file his taxes, or pay his taxes,” Hunter said.

Hunter also said solutions for health care will not come from Washington, D.C. Congress will follow the best health-care solutions developed by the states, she said.

“It is vital for Oklahoma that people who know something about health care have a voice out there in the capitol,” said Hunter, administrator for the Oklahoma Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic.

Tax reform and government spending will highlight Murphey’s re-election efforts in House District 31.

“We can look at cutting the size of government so we can eliminate unnecessary taxes like the personal income tax and the capital gains tax,” Murphey said.

McDaniel said his candidacy will offer a platform to grow business. State funding should focus on repairing roads and bridges, public safety, education and tourism, he said.

In a statewide race, Dana Murphy of Edmond is running for incumbent Jim Roth’s Corporation Commission seat. Roth has announced his campaign for election after having completed the unexpired term of Denise Bode on the commission. Roth was appointed by Gov. Brad Henry, but now must run for a full term of office.



who will run for county offices?

Candidates for Oklahoma County offices will file for court clerk, county clerk, county sheriff, county commissioner District 2 and Deer Creek Fire Protection District Board of Directors.

Stan Inman of Edmond plans to run against Oklahoma County Clerk Carolynn Caudill, who is the incumbent.

Brent Rinehart said he will seek re-election as District 2 county commissioner to do his job of resurfacing more roads and rebuilding bridges. Rinehart is being challenged by Republicans J.D. Johnston, the former mayor of Bethany, and Brian Maughan, a former AT&T; consultant.

“I have done more resurfacing than any of my predecessors,” Rinehart said.

Oklahoma County Court Clerk Patricia Presley said her 12 years in office has gone by quickly. “We’ve gone through a computer transition once and it’s time to do it again,” Presley said, while planning on filing for re-election. “There’s a lot still left to do and I want to be here to champion that through.”

A patrol segment of the Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel’s office will focus entirely on the Deer Creek area within the next few days, said Whetsel, who will file for re-election.

“What I’m proudest of is the continued reduction of traffic crashes and crime in the unincorporated areas where the sheriff has jurisdiction,” Whetsel said. “I can tell you that since I’ve taken office, we have seen both the crash and crime rate decrease over 80 percent in 150 miles of the unincorporated areas.”

TO LEARN MORE about the 2008 candidate filing period, contact the State Election Board at 521-2391 or visit www.elections.state.ok.us.