Edmondson leads list of governor possibilities

By RON JENKINS

OKLAHOMA CITY — Attorney General Drew Edmondson says he's leaning toward running for governor in 2010, but he's not the only prominent Democrat pondering a race to succeed two-term Gov. Brad Henry.

Other Democrats looking at the race are State Treasurer Scott Meacham and Lt. Gov. Jari Askins.

And Republicans, with visions of having control of both the legislative and executive branches of government for the first time, are excited about the prospects of fielding a winning gubernatorial candidate.

So far, U.S. Reps. Mary Fallin and Tom Cole are the most mentioned names as possible GOP candidates, but they are downplaying such talk as they pursue re-election campaigns.

Speculation over who will run for governor in two years comes ahead of the runoff primary Aug. 26. Only five legislative races have produced runoffs.

The only statewide races on the Nov. 4 general election are for the U.S. Senate and two spots on the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe is seeking re-election against Democrat Andrew Rice, a state senator, and independent Stephen Wallace.

Edmondson, 61, triggered talk about the governor's race when he said last week he is leaning toward running for the post Henry must vacate because of term limits.

The four-term attorney general said he has ruled out a run for federal office, and is considering three options — the governor's race, retirement from public office or seeking re-election. "Of those three, I am leaning toward running for governor."

"He's jockeying for position right now. He wants to get his name out there to be talked about," Gary Jones, state Republican Party chairman, said of Edmondson.

"If we continue to head in that direction (a race for governor), we will probably start ramping up efforts the first of the year," Edmondson said.

He said serving as governor would give him "broader avenues" to address issues he has worked on as attorney general, such as protecting the environment and consumer problems.

Meacham, Henry's cabinet secretary and architect of many of the popular governor's programs, said he will sit down with his family "probably sometime early next year" and make a decision on his political future.

Serving as governor, he said, "gives you a chance to make a difference for your state. I feel like we have accomplished a lot of good things, but there is still a lot that needs to be done."

Askins also said she would make a decision early next year, while saying at this time she is "singularly focused on my duties as lieutenant governor."

"As I've traveled the state, there have been people who thought the governor's race was this year and I've tried to explain to them it's two years from now," she said.

Danny Morgan, Democratic leader of the state House, is among the other Democrats regarded as possible candidates, with U.S. Rep. Dan Boren also drawing mention.

Other Republicans mentioned include Bob Sullivan, who finished second in the 2006 GOP gubernatorial race, and even U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn.

Denise Northrup, Fallin campaign manager, said Fallin is not looking past her bid for re-election to a second term in the 5th Congressional District. "What happens in the future happens in the future," she said.

Cole, in a statement, declined to discuss the possibilities of a gubernatorial race at this time.

"Any decision I make about my future will be announced sometime next year," Cole said.

Keith Gaddie, University of Oklahoma political professor, said who gets into the race on either side will cause a ripple effect, possibly creating open races for Congress and an array of state offices.

"You can see two or three congressional races opening up...basically, it's like 2002 all over again," Gaddie said.

There also will likely be some surprises, he said.

"There is going to be someone out there that nobody anticipated who will get into the middle of this and end up turning the apple cart upside down."

The latest example of an underdog grabbing the governorship is Henry himself, who pulled off upsets in both the 2002 Democratic primary and general election.

Back in 1974, a lawmaker by the name of David Boren started with name recognition in the single digits and wound up being elected governor. Boren went on to become a U.S. senator and now is University of Oklahoma president.