Oklahoma Primary on Tuesday

[Meeker]

Only race of vague interest is who will be the sacrificial lamb to Inhofe.

And maybe the Republican primary in the special election for the slot on the State Corporation Committee. If you swing that way.

[Joe Biden 2020]

The primary is expected to only draw a very limited number of voters, simply because there are no real competitive races.

The biggest competition will be for Oklahoma County Commissioner District 2.

On the Republican side, there are incumbent Brent Rinehart, J.D. Johnston, and Brian Maughan and on the Democratic side, we have Jim Dickinson, Bob Boyster, and Charles Saunders.

The biggest mudslinging has been on the Republican side of OCCD2.  I see Jim Dickinson signs all over the place as I do Brent Rinehart.  At the heart of the race is Rinehart's controversial comic that he wrote about a month ago regarding homosexuality and Oklahoma County Sheriff Democrat John Whetzel.  Even in a Republican county, I'm thinking, and I hope, Rinehart may have cooked his own goose, this on top of a bunch of other controversies.

Since I am a Democrat, I can only vote in the Democratic primary, so I'll have to choose Jim Dickinson.

Here are the candidates I will be marking as I go to the Harrah Free Will Baptist Church (my polling place) tomorrow.

Senate:  Andrew Rice
CD-5:  Steven Perry (although I will be going for Republican Mary Fallin in the General)
State Senate District 17:  Incumbent Charlie Laster
Corporation Commissioner:  Charles Gray
State House District 96:  Dianne Hunter (This is to replace the disgraced former Speaker Lance Cargill who is not running for re-election).
Oklahoma County Commissioner, District 2 -- Jim Dickinson

[DownWithTheLeft]

Even in a Republican county,

That would be every single county in Oklahoma

[Joe Biden 2020]

Even in a Republican county,

That would be every single county in Oklahoma

Only if you look at 2004 records.  If you look at any other presidential election, there are a few Democratic counties.

Anyway, I did go vote this morning.  There was no line, yet, as I voted at 7:05 local time this morning, 5 minutes after the polls opened.

[Meeker]

Rice is ahead about 61-39 with 17% in. Lower margin that I expected, quite frankly.

[Joe Biden 2020]

As expected, Inhofe and Rice will face off in November, neither will face a run-off.

Also, Brent Rinehart was defeated in the primary by Brian Maughan and J.D. Johnston.  The two will have a run-off on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 as neither attained 50%.  This, though, will give Democrat Jim Dickinson a 4-week head start on his general election campaign as he won his primary with over 50%.

[Meeker]

As expected, Inhofe and Rice will face off in November, neither will face a run-off.

Also, Brent Rinehart was defeated in the primary by Brian Maughan and J.D. Johnston.  The two will have a run-off on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 as neither attained 50%.  This, though, will give Democrat Jim Dickinson a 4-week head start on his general election campaign as he won his primary with over 50%.

Is Rinehart the dickhead with the comic book?

[Associate Justice PiT]

As expected, Inhofe and Rice will face off in November, neither will face a run-off.

Also, Brent Rinehart was defeated in the primary by Brian Maughan and J.D. Johnston.  The two will have a run-off on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 as neither attained 50%.  This, though, will give Democrat Jim Dickinson a 4-week head start on his general election campaign as he won his primary with over 50%.

Is Rinehart the dickhead with the comic book?

     That he is. Ding-dong, the witch is dead.

[Sam Spade]

So Rice ended up with 58% against the perennial candidate.  The only showing more pathetic for a Dem challenger I can think of was Rick Noriega's barely escaping the runoff back in March.

[MarkWarner08]

So Rice ended up with 58% against the perennial candidate.  The only showing more pathetic for a Dem challenger I can think of was Rick Noriega's barely escaping the runoff back in March.

But wasn't he the first TX Democrat to escape a run-off in decade or so? Otherwise, I agree that he probably should've won with 60%-70%. He'll probably win around 44% in November, regardless of how much he spends. If only that trial lawyer Watts had stayed. Maybe his money would've kept the race close...

[Sam Spade]

So Rice ended up with 58% against the perennial candidate.  The only showing more pathetic for a Dem challenger I can think of was Rick Noriega's barely escaping the runoff back in March.

But wasn't he the first TX Democrat to escape a run-off in decade or so? Otherwise, I agree that he probably should've won with 60%-70%. He'll probably win around 44% in November, regardless of how much he spends. If only that trial lawyer Watts had stayed. Maybe his money would've kept the race close...

True, but Hillary also had Hispanic turnout along the border at GE levels.

Regardless, once again we're really arguing about whether Noriega finishes with 40% to 45% of the vote here.  Same thing for Rice (maybe a point or two lower).  Next.

[MarkWarner08]

So Rice ended up with 58% against the perennial candidate.  The only showing more pathetic for a Dem challenger I can think of was Rick Noriega's barely escaping the runoff back in March.

But wasn't he the first TX Democrat to escape a run-off in decade or so? Otherwise, I agree that he probably should've won with 60%-70%. He'll probably win around 44% in November, regardless of how much he spends. If only that trial lawyer Watts had stayed. Maybe his money would've kept the race close...

True, but Hillary also had Hispanic turnout along the border at GE levels.

Regardless, once again we're really arguing about whether Noriega finishes with 40% to 45% of the vote here.  Same thing for Rice (maybe a point or two lower).  Next.

There's no way Noreiga wins only 40% of the vote. Even that Morales guy won 44% against Gramm in 1996... I agree that it's just splitting hairs, because both will probably lose by at least ten points.

[Sam Spade]

So Rice ended up with 58% against the perennial candidate.  The only showing more pathetic for a Dem challenger I can think of was Rick Noriega's barely escaping the runoff back in March.

But wasn't he the first TX Democrat to escape a run-off in decade or so? Otherwise, I agree that he probably should've won with 60%-70%. He'll probably win around 44% in November, regardless of how much he spends. If only that trial lawyer Watts had stayed. Maybe his money would've kept the race close...

True, but Hillary also had Hispanic turnout along the border at GE levels.

Regardless, once again we're really arguing about whether Noriega finishes with 40% to 45% of the vote here.  Same thing for Rice (maybe a point or two lower).  Next.

There's no way Noreiga wins only 40% of the vote. Even that Morales guy won 44% against Gramm in 1996... I agree that it's just splitting hairs, because both will probably lose by at least ten points.

Morales ran a better campaign than you give him credit for.  Populist outsider campaigns actually work fairly well in Texas - he ran extremely well in rural areas, well enough to make the race pretty close if the year was 1966 and not 1996.  The reason why he lost by 10% had to do with Gramm extremely well in old-line Houston and Dallas suburbs (not to mention suburban areas in general - better than Bush did in 2004).

Still, you are quite right in that it will be closer to 45% than 40% most likely.

[MarkWarner08]

So Rice ended up with 58% against the perennial candidate.  The only showing more pathetic for a Dem challenger I can think of was Rick Noriega's barely escaping the runoff back in March.

But wasn't he the first TX Democrat to escape a run-off in decade or so? Otherwise, I agree that he probably should've won with 60%-70%. He'll probably win around 44% in November, regardless of how much he spends. If only that trial lawyer Watts had stayed. Maybe his money would've kept the race close...

True, but Hillary also had Hispanic turnout along the border at GE levels.

Regardless, once again we're really arguing about whether Noriega finishes with 40% to 45% of the vote here.  Same thing for Rice (maybe a point or two lower).  Next.

There's no way Noreiga wins only 40% of the vote. Even that Morales guy won 44% against Gramm in 1996... I agree that it's just splitting hairs, because both will probably lose by at least ten points.

Morales ran a better campaign than you give him credit for.  Populist outsider campaigns actually work fairly well in Texas - he ran extremely well in rural areas, well enough to make the race pretty close if the year was 1966 and not 1996.  The reason why he lost by 10% had to do with Gramm extremely well in old-line Houston and Dallas suburbs (not to mention suburban areas in general - better than Bush did in 2004).

Still, you are quite right in that it will be closer to 45% than 40% most likely.

Interesting.

Back to the OK primary: If only Brad Henry were running against Inhofe....

[Sam Spade]

So Rice ended up with 58% against the perennial candidate.  The only showing more pathetic for a Dem challenger I can think of was Rick Noriega's barely escaping the runoff back in March.

But wasn't he the first TX Democrat to escape a run-off in decade or so? Otherwise, I agree that he probably should've won with 60%-70%. He'll probably win around 44% in November, regardless of how much he spends. If only that trial lawyer Watts had stayed. Maybe his money would've kept the race close...

True, but Hillary also had Hispanic turnout along the border at GE levels.

Regardless, once again we're really arguing about whether Noriega finishes with 40% to 45% of the vote here.  Same thing for Rice (maybe a point or two lower).  Next.

There's no way Noreiga wins only 40% of the vote. Even that Morales guy won 44% against Gramm in 1996... I agree that it's just splitting hairs, because both will probably lose by at least ten points.

Morales ran a better campaign than you give him credit for.  Populist outsider campaigns actually work fairly well in Texas - he ran extremely well in rural areas, well enough to make the race pretty close if the year was 1966 and not 1996.  The reason why he lost by 10% had to do with Gramm extremely well in old-line Houston and Dallas suburbs (not to mention suburban areas in general - better than Bush did in 2004).

Still, you are quite right in that it will be closer to 45% than 40% most likely.

Interesting.

Back to the OK primary: If only Brad Henry were running against Inhofe....

A more interesting race.