Senate Special Election Disaster For Moderates, Reasonable Oklahomans

Last Tuesday, there were only a few things on the ballot in Oklahoma. One of them was a moderate State Senate seat [SD 32] in and around Lawton, Oklahoma. This race has some interesting political dynamics but the most dramatic takeaway is that we may be about to give a crucial state Senate seat up to a far-right extremist.

On the Democratic side, Larry Bush won his primary easily. He’s a known entity in the area and has run before, narrowly losing for a state House seat.

On the Republican side, Dusty Deevers won by consolidating the far-right, Christian nationalist vote despite being up against several other much better funded candidates. In what appears to have been a nasty primary, he managed to get 37% of the vote and head on to Dec. 12’s special general election.

The best-funded candidate wins roughly 90% of the time. This one is exceptional because the least-funded Republican won despite getting outspent nearly 7-1 by his opponents. That is rare.

Looking at how much they raised, who it was from, their endorsements and other entities offering support, JJ Francais and Jean Hausheer were the two most serious challengers. The former getting Gov. Kevin Stitt’s endorsement, the latter a medical doctor supported by the Oklahoma State Medical Association.

Unfortunately, large fundraising sums and respected, mainstream endorsements did not lead to the win.

Deevers also received endorsements from the width and breath of the far-right operatives and organizations in Oklahoma: ROPE, OK2A, OCPAC, to name a few. His social media on Twitter is full of angry blue checks maxed out on conspiracies and Christian dominionism. This is a man that definitely thinks a legislative ban on abortions doesn’t go far enough.

If that wasn’t bad enough, this seat has long been fairly moderate, getting just slightly more conservative in each redistricting before trending toward a Democratic seat right before the next redistricting. Now, though, the entire Senate hangs in the balance. The ultra-far-right has lacked the votes to elect their preferred zealot Senate president pro tem but if they pick up this seat, they likely will be able to.

In recent legislative sessions, Oklahoma City Sen. Greg Treat, the current Senate pro tem, has won with narrow margins against far-right challengers. This keeps the Senate able to hold the line against some of the more insane and fascist ideas of the Republican caucus. This one election could substantially shift the balance of power at the Capitol and lead to a host of culturally conservative bills targeting a range of marginalized communities.

People should not sleep on this race. The Dec. 12 special general election will take place right in the middle of the holidays when people are distracted.

Democrats are definitely playing from behind, but when the winner on the Republican side only got 37% of that primary and holds deeply extremist beliefs, Larry Bush, a former OU defensive back, may be our last line of defense against a very sinister chapter in Oklahoma history.