Packed Oklahoma Gubernatorial Race Fueled By Political Turmoil Of Teacher Walkouts, Diverging Views On Education Priorities

Packed Oklahoma Gubernatorial Race Fueled by Political Turmoil of Teacher Walkouts, Diverging Views on Education Priorities

Republican candidates Mick Cornett and Kevin Stitt secured the top positions in the crowded and contentious primary, winning 29 and 24 percent of the vote respectively. They will now face off in a runoff election in August. On the Democratic side, Drew Edmondson emerged as the party’s candidate and will compete against either Cornett or Stitt in November.

The number of candidates vying for public office in Oklahoma in April reached a record-breaking 794, with over two dozen of them being teachers. This makes it the largest candidate pool in at least two decades.

As the June 26 primary approaches, the race for Oklahoma’s top office is heating up. A runoff election is expected for the Republicans due to the high number of candidates, until one of them secures at least 50 percent of the vote.

Though none of the teachers are leading in the gubernatorial race, education has become a central issue in this year’s election. Following the nine-day teacher walkout in April, triggered by a national movement, education has received unprecedented attention from candidates. The walkout only ended when red state lawmakers agreed to increase taxes for school funding and teacher pay. However, both teachers and conservatives expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome.

The spotlight is now on the five leading gubernatorial candidates and their approaches to education. The Tulsa World endorsed Republican Mick Cornett, a former Oklahoma City mayor, who was seen as having the least objectionable response to the teacher strikes. Meanwhile, Democratic candidate Drew Edmondson has made raising teacher salaries a primary focus, and Republican candidate Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb has promised reforms while emphasizing "cuts waste" in his 30-second advertisement.

A recent News On 6/News 9 poll shows that the top Republican candidates include Lamb with 23 percent, Cornett with 20 percent, and businessman Kevin Stitt with 14 percent. The other Republican candidates have negligible support in the polls. On the Democratic side, former Oklahoma attorney general Edmondson holds a substantial lead with 44 percent, followed by recently retired state Sen. Connie Johnson at 14 percent.

Although Democrats have seen a string of governors in the past, Republicans currently hold the governor’s office and the majority in the state legislature. However, current Republican governor Mary Fallin is deeply unpopular, with only a 20 percent approval rating. In contrast, respondents in a recent poll gave President Donald Trump an 80 percent approval rating.

Candidates, especially on the Republican side, must carefully balance their education spending proposals with the need to limit tax spending. They have learned from Governor Fallin’s mishandling of the education funding crisis and her dismissive remarks towards striking teachers. This has fueled the anger of educators and led to nine days of missed school and unmet demands.

Additionally, candidates’ platforms and interviews may be shaped by the influential politicians who publicly criticized the teacher walkouts and are now facing challengers in their own races for office. For instance, teacher Cyndi Ralston is running against Rep. Kevin McDugle, who vowed to vote against any education funding as retaliation for the strikes. Ralston’s Facebook post expressing her frustrations with the state legislature garnered significant attention and support.

More than two dozen teachers are running for seats in the state legislature, including all of Oklahoma’s House seats and half of the Senate seats.

Over the past decade, Oklahoma lawmakers have struggled to find alternate sources of state funding due to declining oil revenue. Despite this year’s record-breaking budget, the state still has a long way to go to recover from years of budget cuts and financial challenges.

In 2018, Oklahoma received a D grade in education, ranking 45th nationwide. This ranking was determined by considering factors such as early childhood enrollment, student loan debt, high school graduation rates, and math and reading scores.

The top five candidates running for governor in Oklahoma have outlined their plans to address the state of education:

1. Mick Cornett – Republican, former Oklahoma City mayor. Cornett has been recognized by Fortune magazine as one of the world’s 50 greatest leaders for his work in generating temporary taxes to fund projects in a conservative city. He is also known for bringing the NBA to Oklahoma City. Cornett’s campaign focuses on increasing educator pay, particularly in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math, to attract and retain qualified teachers.

2. Drew Edmondson – Democrat, former Oklahoma attorney general. Edmondson is hoping to secure the governorship after an unsuccessful attempt in 2010. He emphasizes the need to raise pay for teachers and reduce administrative costs. Edmondson criticizes Gov. Fallin for her slow response to the education funding crisis and proposes a 7 percent tax on oil and gas to allocate more funds to education.

3. Connie Johnson – Democrat, former state Senator. Johnson’s long political career in Oklahoma has centered around reproductive health care, mental health services, and opposition to the death penalty. She supports raising teacher salaries to match regional averages, restoring programs and increasing funding for art and Advanced Placement classes, making two-year colleges tuition-free, and expanding early education programs.

4. Todd Lamb – Republican, lieutenant governor. Lamb has served in the state senate and as lieutenant governor, and prior to that, he worked in the petroleum industry and as a special agent for the U.S. Secret Service. He aims to allocate at least 65 percent of education budgets to schools and teacher salaries rather than administrative costs. Lamb also supports implementing laws that prevent social promotion based on reading and math proficiency in third grade.

5. Kevin Stitt – Republican, businessman. Stitt presents himself as a political outsider with business experience that can help solve Oklahoma’s budget issues. He founded Gateway Mortgage, a national company, and has financed a significant portion of his campaign with his personal wealth. Stitt’s focus is on revitalizing the state and believes that his outsider perspective is crucial for achieving this goal.

Overall, these candidates have various proposals to improve education in Oklahoma, ranging from increasing teacher salaries and reducing administrative costs to implementing new laws and raising taxes to fund education.

In addition, his platform also advocates for increasing teacher salaries to align with those in neighboring states. He proposes the introduction of temporary $5,000 bonuses for first-time certified Oklahoma teachers, aiming to attract educators, particularly recent graduates from Oklahoma colleges.

During a candidate-voter meet-and-greet in April, he emphasized the need for restructuring certain aspects to ensure efficient allocation of resources. He expressed the importance of minimizing administrative overhead and directing funds towards classrooms and teachers, ultimately prioritizing the well-being of the students.

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