Oklahoma
Nearly Half of Oklahoma Legislative Races Already Are Decided Without a Vote – Oklahoma Watch
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Numerous countless Oklahoma won’t have a say in picking their state legislator or agents this year.
Of the 125 legal seats on the 2022 tally, 44% have actually currently been determined. Less than one-third will certainly be opposed in November.
In 55 Residence or Us senate races, just one individual submitted by the April 15 target date, making those prospects a chosen workplace without protecting a ballot or making their instance to citizens.
Amongst those automated champions are 37 Residence Republicans, 8 Residence Democrats, 5 Us senate Republicans and also 3 Us senate Democrats.
Along with those 53 incumbents without any resistance there are 2 uncontested beginners: Jerry Alvord, a previous Carter Region Commissioner that will certainly stand for Us senate Area 14, and also Tulsa insurance policy representative Mark Tedford, that will certainly stand for Residence Area 69.
Each Oklahoma Us senate area consists of 81,935 homeowners; each Residence area regarding 38,939. Ballot supporters claim affordable races produce an involved body politic and also aid to hold prospects responsible.
Nonetheless, areas that highly prefer one celebration or are stood for by a well-funded incumbent inhibit affordable races. Oklahoma’s battles have actually gotten worse.
When 50 of 125 legal races went uncontested in 2020, celebration leaders condemned the COVID-19 pandemic for a less than regular turnover of prospects. Also after that, Oklahoma included a lot more uncompetitive legal races than the majority of the nation.
The state had the fifth-highest percent of races without 2 oppositions from significant events amongst the 44 states with 2020 legal political elections, according to Ballotpedia, a not-for-profit company that tracks political elections.
Just 245 prospects declared the legislature recently, below 256 in 2020.
Republicans, that regulate 81.2% of the Legislature, generated 182 prospects. With at the very least one prospect in 111 of 125 legal races, the GOP remains in placement to grab a lot more seats.
By comparison, simply 58 Democrats declared Residence or Us senate races, leaving 61% without an Autonomous prospect. Democrats might win every basic political election race and also still drop well except a bulk in your home or Us senate, according to an Oklahoma Watch evaluation.
Thinking no prospects take out or are eliminated after competitions of candidateship hearings are ended up, there will certainly be 45 GOP key races and also simply 6 for Democrats.
Republicans are currently guaranteed of managing 35 of the 48 Us senate seats (fifty percent of the Us senate is not up for political election this year) and also 60 of the 101 Residence seats.
Democrats will certainly regulate at the very least 9 Residence seats and also 6 Us senate seats, leaving simply 32 Residence seats and also 7 Us senate seats up for grabs.
Statewide and also Legislative Races
Oklahoma’s jampacked slate of statewide and also legislative seats will certainly be a lot more affordable.
Along with the 5 U.S. Residence seats, U.S. Sen. James Lankford looks for re-election and also there will certainly be an unique political election to change U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, that revealed layoff strategies.
The guv’s race covers the statewide races that consist of lieutenant guv, attorney general of the United States, state treasurer, superintendent of public guideline, state auditor and also assessor, commissioner of labor, insurance policy commissioner and also firm commissioner.
Of these races, just one has actually currently been determined: Oklahoma Insurance coverage Commissioner Glen Mulready will certainly be re-elected without an opposition.
No Democrats declared either state auditor and also assessor or attorney general of the United States, yet there will certainly be opposed races in the basic for the remainder of the seats.
The GOP key period will certainly consist of oppositions for all races besides lieutenant guv and also Oklahoma’s first Legislative area, where Matt Pinnell and also Kevin Hern, specifically, secured their celebration’s election in the re-election quotes.
A Lot Of the GOP primaries will certainly be really crowded with 14 prospects looking for the open second Congressional Area race and also 13 prospects looking for the U.S. Us senate seat Inhofe is leaving.
Democrats, on the other hand, will certainly see primaries for simply 2 races: The match in between Pleasure Hofmeister and also Connie Johnson for the celebration’s gubernatorial election and also a five-person area trying the right to stand for the celebration for Lankford’s U.S. Us senate seat.
Prospects that have actually attracted a key opposition won’t have much time to waste. Oklahoma’s key will certainly be hung on June 28 and also the overflow will certainly be Aug. 23, if required.
Trevor Brown has actually been an Oklahoma Watch press reporter considering that 2016. He covers national politics, political elections, health and wellness plans and also federal government liability concerns. Call or message him at (630) 301-0589. Email him at tbrown@oklahomawatch.org. Follow him on Twitter at @tbrownokc
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Oklahoma
Thunder Unveil 2024 Draft Class
![Thunder Unveil 2024 Draft Class](https://kfor.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/07/thunder-logo-big.jpg?w=1280)
Oklahoma City, OK – A new era of Thunder basketball was officially introduced Saturday. Nikola Topić, Dillon Jones, and Ajay Mitchell all met the media to discuss making it to the next level and being members of the Thunder.
Topić will miss the upcoming season with a knee injury. Many draft boards had him listed as a top four talent in the draft, but the knee injury did scare some teams off.
As for Jones, he said his time at Weber State as “the guy” prepared him for what he needs to do to help OKC win with their current talent.
Ajay Mitchell joins the fold as a second round choice and knows his role could be impromptu and less consistent than usual, but that’s something he says he’s prepared for.
Hear from all three Thunder rookies in the video above.
Oklahoma
Report: Oklahoma Baseball Coach Skip Johnson to Leave for Texas A&M
![Report: Oklahoma Baseball Coach Skip Johnson to Leave for Texas A&M](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4028,h_2265,x_0,y_67/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/all_sooners/01j1gdadgkdz6dmz12tx.jpg)
Oklahoma baseball fans can breathe a sigh of relief.
OU head coach Skip Johnson is set to stay in Norman despite interest from Texas A&M, D1Baseball managing editor Kendall Rogers reported on Saturday.
SCOOP: Texas A&M is narrowing down its candidates, and @OU_Baseball head coach Skip Johnson will stay put in Norman as he is expected to sign a new deal with the #Sooners sometime today. Skip was most definitely in the mix, but #Aggies appear to be zeroing in on three guys.
— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) June 29, 2024
Johnson had a pair of high-level meetings yesterday with Oklahoma’s administration, a source close to the situation confirmed with Sooners on SI, helping both sides reach the conclusion that Johnson will continue to lead the program into the Southeastern Conference.
Rogers also reported Johnson is expected to ink a new contract with the Sooners.
Keeping Johnson in place is crucial as Oklahoma takes on the rigor of the SEC, as his last season in the Big 12 went as well as anyone could have hoped for.
The Sooners won the Big 12 Regular Season Title for the first time in program history, and hosted an NCAA Regional at L. Dale Mitchell Park for the first time in over a decade.
Though the Sooners were ousted by UConn in the regional final, OU finished the year 40-21 overall.
In seven seasons at Oklahoma, Johnson is now 229-153 overall including four trips to the NCAA Tournament which is headlined by the Sooners’ magical run to the College World Series Championship Series in 2022.
Johnson also had his team 14-4 in 2020 before the season was canceled due to the pandemic, which would have likely resulted in another trip to the postseason.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma County Jail fails another health inspection
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OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — The Oklahoma County Jail has failed another health inspection, now totaling eight straight inspections the jail has failed dating back to 2019.
During the latest inspection, the jail staff wouldn’t even let inspectors through the doors and told them it is unsafe, due to not having enough staff to accommodate them around the jail, which has many in the community worried.
“They said, we don’t have enough people, that’s what it said there on the official report,” Christopher Johnston, Member of People’s Council for Justice Reform said. “That is terrifying.”
It has been five years since the Oklahoma County Jail has passed a state health inspection.
The listed issues range from bed bugs, unsanitary areas, staffing issues, and mold amongst many other things.
“Hygiene; a building doesn’t clean itself,” Johnston said. “It doesn’t grab a bar of soap and start scrubbing itself. A building doesn’t not conduct site checks. A building doesn’t keep people from coming into it. That is management, that is the staff running it.”
Johnston says the district attorney and attorney general need to step in.
“He’s got to step in,” Johnston said. “He knows what’s going on. It’s happening near his office. So, the attorney general needs to to really evaluate.”
The Oklahoma State Department of Health agrees, telling us in a statement that when a jail fails an inspection:
We are actively communicating with the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s office.
For enforcement following an inspection or follow-up inspection of a facility determined to be not in compliance with the applicable statutory and regulatory standards, OSDH will evaluate and assess appropriate next steps based on all available tools and statutory authority. Such next steps may include a complaint filed with the Attorney General, a complaint filed with the local District Attorney, the assessment of administrative penalties, or any combination thereof.
Oklahoma State Department of Health
We reached out to both offices; the AG’s office said because it is not a state facility, they are not involved unless brought in by the State Department of Health.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Zemp Behenna sent News 4 this letter, written by Assistant District Attorney Aaron Etherington.
In the letter, Etherington tells the Department of Health it “exceeded its lawful authority” in attempting to inspect the jail this week, and called the notice of non-compliance “void.”
News 4 asked how the DA’s office came to that conclusion, but never heard back.
Johnston says if action isn’t taken soon, things will only get worse.
“It’s a ticking time bomb,” Johnston said. “There is a high probability that something horrible will happen.”
Of course, all of this comes as Oklahoma County tries to build a new jail.
Those efforts are still up in the air after the City of Oklahoma City voted no on the proposed jail location.
The Board of County Commissioners for Oklahoma County has since filed a lawsuit against the City of Oklahoma city over sovereignty of the land.
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