GOP hopes to extend political power

Democrats dominated Oklahoma politics for nearly a century — and it was 101 years after statehood before the GOP held both houses of the Legislature.

This fall, Republicans hope to hold the governor's office, House and Senate for the first time.

"This is an opportunity to be a historic election for Republicans,” said Pat McFerron, a GOP pollster and strategist in Oklahoma for 20 years. "Our voters are conservative, and the more the national Democratic Party is exposed for being the left-of-center party it is, the more it helps Oklahoma Republicans.”

The GOP already controls both of Oklahoma's U.S. Senate seats, four of the five U.S. House seats, along with the statehouse. In their hope for more, GOP political ads this fall will target President Barack Obama, who failed to win a county here in 2008.

"Clearly the tide is there (for Republicans),” said Republican strategist Neva Hill. "There's just a growing frustration with this president and his policies.”

But Ben Odom, a former Democratic Party official, said Democrats must stay focused on the state.

"The Republicans are wanting to federalize the elections, but that means they don't want to talk about Oklahoma. State issues are different than federal, and voters are smart enough to realize that,” said Odom, now a party strategist.

For Republicans to take the governor's mansion, U.S. Rep. Mary Fallin, a longtime GOP stalwart who is leaving Congress to seek the post, must beat Democratic Lt. Gov. Jari Askins, Fallin's successor as lieutenant governor and a former state representative and special district judge. The winner will become Oklahoma's first female governor.

The current political climate is being likened to 1994, during the midterm elections of President Bill Clinton's first term. That year, dubbed the "Republican Revolution” for the GOP's takeover of Congress, Republicans saw huge gains in Oklahoma.

Part of the impetus: Clinton's effort to change the nation's health care system. Obama's work on a new health care plan this year fueled tea party-led disenchantment with D.C.

The GOP grabbed an open U.S. Senate seat and three U.S. House seats from Democrats in 1994, made gains in the Legislature and elected a former FBI agent named Frank Keating as governor.

Fallin was elected lieutenant governor then, too, becoming the first Republican and first woman to hold the office. The GOP also picked up the insurance and labor commissioner's offices in 1994.

The night was so memorable for McFerron he has "It's Gov. Keating!” and "Republicans seize Congress in stunning sweep” headlines from The Daily Oklahoman hanging in his office.

And the seeds for the Clinton-era changes were planted in the 1980s, when President Ronald Reagan and then-state chairman Tom Cole energized the party, and in 1990, when voters adopted term limits forcing many long-serving Democrats out of office. In 2002, voters passed a right-to-work law.

"In Oklahoma if you weren't a Democrat at the Oklahoma State Capitol, you didn't really get to participate in the process,” said Pat Hall, the state Democratic Party chairman from 1996-99.

Republicans first focused on recruiting and funding good candidates in targeted districts, and then delivered a huge blow to Democrats with the term limits legislation.

The right-to-work legislation delivered a crippling blow to Democrats, who depended on unions for significant financial support.

In 2004, Republicans took an edge in the state House and, after taking control of the Senate in 2008, hope to sweep statewide offices this year.

Besides the governor's seat, which term-limited Democratic Gov. Brad Henry is vacating after two terms, Democrats also are stepping down as attorney general, lieutenant governor, treasurer and state schools superintendent.

McFerron predicts that Republicans likely won't enjoy the dominance Democrats once knew.

"We are getting close to where Democrats winning reliably on a statewide basis will be an anomaly.”

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