Paxton says voters want governance. Will he, others, endorse those who do, too?
Oklahoma’s senate president pro tempore is Lonnie Paxton, Republican from Tuttle, and whether he likes it or not, the face of how close to reality state legislature Republicans are willing to present and govern our fair, though infuriating, state.
He doesn’t speak in slogans, doesn’t trash Democrats only because the day’s talking points say he must. His manner is reasonable as he seeks to keep the barbarians at the gate, all of which are fellow Republicans.
And about a week ago, on KWTV-9, Oklahoma City’s CBS affiliate, he had this to say about the most intransigent wing of his party, operating in both the house and senate.
“The Freedom Caucus likes calling names and likes saying things that are not true, or taking things out of context and the Oklahoma voters saw through that.”
Primary results say he’s right.
The Freedom Caucus, chaired by Sen. Shane Jett, R-Shawnee, who’s about to be term-limited out, and whose most ubiquitous face is Rep. Dusty Deevers, R-Elgin, appears to be in retreat.
Deevers, for instance, is also on the way out of the legislature, having fallen to two different opponents in the June 16 primary.
Meanwhile, seven lawmakers, deemed the “Swamp Seven,” targeted for removal by the Freedom Caucus — Sen. Chuck Hall, R-Perry; Sen. Ally Siegfried, R-Claremore; Sen. Bill Coleman, R-Ponca City; Sen. Tim Woods, R-Westville; Sen. Bill Gollihare, R-Kellyville; Sen. Grant Green, R-Wellston; Sen. Brenda Stanley, R-Midwest City — all survived their primaries.
Even for the smattering of Democrats at the state capitol, it’s a good thing, because you’d rather deal across the aisle with folks like Paxton than folks like Jett, Deevers and other Freedom Caucus yahoos.
Not to mention, results like that ought to fuel Paxton’s and others’ willingness to speak out, influence and straight up politically pressure the worst of their party to quit throwing flames and begin governing because the whole state’s in the balance.
“I think Oklahomans will look back on 2026 and say, ‘That’s the year we kind of got embarrassed as a state with our education rankings,” Paxton said. “It’s also going to be the year that we turned things around.”
Hear, hear, if he’s right.
But how to make himself right?
Certainly, Paxton and his like-minded cohorts will use their new political capital to get others like them into the state’s most important elected positions.
Like, perhaps, governor and state superintendent, championing Gentner Drummond over Mike Mazzei and Robert Franklin over James Taylor.
If it’s as Paxton says it is, if it’s more about governing than just winning — which it’s long been about for most Republicans and we have the wrecked state to prove it — they need to get behind others like themselves, who seek to govern, too.
Let’s take a moment and remember Mazzei’s biggest hit, number one with a bullet among audiences as crazy and creepy as him.
“What nobody’s really talking about is how do we change an education system that has been hijacked by the radical left,” he said at a May 29 Republican gubernatorial debate. “We have 77 counties in the state of Oklahoma that voted for Donald Trump three times in a row. We’ve got 541 school districts that are run by liberal left-leaning radical socialists.”
He wants to eliminate the state income tax and abolish property taxes for veterans and seniors, too; presumably because why worry about the welfare of Oklahomans without lobbyist and PAC representation and who cares about public school funding?
Forget about the haves and have nots.
If Mazzei gets his way, Oklahoma will be down to the haves and the don’ts.
Paxton and his folks can’t be for that, can they?
Then there’s Taylor, who goes to show you Ryan Walters can burn up his political future less than three years after winning election, but you can’t take the crazy out of the true-believing faction that led to his winning in the first place.
Taylor, a teacher in the Little Axe district and a preacher on the side, or vice-versa, has challenged U.S. Rep. Tom Cole in the 4th District four different times.
He was also fired, along with five others, by Oklahoma City Public Schools, for refusing to wear a face mask during the COVID crisis in 2021.
Then there’s these two paragraphs, written by Oklahoma Voice’s Nuria Martinez Keel, part of a profile written prior to the primary election.
He said “I would do everything I can” to reinstate social studies standards that explain the Bible’s influence on the country’s founding.
“I appreciate what Ryan Walters was attempting to do,” Taylor said. “I really do, and (it) had nothing to do with me being a pastor. It has to do with history. And so, I appreciate what he was doing. I just think he was flawed in his methodology in many ways.”
A wolf in sheep’s clothing?
Six days ago, Taylor tweeted this:
“When a child leaves a public school, the education dollars allocated for that student should follow the student — not stay with the system.
“That’s why, under my administration, we will pursue every avenue to expand school choice in Oklahoma and put parents back in control.”
Just to be clear, a potential state superintendent of PUBLIC instruction can’t wait to forfeit funding for public instruction.
So where are the endorsements?
Where are the endorsements from Paxton and those like him for those who want to govern well, not blow up the system from the inside, who aren’t convinced they know more history than actual historians?
You get elected because you stand for something. Once elected, you have the opportunity to prove you stand for something.
Or do I have that wrong?
You just said the voters have had it with this @#$% and you have, too.
Look, I’d rather Democrats win all of these jobs — well, all but state superintendent, because Jennettie Marshall, also a pastor, and all but abandoned by the state party is no great choice — but if they can’t, and we know they won’t, I’d rather folks like Paxton, Drummond and Franklin hold sway.
Paxton and his folks claim to have the capital.
It’s time to spend some of it on Drummond and Franklin.
The runoffs are Aug. 25.
Republicans who claim to be serious about governance are on the clock.
I’m not holding my breath.
Surprise me.