Sean Roberts vs. Louise Redcorn - District 36

Sean Roberts

Gun Control

The Oklahoma 2nd Amendment Association has twice named me Minuteman Legislator of the Year for my defense of gun rights, and the NRA is endorsing me for the fifth time this year.  My position on gun rights is clear.

Education

I co-authored HB1114 in 2017 and HB 1023xx in 2018 to give a teacher pay raise.  I am proud to have not voted for the four tax hikes that liberals said were required to pay for the pay raise; Oklahoma had a huge surplus before the new taxes started, and legislation later in the year diverted the new tax money from education to other uses.  I am committed to ensuring we improve education without raising taxes.

Marijuana

The voters have spoken on medical marijuana, and we must follow the will of the people. The health department modified previously passed rules that upset so many voters. Currently, there is a legislative committee examining the rules to implement medical marijuana.

Sports Betting & Gambling

We must be careful to study the impact of sports gambling on our communities, existing casinos, and potential new entrants. There is no need to rush any new laws after the Supreme Court's decision in Murphy v. NCAA.

Why vote for you?

I am proud to have kept the promises I have made over the past eight years.  I have never voted to raise taxes, have been honored by the Oklahoma 2nd Amendment Association for my leadership in protecting gun rights, have maintained a 100% rating from Oklahomans for Life, and have introduced and passed bills that were proposed by people from my district.  I am proud to have co-authored the teacher pay raise, and look forward to reintroducing my six education bills from the last special session that would reduce waste and redirect more money to the classroom. It has been an honor to serve Osage and Tulsa Counties in the legislature, and I hope I have earned your support for another term.

Louise Redcorn

Gun Control

I support the 2nd Amendment and the right to bear arms. I am a longtime gun owner, and believe that Oklahoma is very friendly to folks like me who do own guns. 

Education

Education is the No. 1 investment Oklahoma can make that will pay huge dividends in the future by creating graduates who are creative thinkers capable of working and becoming tax payers instead of tax consumers. For every 5 percent increase in just the male high school graduation rate, the state will save a whopping $283 million because of the reduction in the crime rate, according to a 2013 study. And that doesn’t take into account the amount those graduates would earn and contribute to the tax base if they were working instead of jailed.  

An improved educational system will also make our state attractive to new businesses that will expand our tax base.  

I also enthusiastically support Oklahoma’s vo-tech schools and believe that more children should have access to them and starting at a younger age. Vocational training should also be expanded in the prison system so those who are released have marketable skills and can become contributing members of society instead of drains on it.

Marijuana

The rules governing medical marijuana should be drafted in the spirit of the referendum that Oklahomans passed by a healthy margin in June. The provision of that referendum that legalized medical marijuana 30 days after the vote was likely too hasty a schedule – but the rule-making fiasco that followed was unnecessary and an insult to voters. The taxes on medical marijuana should be a welcome addition to the tax base. 

Sports Betting & Gambling

I personally dislike gambling and have never bet on a sports game, but it is fact of life in all but a handful of states in the union. Gambling is better regulated and taxed for the benefit of our educational system and our infrastructure than to exist untaxed, unregulated and underground. 

Why vote for you?

The people of Skiatook and the rest of District 36, which meanders from Fairfax to Owasso,  deserve a representative who is accessible to all, who returns phone calls from firefighters, police officers, mayors and anyone else, then acts upon the needs of those constituents.   

As the publisher of the Bigheart Times for the past 14 years, I’ve been listening  to you – and I know what matters. As I’ve been out knocking on doors in Skiatook and other cities, voters have made it clear that my priorities for Oklahoma align with theirs: Stabilize state finances, provide our children with a top-notch education so they become productive adults who improve our society, make mental health care and health care accessible, and reduce incarceration.  

I am motivated by a desire to get things done.We need to get our state out of the cellar of national rankings through cooperation - not confrontation. For too long, partisan bickering is what we’ve heard out of the state capitol. Enough is enough.   

In the June primary with five candidates vying for the Republican nomination, people of Hominy voted for me 3-2 over the incumbent who claims Hominy as his home. In the same election, Pawhuskans - my neighbors - chose my values over the incumbent's by a margin of almost 4 to 1.  Those results are both humbling and encouraging. To you, they should be revealing because they clearly state the sentiments of those who know us best.  

After I am elected, Skiatook residents will notice an immediate difference in their representation: Starting in October, I will hold month community meetings in Skiatook and other cities to listen to all residents who want to speak. At any other time, people are welcome to call me on my cell phone, 918-287-7300.