OKLAHOMA CITY — In the peak of January’s COVID-19 surge, more than half of Oklahoma’s public school districts closed as the omicron variant crashed over the state in an overwhelming wave of infections.
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Few state employees served as substitute teachers under Gov. Stitt's plan
Amid a push for state agency employees to volunteer as substitutes during a dangerous phase of the pandemic to keep classrooms in session, Tulsa Public Schools saw no participation. Gov. Kevin Stitt had criticized the district for shifting away from in-person learning over the course of the pandemic. TPS did not ask the state for substitutes, officials said.
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The governor urged that political candidates be pressed on McGirt: "You are either for the state or six different (tribal) jurisdictions."
With Democrats having few primaries and Libertarians none at all, virtually all of the money has been spent on intraparty Republican warfare.
Records show independent expenditures for Cindy Bird's Republican primary opponent, Steven McQuillen, of more than $280,000. In addition, at least three statewide mailers, each of which could cost as much as $100,000, have gone out supporting McQuillen or opposing Byrd.
Far more Democrats switch to GOP than vice versa, and though it's hard to say why, "if you want a vote that matters, that's probably in the (Republican) primary," an OU poli-sci professor says.
A countersuit says the Governor's Office passed the buck to the vendor after the cost of remodeling six state park restaurants became a political hot potato.
Three Republicans are vying to unseat Gov. Kevin Stitt in the June 28 Republican primary.
Operating on short notice because of incumbent Markwayne Mullin's switch to an unexpected Senate race, many of them have had to dig into their own pockets to get their campaigns moving.
Approaching the June 28 primary — early in-person absentee voting actually begins Thursday — Lankford's poll numbers look solid, he's not having any trouble raising money, and the state party is no longer actively working against him.
All signs point to Mullin comfortably leading the 13 Republicans picturing themselves as successors to retiring U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe.
The primary is June 28.
