Oklahoma Democrat Rep Dan Boren - Nancy Pelosi and Liberal Democrats Didn't Listen to the Voter

Is Dan Boren making a play to take Nancy Pelosi out and become House Minority Leader?

From what I am hearing from friends in DC, 

it sound like it...

Oklahoma Primary Election — July 27, 2010 (UNOFFICIAL RESULTS)

(DEM) FOR GOVERNOR 2244 OF 2244
JARI ASKINS 132,571 50.28%
DREW EDMONDSON 131,078 49.72%

(DEM) FOR SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION 2244 OF 2244
SUSAN PADDACK 183,525 73.35%
JERRY COMBRINK 66,685 26.65%

(DEM) FOR U.S. SENATOR 2244 OF 2244
JIM ROGERS 157,926 65.36%
MARK MYLES 83,709 34.64%

(DEM) FOR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 2 570 OF 570
JIM WILSON 21,491 24.44%
DAN BOREN 66,426 75.56%

(DEM) FOR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 5 340 OF 340
TOM GUILD 16,059 43.17%
BILLY COYLE 21,139 56.83%

(DEM) FOR STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT NO. 4 55 OF 55
MARK CORNELL 2,245 19.74%
NEIL BRANNON 9,125 80.26%

(DEM) FOR STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT NO. 14 61 OF 61
DARRYL ROBERTS 3,665 52.30%
DONNA SPRING 3,343 47.70%

(DEM) FOR STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT NO. 48 56 OF 56
CLYDE E. MADDEN 296 4.68%
CONNIE JOHNSON 4,293 67.83%
MARK P. TEMPLE 1,138 17.98%
STEVEN DAVIS 602 9.51%

(DEM) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 3 24 OF 24
JAMES LOCKHART 1,054 18.62%
TRACI BARNES 921 16.27%
JAKE LEMING 947 16.73%
JARROD RIDENOUR 720 12.72%
DAVID M. HOGAN 601 10.61%
MATT WEBB 1,419 25.06%

(DEM) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 15 35 OF 35
ED CANNADAY 4,111 83.27%
ANNIE J. GOOLSBY 826 16.73%

(DEM) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 16 32 OF 32
JERRY SHOEMAKE 2,507 79.21%
JAMES BO DELSO 658 20.79%

(DEM) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 18 36 OF 36
CAROLYN McNATT HILL 1,465 24.45%
DONNIE CONDIT 1,995 33.29%
JOHN M. FREEMAN 1,144 19.09%
ROGER SHIRLEY 1,389 23.18%

(DEM) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 21 27 OF 27
CHRIS PIERCE 798 18.79%
JERRY TOMLINSON 1,393 32.79%
ODEN GRUBE 922 21.70%
NATHAN W. WILLIAMS 1,135 26.72%

(DEM) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 44 15 OF 15
EMILY VIRGIN 1,474 52.68%
TOM KOVACH 666 23.80%
ROBERT T. MURPHY 105 3.75%
ISAIAH McCASLIN 553 19.76%

(DEM) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 66 20 OF 20
ELI POTTS 665 38.09%
ANDREW THOMAS WILLIAMS 572 32.76%
DAVID PHILLIPS 509 29.15%

(DEM) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 68 17 OF 17
TROY ZICKEFOOSE 858 49.88%
SETH WATKINS 862 50.12%

(DEM) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 73 23 OF 23
JABAR SHUMATE 1,762 51.49%
KEVIN MATTHEWS 1,660 48.51%

(DEM) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 86 27 OF 27
JEFF COLLYGE 1,485 27.40%
WILLIAM T. WILL FOURKILLER 1,497 27.62%
JOHN AUFFET 2,438 44.98%

(DEM) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 93 16 OF 16
WANDA JO PELTIER 722 63.06%
WILFREDO SANTOS RIVERA 96 8.38%
JEFF PACKHAM 327 28.56%

(DEM) FOR DISTRICT ATTORNEY, DISTRICT NO. 12 77 OF 77
JANICE STEIDLEY 7,124 64.73%
PATRICK ABITBOL 3,882 35.27%

(DEM) FOR DISTRICT ATTORNEY, DISTRICT NO. 17 67 OF 67
DOYLE E. BLYTHE 833 7.78%
MARK MATLOFF 6,470 60.46%
LAURA ROSS WALLIS 3,399 31.76%

(DEM) FOR DISTRICT ATTORNEY, DISTRICT NO. 18 66 OF 66
FARLEY WARD 4,748 54.04%
RUSSELL M. TACHEIRA 1,139 12.96%
TERRY HARRISON 2,899 33.00%

(DEM) FOR DISTRICT ATTORNEY, DISTRICT NO. 23 54 OF 54
RICHARD L. SMOTHERMON 5,066 58.41%
BILL ROBERSON 3,607 41.59%

(DEM) FOR DISTRICT ATTORNEY, DISTRICT NO. 27 115 OF 115
W. GRANT HUSKEY 6,076 34.29%
JERRY S. MOORE 11,642 65.71%

(REP) FOR GOVERNOR 2244 OF 2244
RANDY BROGDON 98,159 39.42%
ROGER L. JACKSON 6,290 2.53%
MARY FALLIN 136,452 54.79%
ROBERT HUBBARD 8,130 3.26%

(REP) FOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR 2244 OF 2244
BERNIE ADLER 10,514 4.48%
JOHN A. WRIGHT 41,169 17.55%
TODD LAMB 156,807 66.84%
PAUL F. NOSAK 13,941 5.94%
BILL CROZIER 12,177 5.19%

(REP) FOR STATE AUDITOR AND INSPECTOR 2244 OF 2244
GARY JONES 151,685 69.57%
DAVID HANIGAR 66,358 30.43%

(REP) FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL 2244 OF 2244
RYAN LEONARD 105,331 43.95%
SCOTT PRUITT 134,313 56.05%

(REP) FOR STATE TREASURER 2244 OF 2244
KEN MILLER 145,391 63.04%
OWEN LAUGHLIN 85,231 36.96%

(REP) FOR SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION 2244 OF 2244

JANET BARRESI 145,420 62.73%
BRIAN S. KELLY 86,410 37.27%

(REP) FOR COMMISSIONER OF LABOR 2244 OF 2244
MARK COSTELLO 127,389 57.06%
JASON REESE 95,857 42.94%

(REP) FOR INSURANCE COMMISSIONER 2244 OF 2244
JOHN P. CRAWFORD 92,906 41.67%
JOHN DOAK 87,263 39.14%
MARK CROUCHER 42,769 19.18%

(REP) FOR CORPORATION COMMISSIONER 2244 OF 2244
TOD YEAGER 70,641 30.79%
DANA MURPHY 158,755 69.21%

(REP) FOR U.S. SENATOR 2244 OF 2244
EVELYN L. ROGERS 15,087 6.09%
LEWIS KELLY SPRING 8,810 3.55%
TOM COBURN 223,968 90.36%

(REP) FOR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 1 353 OF 353
JOHN SULLIVAN 38,670 62.07%
PATRICK K. HAWORTH 1,736 2.79%
KENNETH RICE 10,394 16.68%
FRAN MOGHADDAM 1,213 1.95%
NATHAN DAHM 8,871 14.24%
CRAIG ALLEN 1,420 2.28%

(REP) FOR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 2 570 OF 570
DANIEL EDMONDS 6,882 28.31%
CHARLES THOMPSON 8,160 33.57%
RAYMOND WICKSON 1,095 4.50%
CHESTER CLEM FALLING 1,526 6.28%
HOWARD HOUCHEN 2,785 11.46%
DANIEL ARNETT 3,863 15.89%

(REP) FOR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 4 416 OF 416
TOM COLE 32,584 77.26%
R.J. HARRIS 9,592 22.74%

(REP) FOR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 5 340 OF 340
JOHNNY B. ROY 1,548 2.77%
RICK FLANIGAN 762 1.36%
SHANE JETT 5,955 10.66%
JAMES LANKFORD 18,755 33.58%
MIKE THOMPSON 10,007 17.92%
HARRY JOHNSON 686 1.23%
KEVIN CALVEY 18,143 32.48%

(REP) FOR STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT NO. 4 55 OF 55
TOM LANNIGAN 408 21.10%
MARK ALLEN 1,526 78.90%

(REP) FOR STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT NO. 10 61 OF 61
DAVID McLAIN 1,888 37.65%
EDDIE FIELDS 3,126 62.35%

(REP) FOR STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT NO. 14 61 OF 61
FRANK SIMPSON 1,611 64.96%
JOHNNY LOARD 869 35.04%

(REP) FOR STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT NO. 22 56 OF 56
BOB BARNETT 2,606 26.84%
BOB BRADWAY 1,891 19.47%
ROB JOHNSON 5,214 53.69%

(REP) FOR STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT NO. 24 54 OF 54
LINDA MOLSBEE 1,514 23.03%
ANTHONY SYKES 5,060 76.97%

(REP) FOR STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT NO. 28 61 OF 61
TIM CLEM 2,434 45.65%
HARRY COATES 2,898 54.35%

(REP) FOR STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT NO. 30 41 OF 41
MATT JACKSON 2,934 36.41%
DAVID HOLT 5,125 63.59%

(REP) FOR STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT NO. 34 48 OF 48
TIM COAGER 2,502 34.61%
RICK BRINKLEY 4,727 65.39%

(REP) FOR STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT NO. 42 37 OF 37
CLIFF A ALDRIDGE 4,213 76.34%
JAMES LANE 1,306 23.66%

(REP) FOR STATE SENATOR, DISTRICT NO. 44 31 OF 31
JAMES DAVENPORT 1,238 49.92%
CHARLES L. PETERS 164 6.61%
BING WINES 137 5.52%
RALPH SHORTEY 941 37.94%

(REP) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 21 27 OF 27
JACK ACCOUNTIUS 284 35.86%
DUSTIN ROBERTS 508 64.14%

(REP) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 27 19 OF 19
JOSH COCKROFT 744 38.10%
NORM SEABERG 421 21.56%
DONALD ROMINGER, JR. 332 17.00%
RICHARD BENNETT 456 23.35%

(REP) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 28 26 OF 26
BRYAN D. CAIN 716 39.13%
TOM NEWELL 1,114 60.87%

(REP) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 31 23 OF 23
JASON W. MURPHEY 3,980 74.91%
AJ JONES 1,333 25.09%

(REP) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 34 17 OF 17
RYAN SMITH 1,745 79.14%
DARRELL DOUGHERTY 460 20.86%

(REP) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 35 31 OF 31
DENNIS CASEY 1,823 62.91%
BILL JENNINGS 1,075 37.09%

(REP) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 49 33 OF 33
TOMMY C. HARDIN 711 69.43%
JIM FISCHER 313 30.57%

(REP) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 61 46 OF 46
GUS BLACKWELL 2,110 61.53%
SETH ADAMS 1,319 38.47%

(REP) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 66 20 OF 20
JAY K. RAMEY 570 38.08%
JADINE NOLLAN 927 61.92%

(REP) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 68 17 OF 17
HOWARD PIDCOCK 1,114 39.12%
GLEN MULREADY 1,734 60.88%

(REP) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 74 17 OF 17
DAVID DERBY 3,106 66.14%
JOE KELLEY 1,590 33.86%

(REP) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 76 16 OF 16
TONY CURTIS GRIFFITH 693 20.07%
DAVID BRUMBAUGH 2,760 79.93%

(REP) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 85 25 OF 25
DAVID DANK 3,267 79.10%
AARON KASPEREIT 863 20.90%

(REP) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 94 21 OF 21
ZANA WILLIAMS 476 24.75%
KYLE COULTER 1,447 75.25%

(REP) FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT NO. 100 14 OF 14
ELISE HALL 1,834 47.32%
DAVID LOOBY 1,336 34.47%
TIM McCOY 706 18.21%

(REP) FOR DISTRICT ATTORNEY, DISTRICT NO. 8 51 OF 51
BRIAN HERMANSON 3,383 55.10%
MARK L. GIBSON 2,757 44.90%

(REP) FOR DISTRICT ATTORNEY, DISTRICT NO. 11 36 OF 36
KEVIN D. BUCHANAN 4,523 67.45%
FREDERICK S. ESSER 2,183 32.55%

(REP) FOR DISTRICT ATTORNEY, DISTRICT NO. 24 59 OF 59
DOUG MERRITT 2,447 44.87%
MAX COOK 3,007 55.13%

(NON) FOR DISTRICT JUDGE, DIST NO. 7 OFF NO. 2 ELEC DIV NO. 3 103 OF 103
JIM WORRELL 3,460 16.92%
PAUL S. FAULK 4,873 23.83%
TWYLA GRAY 12,118 59.25%

(NON) FOR DISTRICT JUDGE, DIST NO. 2 OFF NO. 1 59 OF 59
RICKY McPHEARSON 2,926 25.29%
DOUG HAUGHT 4,676 40.42%
RICHARD PHILLIPS 3,966 34.28%

(NON) FOR DISTRICT JUDGE, DIST NO. 7 OFF NO. 7 315 OF 315
TIM RHODES 11,628 13.79%
KENT ELDRIDGE 14,382 17.06%
PAT CRAWLEY 15,962 18.93%
JACKIE SHORT 5,666 6.72%
CINDY TRUONG 28,158 33.40%
CARSON BROOKS 8,508 10.09%

(NON) FOR DISTRICT JUDGE, DIST NO. 14 OFF NO. 3 277 OF 277
MARK A. ZANNOTTI 13,180 20.16%
JAMES M CAPUTO 28,409 43.46%
CLANCY SMITH 23,772 36.37%

(NON) FOR DISTRICT JUDGE, DIST NO. 14 OFF NO. 13 277 OF 277
CARL FUNDERBURK 15,471 22.57%
BILL MUSSEMAN 21,502 31.37%
C.W. DAIMON JACOBS 3,101 4.52%
CAROLINE WALL 13,545 19.76%
THERESA DREILING 14,934 21.78%

(NON) FOR DISTRICT JUDGE, DIST NO. 21 OFF NO. 1 140 OF 140
JONATHAN NICHOLS 16,126 41.35%
TRACY SCHUMACHER 16,735 42.91%
MICHAEL C. BELL 6,141 15.75%

(NON) FOR DISTRICT JUDGE, DIST NO. 21 OFF NO. 2 140 OF 140
JOHN A. MANTOOTH 11,916 30.82%
EDWARD T. TILLERY 10,378 26.85%
GREG DIXON 16,364 42.33%

(NON) FOR DISTRICT JUDGE, DIST NO. 23 OFF NO. 1 54 OF 54
BARNEY K. BARNETT 3,211 20.20%
ROBERT THOMPSON 4,841 30.45%
CINDY FERRELL ASHWOOD 7,846 49.35%

(NON) FOR DISTRICT JUDGE, DIST NO. 24 OFF NO. 3 93 OF 93
JOHN MALEY 5,457 32.27%
JOHN WRIGHT 5,332 31.53%
KEN ADAIR 6,122 36.20%

(NON) FOR ASSOCIATE DISTRICT JUDGE, ADAIR COUNTY 18 OF 18
BARRETT HARRIS 1,367 26.44%
RALPH KEEN 809 15.65%
LIZ BROWN 2,994 57.91%

(NON) FOR ASSOCIATE DISTRICT JUDGE, ATOKA COUNTY 15 OF 15
REID K. MAYFIELD 115 3.94%
PRESTON HARBUCK 1,760 60.27%
RICHARD E. MAYFIELD 194 6.64%
JAMES THORNLEY 851 29.14%

(NON) FOR ASSOCIATE DISTRICT JUDGE, BECKHAM COUNTY 13 OF 13
MICHELLE KIRBY-ROPER 1,062 31.36%
GARY P. McGINN 261 7.71%
DAVID BROOKS 298 8.80%
BRIAN J. HENDERSON 598 17.66%
MIKE ABEL 1,167 34.47%

(NON) FOR ASSOCIATE DISTRICT JUDGE, CLEVELAND COUNTY 90 OF 90
TED L. RYALS 2,521 8.70%
STEPHEN BONNER 16,121 55.61%
J. MICHAEL SHERROD 4,173 14.39%
MICHAEL GARDNER 6,175 21.30%

(NON) FOR ASSOCIATE DISTRICT JUDGE, CREEK COUNTY 43 OF 43
WESLEY RAY THOMPSON 2,558 25.20%
MARK IHRIG 5,964 58.76%
CREEKMORE WALLACE II 1,628 16.04%

(NON) FOR ASSOCIATE DISTRICT JUDGE, JEFFERSON COUNTY 11 OF 11
JON TOM STATON 570 36.54%
WILLIAM W. EAKIN 329 21.09%
DENNIS GAY 661 42.37%

(NON) FOR ASSOCIATE DISTRICT JUDGE, KINGFISHER COUNTY 17 OF 17
SARA J. BOECKMAN 583 17.20%
DAN STAKE 678 20.00%
ROBERT E. BOB DAVIS 2,129 62.80%

(NON) FOR ASSOCIATE DISTRICT JUDGE, LOGAN COUNTY 23 OF 23
NORMAN HOLLINGSWORTH 772 11.89%
THOMAS R. COOK 704 10.84%
RITA JENCKS 768 11.83%
ROBERT J. WAGNER 772 11.89%
LUKE DUEL 3,478 53.56%

(NON) FOR ASSOCIATE DISTRICT JUDGE, MAJOR COUNTY 14 OF 14
JAMES A. WILKINSON 568 22.98%
JOHN W. McCUE II 801 32.40%
TIM HAWORTH 1,103 44.62%

2008 RESULTS: Oklahoma vote for U.S. House

District 1
349 of 349 precincts - 100 percent
x-John Sullivan, GOP (i) 193,351 - 66 percent
Georgianna Oliver, Dem 98,863 - 34 percent


District 2
570 of 570 precincts - 100 percent
x-Dan Boren, Dem (i) 173,696 - 70 percent
Raymond Wickson, GOP 72,774 - 30 percent

District 3
571 of 571 precincts - 100 percent
x-Frank Lucas, GOP (i) 184,246 - 70 percent
Frankie Robbins, Dem 62,278 - 24 percent
Forrest Michael, Ind 17,746 - 7 percent

District 4
416 of 416 precincts - 100 percent
x-Tom Cole, GOP (i) 180,040 - 66 percent
Blake Cummings, Dem 79,653 - 29 percent
David Joyce, Ind 13,021 - 5 percent

District 5
330 of 330 precincts - 100 percent
x-Mary Fallin, GOP (i) 171,841 - 66 percent
Steven Perry, Dem 88,961 - 34 percent

Rep. Boren Copes With Red-State Blues

June 11, 2008
Rep. Boren Copes With Red-State Blues

Katherine Rizzo is the “Inside Congress” editor for Congressional Quarterly and CQPolitics.com, supervising coverage of congressional leaders; she’s also a former writer for the Associated Press. Click here for Rizzo’s full bio.

Oklahoma Congressman Dan Boren is like a gazelle in lion country.

Survival depends on knowing when to be nimble, when to be fast, and when to be invisible.

At the moment, Rep. Boren would like to be all three.

He is the lone Democrat in the state’s congressional delegation. His district voted for President Bush over Sen. John Kerry four years ago, and gave Sen. Hillary Clinton two-thirds of its votes in the presidential primary in February.

Up to now, he’s been pretty safe, winning his elections by wide margins. Mr. Boren has an effective fund-raising operation and more than $800,000 in campaign cash.

Just as important, Boren is a big name in Oklahoma. His dad, David L. Boren, was the state’s governor, served in the U.S. Senate for 16 years and now is the Head Sooner, the president of the University of Oklahoma.

But the father caused the son some discomfort when he signed up as an early supporter of Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential bid. Boren the elder doesn’t have to stand for election, so he can back anyone he wants without fear of retribution. Not so the son, whose job is on the line in a July 29 primary and then again in November.

Avoiding a Presidential Endorsement

The congressman is so skittish about how the voters in his district will view him that he never made a presidential endorsement. Even after Sen. Clinton carried his district, Mr. Boren remained officially uncommitted. And now that it’s clear who the Democratic Party’s nominee is going to be, Mr. Boren is still trying to stay as uncommitted as he can.

It’s red-state paranoia. And it’s not crazy.

To stay in step with his conservative district, Mr. Boren cannot be a party-line Democrat.

But to be effective in Washington, Mr. Boren cannot go out in the field and bash the presumptive nominee, either. And so we saw him this week doing an Oklahoma two-step: He says he will be voting for Sen. Obama and other Democrats because he wants to see the direction of the country change, but he’s not endorsing Sen. Obama because the Illinois senator is too liberal for his liking.

He’s not alone.

Rep. Nancy Boyda, whose district includes Leavenworth, Kan., says she might not even go to the convention that nominates Sen. Obama for president. “I’m going to stay focused on doing my job. The good people of Kansas are fine with that,’’ she says.

Rep. Charlie Melancon of Louisiana says that “none of the presidential candidates for either party is doing real well in my district. It’s not a good idea to get close to any of them.” Focused on his own re-election, Mr. Melancon isn’t endorsing Sen. Obama either.

Reps. Boyda, Melancon and Boren are part of a faction in Congress that calls itself the Blue Dog Coalition.

They’re Democrats who push fellow Democrats to act more like Ronald Reagan Republicans.

For instance, they try to vote as a bloc against new spending unless there’s an equal amount of money cut out of the federal budget someplace else. They’re largely from places where “gun” isn’t a scary word and “gun control” is a threat to hunting and target practice, not a way to combat street crime.

Pelosi’s Winning Formula

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California has proven she understands that keeping her party in power means making sure her party keeps the centrists who brought them to power. (“Our majority makers,” she calls them.)

It’s been a winning formula.

The Blue Dogs get re-elected, and the Democrats stay in power, in part by not even scheduling votes on the kind of topics that are popular only among the party’s most left-leaning members. The party’s top leaders may wish they could enact everything on every liberal’s wish list, but so far they’ve been careful to avoid doing that.

If either Mr. Boren’s primary opponent, political unknown Kevin Coleman, or the Republican running for the seat, Raymond Wickson, want to put out a flier showing Mr. Boren and Ms. Pelosi as two peas in a pod, there won’t be any gun control, abortion or gay rights votes for the foes to point to.

That may be the best boost Ms. Pelosi can give to Mr. Boren and the other Blue Dogs.

Republicans have so many open seats to defend (27 compared with eight for the Democrats) that if Mr. Boren and his pack hoard their cash and play it safe on such touchy subjects as the Obama campaign, their attackers may try to pick off weaker, slower political animals elsewhere.

Write to Katherine Rizzo at KRizzo@cq.com

Proposed gaming restrictions could hurt tribes

"The 30,044 Class II machines in Oklahoma at the end of 2006 represented 59 percent of all such machines in the country"

Proposed gaming restrictions
could hurt tribes
2/11/2008

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A proposed new federal restriction on the types of slot machines tribes can offer at casinos could cost Oklahoma tribes millions of dollars each year, but would boost funding for the state's education system.

The National Indian Gaming Commission wants to create a greater distinction between Class II games based on bingo and Class III, or Las Vegas-style, slot machines.

The distinction is important because states can only collect a portion of tribes' profits from Class III games.

Indian gaming experts have said the vast majority of existing Class II machines would become illegal in 2013 if the new regulations, as proposed, take effect.

Tribes have almost universally denounced the plan as an unfair imposition on their sovereignty.

Two Oklahoma congressmen seem to agree, according to their recent letters to the commission.

"I remain deeply concerned that there has not been sufficient consideration of the economic impacts of these proposed regulations," Rep. Dan Boren, D-Okla., wrote in a Dec. 20 letter.

Boren joined Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., in a second letter asking that the comment period on the proposed changes be extended until June.

However, a letter signed by 10 other congressmen urges "prompt adoption" of the proposed rules.

Both Boren and Cole are on the House Natural Resources Committee, which oversees Indian gaming.

The 30,044 Class II machines in Oklahoma at the end of 2006 represented 59 percent of all such machines in the country, economist Alan Meister reported in a study prepared for the Indian gaming commission.

In 2004, Oklahoma voters approved compacts allowing tribes to offer modified Class III slot machines. In return, tribes must pay the state 4 percent to 6 percent of the revenue.

That money goes to fund teacher pay raises and other education programs. Tribes paid the state $54.5 million from Class III machine revenue in 2007, according to the Office of State Finance.

Most state tribal casinos have incorporated Class III games, and a few have moved solely to compacted machines. However, Class II machines still comprise a large majority of the games available in Oklahoma, Meister reported.

Meister said the proposed Class II restrictions would force tribes to use only compacted machines by 2013.

If that happens, Oklahoma tribes would have to pay the state an estimated $122.3 million a year in revenue-sharing costs, Meister reported.

Oklahoma's current tribal gaming compacts expire in 2020.

Boren voting more with his party

Boren voting more with his party
By Chris Casteel
Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — Rep. Dan Boren, the only Democrat in Oklahoma's seven-person congressional delegation, voted with his party a lot more after it took over the House last year than he did when Republicans ran the show.

According to a study by Congressional Quarterly, Boren, D-Muskogee, voted with the majority of Democrats 79 percent of the time in 2007. In the previous two years, he voted with his party's majority just over half the time.

In 2006, Boren topped the list of House members opposing their party, voting against the Democratic majority nearly 46 percent of the time. In 2005, his first year in Congress, he voted against his party 41 percent of the time; that also was the highest opposition score among House members of either party.

Even with his higher "party unity” score in 2007, however, Boren was still among the Democrats who opposed their party most often.

The average House Democrat voted with the party 92 percent of the time, a record.

"These numbers often reflect all votes taken, including the procedural votes,” Boren said. "I still remain in the top 10 of Democratic members of Congress with an independent voting record that reflects the values of my district.”

In fact, the House was tied up numerous times in 2007 on procedural votes forced by the Republican minority.

Many times, Republicans tried to shut down the House during debate on controversial issues. Republicans also often tried to send bills back to committees for changes, moves that were typically opposed by most Democrats.

Boren's support of President Bush, a Republican, was markedly lower in 2007 than in previous years.

According to Congressional Quarterly, Boren sided with the president's position 36 percent of the time in 2007.

The ‘party unity' scores
Congressional Quarterly, a weekly magazine that covers Capitol Hill and politics, does an annual study of "party unity” based on how often members side with their parties on votes in which the majority of one party is opposed to the majority of the other party.
In 2007, according to the magazine, the two parties aligned against each other on 730 roll call votes — 62 percent of the time.

The four House Republicans from Oklahoma all exceeded the 2007 average party unity score of 85 percent for House GOP members.

Freshman Rep. Mary Fallin, R-Oklahoma City, serving her first year in the House, voted with the Republican majority 95 percent of the time. Rep. John Sullivan, R-Tulsa, voted with his party 98 percent of the time; Rep. Tom Cole, R-Moore, backed Republicans 92 percent of the time; and Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Cheyenne, voted with the GOP 91 percent of the time.