SD 18: Can Easley Stave Off Wofford's Challenge?

State Senator Mary Easley is in a battle to keep the Senate District 18 seat in Tulsa she now holds and her challenger is Republican Mark Wofford of Wagoner. The race is one of six or seven that Republicans view as key to their efforts to take control of the State Senate this year and thus, the Democratic and Republican parties alike are pulling out all the stops to help their candidates.

Republicans recently said Easley's campaign was in such trouble that Governor Brad Henry dropped everything and made an "emergency" visit to tout Easley at a Wagoner fundraiser. Not so, says Henry's spokesman. He says the Henry visit was on the governor's schedule for two weeks before the event.

Democrats have spread word that Wofford is such a weak candidate he is "stumbling all over himself" in his race. Republican sources and several inside the district, however, say that's false and that Wofford, much younger than Easley, is waging an aggressive, door-to-door, in-the-trenches campaign that they believe will propel him to victory. Wofford ran for the House District 12 seat in 2004 and lost a close race to Democrat Wade Rousselot; Rousselot won by just 1.6 percent, or 239 votes.

Easley got a boost last week when the National Rifle Association's Political Victory Fund, which gives Wofford an "A" grade on 2nd Amendment issues, endorsed Easley and gave her an "A+" rating on gun issues. Easley also has been endorsed by the Tulsa World.

Easley had a huge fundraising lead based on their last campaign finance reports; she reported having raised $72,000 through early August, and had spent $37,000. Wofford reported having raised $13,700 and had spent $10,500.

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