Democrats Target GOP's Jim Reynolds, Launch $100,000 Television Commercial Attack

The October Surprise of the Oklahoma Senate campaigns has arrived, and it is a true surprise: Democrats are making a run at Oklahoma City's Jim Reynolds, hoping that attacks and a famous-name opponent can defeat the two-term Republican conservative.

Starting today, a hard-hitting, negative television campaign said to cost $100,000 began airing. The commercials target Reynolds in his District 43 (Oklahoma County running south from Tinker and northern Cleveland County) seat.

The commercials say they are paid for by the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee.

Reynolds is the unanticipated target of the large television buy; some had presumed Democrats would target either open seat candidate Jim Halligan (District 21, Stillwater) or Senator Jonathan Nichols (District 15, Norman).

Halligan is seeking the seat of outgoing pro tempore Mike Morgan (D) and polling indicates he will win, thus it's a potential loss for the Democrats.

Nichols, a conservative two-term incumbent, is defending Republican-leaning turf in Norman where Democrats are less likely to cross party lines.

But tracking polls in both parties, we're told, indicated a safe Nichols and a charging Halligan, so the man caught in the Democrat headlights is Reynolds as Democrats fight to stave off what most believe will be Republican control of the Senate for the first time in history.

Reynolds, who has raised about $156,000, shows no major expenditures except for postage and printing and his last report shows he had about $119,000 in cash on hand. His Democrat famous-name opponent, David Boren, has raised and spent less than a fifth of the sum Reynolds has spent.

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