Lawyers Pour Cash Into Riley's Campaign

When she was a Republican member of the State Senate, Nancy Riley of Tulsa got barely so much as a nod from attorneys.

Now that she's a Democrat fighting for her political life and with control of the Senate at stake, lawyers and their political action committees are flooding her campaign with cash, much of it coming in last-minute donations.

Riley was elected from her Republican district before she switched to the Democratic Party after a lackluster showing in the GOP primary for lieutenant governor in 2006; she switched after saying she was treated poorly by GOP leadership and party members in that race. The district leans heavily Republican and GOP campaigners say that despite the flood of money from lawyers, they're confident she'll be defeated.

Ethics Commission records show Riley has filed five CR-4 reports, those showing last-minute donations, totaling $64,079, most of it coming from attorneys and PACs. One report shows $37,500 in donations with seven PACs donating $5,000 each and one donating $2,500. Among her last-minute donors are former Senate President Stratton Taylor, Claremore trial lawyer, and his law partner, Sean Burrage; both gave her $1,500.

Her Republican opponent, Dan Newberry, has filed three CR-4 reports listing $31,350 in donations from a wide range of citizens and business employee PACs.

Thus far, the reports show, Riley has raised more than $441,000 to Newberry's $376,000.

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