Kathy Taylor: Decisions, Decisions

The Kathy Taylor guessing game is in full swing.

The outgoing mayor of Tulsa, it is rumored, will (1) certainly run for the U. S. Senate against incumbent Republican Tom Coburn, (2) likely run for attorney general given that it's an open seat race, or (3) consider running for state school superintendent for the same reason.

All this speculation, of course, has insiders in both political parties scratching their heads.

Many presumed that when Taylor reversed course and announced she would not seek reelection as mayor after first saying she would, she would take on troubled 1st District Republican Congressman John Sullivan. But one insider swears up and down that Taylor personally told Sullivan she wouldn't run against him and has ruled that race out.

Several Democrats claim Taylor has her eye firmly on Coburn's Senate seat. One, asked if he thinks the liberal Taylor has a chance against the conservative Coburn, said no, but added, "If you've got a million of your own dollars to spend...." His point is well-taken. Taylor and her wealthy husband have wads of cash she could use to propel a campaign and even in these days of gazillion-dollar campaigns, a million is a lot of cash.

Some GOP conservatives salivate at the thought of Taylor being the Democratic nominee against Coburn.

"He'd flatten her," said one diehard GOP activist and party leader in Tulsa. "She'd do okay here probably, but around the state, she'd be toast."

He bases his analysis on the belief that Taylor's membership in New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's "Mayors Against Illegal Guns" group, and her other liberal tendencies, would result in a "Guns, God and Gays" backlash against her in most parts of the state.

Others aren't so certain about that, but one Democrat in southern Oklahoma said her bigger problem will be name identification: "Who the hell is Kathy Taylor?" he asked, after admitting he voted for Coburn. Told she could spend her own money to rectify her lack of statewide name ID, he said, "She'll need every penny of it."

"It'll just be another Inhofe-Rice race," said an Oklahoma City political observer of a possible Coburn-Taylor faceoff. "In that kind of race around here, the conservative always wins."

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Keating Awaits Coburn Decision, Poised To Enter 2010 U. S. Senate Race If Coburn Opts Out

From The National Journal's Under The Influence ~ The American Council of Life Insurers could be getting a new leader later this year, depending on whether Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., decides to run for reelection in 2010.

The ACLI has quietly launched a search for a possible replacement for its current president and CEO, former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating, who is seriously considering running for the Senate if Coburn chooses not to seek a second term, according to life insurance industry sources.

Keating, a Republican who served two terms as governor from 1995 to 2003, has a contract with the ACLI that runs to January 2011. He has told leading life insurance executives that he is waiting for Coburn's decision. Coburn has confided to close associates on K Street that he is uncertain about running for reelection; he is expected to make a decision within the next few weeks.

ACLI spokesman Jack Dolan said "the search process has always begun very early" prior to the end of a CEO's contract with the trade group, and noted that Keating's contract has been extended twice. Dolan added that "Gov. Keating has been entirely transparent with the ACLI leadership. In that context, he informed them that if Sen. Coburn decides not to seek reelection he would take a hard look at running." The ACLI represents 340 life insurance companies.

Keating had a high profile in last year's presidential contest as a co-chair for John McCain's campaign. The ACLI leader pitched in with fundraising and surrogate work for McCain and also generated controversy with public comments during the waning days of the campaign. In a radio interview, Keating said that Barack Obama was trying to cover up his "extreme record" and he urged the Democratic candidate to acknowledge that he "was a guy of the street."

http://undertheinfluence.nationaljournal.com/.

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