SD7: Lerblance Faces Sherrill Challenge

It would be among the most unlikely of upsets, a Republican defeating an incumbent Democrat legislator in an area so heavily Democrat in registration it's been said that every Republican could meet in the Sonic drive-in lobby and not worry about an elbow in the ribs.

But in McAlester's Senate District 7, Republican Kenny Sherrill (right) has the attention of Democrats, including his opponent, incumbent Democrat Senator Richard Lerblance (left), despite the 5-to-1 Democrat-Republican voter registration.

Republicans claim Lerblance is a so-so campaigner and has a voting record that makes him vulnerable. Democrats say don't believe the GOP hype; they say Lerblance is rock solid for reelection.

Lerblance has demonstrated the power of incumbency in campaign fundraising; he's topped $145,000 and as of his mid-August finance report, had $80,000 still on hand. Most of his individual donations came from trial lawyers. Sherrill, meanwhile, reported having raised $66,000, including a $25,000 personal loan, with $50,000 on hand.

Republicans say Democrats are so concerned about the race they've placed a party staffer in the area to help Lerblance and they note that Jeremy Hendricks, well-known Democrat campaign consultant known for his tie to Democratic Congressman Dan Boren, is spending more and more time on Lerblance's campaign.

Some Republicans believe Boren has "loaned" Hendricks to the Lerblance campaign, but Boren himself says that's not true: "It is true that Jeremy is working for Richard Lerblance. He is a paid staffer for the Lerblance campaign as well as ours. He has done this in the past. Last cycle, I believe, he had sixteen different candidates, so we did not loan him. We operate as two separate campaigns."

Republicans don't claim this seat is one they must win to take control of the State Senate, but they do believe it demonstrates that the battle for control is a real one, and that Democrats feel the need to defend a seat that should be solidly safe for them.

Lerblance, an attorney seeking a second four-year term in the Senate, served in the state House beginning in 2003. He then won a special election to serve the final year of a term when longtime Senator Gene Stipe resigned in disgrace.

In 2004, Lerblance defeated Sherrill, then a Democrat, to win the seat. Lerblance beat Sherrill by 604 votes, and Sherrill's campaign then consisted mostly of putting out signs, insiders say.

Sherrill, 66, a rancher in Pittsburg County, owned and operated the McAlester Union Stockyard from 1974 until 1996 when he sold it to his children.

Sherrill said that since statehood, there's rarely been a general election race for the seat because no Republicans or independents filed for the office. He said he changed his registration so everyone in the district who is registered will get an opportunity to vote.

Sherrill said there's a clear difference between him and his opponent: "I'm very conservative. He is extremely liberal."

Lerblance argues he should be re-elected because he has represented the district well.

He has said that illegal drugs are the No. 1 issue that has to be addressed.

Sherrill said he believes the district needs a senator to represent the values of the district: "I have been a workin' man all my life. I am not a lawyer. I know what it's like to borrow money."

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Hendricks Named To Manage Boren Campaign

Democratic political operative Jeremy Hendricks has been named campaign manager for Congressman Dan Boren in his reelection bid.

Hendricks also resigned as Fifth Congressional District Democratic Party chairman, turning that seat over to Vice Chair Christine Byrd.

Hendricks is a former Oklahoma Democratic Party staffer and lobbyist for the Oklahoma Education Association.

Boren is serving his second term in Congress; he previously served in the Oklahoma House.

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Jeremy Hendricks Leaves DNC/ODP For OEA

Democratic National Committee/Oklahoma Democratic Party staffer Jeremy Hendricks has resigned to become a lobbyist for the Oklahoma Education Association, a Democratic blog (http://www.okdemocrat.com/) reports today.

"He landed the job of lobbyist for OEA and is resigning his DNC staff position at the ODP," the blog author writes.

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A Tale Of Two Parties

Ivan Holmes and Gary Jones have nothing in common politically; the only bond they share is that each just took charge of his respective state political party, Holmes as chairman of the Oklahoma Democratic Party, Jones as chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party.

It's a tale of two parties, insiders say, and the differences couldn't be more pronounced even though they're not talking about political philosophy.

They are talking about the operational challenges both faced when they took charge and that Holmes apparently continues to face today.

Jones was elected to head the Oklahoma Republican Party on April 14th, defeating incumbent Tom Daxon, the man who replaced Jones when he resigned in 2006 to seek the office of auditor and inspector. The campaign for GOP chairman was contentious but not brutally so; underdog Jones' popularity with conservative party activists and displeasure with some of Daxon's actions (and inactions) resulted in Jones' election.

It's not uncommon during such a change in administration for personnel changes to occur. Jones, however, walked into the GOP's headquarters, the Bartlett Center on North Lincoln Boulevard, with some of his old staff intact. Asked if he "cleaned house" when he took over, Jones replied, "I was elected April 14th and took office that day. At the time we had 3 people on staff. The office manager who I had hired has been here 4 years. We kept everyone. One person made the decision to resign and do something different about 15 days ago. The others are still on board."

While Jones did not inherit a huge party operating fund, the party did have about $34,000 in cash on hand as of its last finance report, for the first quarter of the year. For the most part, party fundraisers and donors seem satisified with Jones' election and there's been no hint of reluctance to help. Jones has spent most of his time since taking office criss-crossing the state meeting with local party leaders and activists. His goal is Republican control of the State Senate in 2008. It was during Jones' previous tenure as chairman that the groundwork was laid, his supporters say, that allowed Republicans to achieve parity with Democrats in the Senate and solidify their control of the State House.

Holmes' initial days as chairman of the Oklahoma Democratic Party have been rocky. Elected by defeating front-runner Ben Odom, Norman attorney, Holmes resigned his job on the staff of Labor Commissioner Lloyd Fields, whose campaign he managed. Word spread that Holmes was going to "clean house" at the party headquarters, even getting rid of three staffers who were being paid by the Democratic National Committee, a gesture made by Chairman Howard Dean to keep the party operating as it staggered under a debt of half a million dollars left over from the 2004 election cycle and the "coordinated campaign" for Senate candidate Brad Carson.

Holmes did clean house; he's confirmed the entire staff has been asked to resign or is resigning, including the headquarters receptionist.

Some viewed Holmes' attitude as a slap in the face of Odom, who had been party vice chairman, and Chair Lisa Pryor, who spent much of her tenure trying to reduce the party debt. As chair, Pryor also was the party's executive director, paid $60,000 per year. Pryor instituted a party website, kept it updated regularly and is credited with trying to get the party's factions working together. Pryor's fans are fuming today after Holmes was quoted as telling a reporter on Tuesday the reason she wasn't asked to resign along with the staff members is because she just has a few days left to serve. It was, one Democrat confided, "the ultimate insult" to Pryor.

Odom disagreed with Holmes' action in dismissing the staff; Odom said he would have kept them.

What made Holmes' election a surprise to outsiders was how completely the party's most liberal activists (described by some as the "radical fringe element") took control of the convention and adopted numerous controversial resolutions. The convention was, one conservative Democrat moaned, "all about gay rights, gay marriage, abortion and keeping God out of schools."

Holmes, elected on May 19th, says that when he took over a week ago, the party had less than $2,000 in cash on hand. And, equally daunting, some Democrats say party fundraisers and donors are reluctant to help Holmes and the party given the influence of the liberals who now are in control. The party wasn't flush with cash in the first quarter; its finance report shows it had just under $11,000 on hand as of March 31st.

Former Governor David Walters could be an important player in whether the party can raise money quickly to help Holmes. In recent years, Walters has helped acquire the party's headquarters building on North Lincoln, held fundraisers for the party and candidates in his home, and raised money from others. He is credited with helping engineer the DNC's agreement to pay the salaries of the three staff members and is close to Dean.

A highly-placed party source says that although Holmes asked for the resignations of the three DNC-paid staff members, he will be able to replace them with those of his own choosing. The DNC has about the same number of staffers it pays in almost every state and apparently has assured Holmes it will continue to cover the three staff salaries here.

As Holmes struggles with building his headquarters staff without ready money on hand and facing ready critics among the party's moderates and conservatives, the political grape vine continues to sing with rumors about who might help him in the DNC-paid positions. Activist Todd Goodman is mentioned, as is consultant Jeremy Hendricks, said by several to be Holmes' choice as executive director. Whatever the real situation, it's clear Holmes faces a longer stretch of rocky road ahead, one that would be much more bumpy without the DNC financial support.

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