Senate GOP: Trial Lawyers Dump Cash

From Oklahoma Senate Republicans ~ According to Oklahoma Ethics Commission filings, Democrat State Senator Nancy Riley has received 90% of her financial support over the past two months from trial attorneys, trial attorney/workers comp attorney PACs, and out of state unions including the Teamsters.

Keith Erwin of Lawton boasts similar largesse, and Senator Richard Lerblance has tossed a cool $130,000 of his own cash into his race in SE Oklahoma so far, adding $80,000 this past weekend. Candidates Diane Drum and Robert Murphy are also beneficiaries of trial lawyer and union generosity.

"Don't believe it? The numbers and their own campaign finance reports tell the story in black, white and green," said Randy Swanson, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Republican State Senatorial Committee. "The Democrats are withdrawing money from their special interests like it was an ATM with no limit. The voters of these districts deserve to know to whom their candidates are beholden.

"They won't tell you, so we will," he continued.

The following figures come from candidate filings with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission for the period of August 12 - October 20, 2008, and their 24-hour last minute contribution filings since October 21:

Nancy Riley/$enate District 37: Since August 12, Riley has raised $181,254 from individuals. Of that figure, $158,254 -- 87.3% -- has come from trial attorneys and worker's compensation PACs. In one day, October 23 -- Riley received $37,500 from eight PACs funded by worker's compensation attorneys and their allies.
In addition, Riley has raised $50,800 from liberal union PACs, including $5000 from the Teamsters Union DRIVE PAC, on October 27. The Teamsters also support Nancy Pelosi and the US House Democrats and are working to elect Barack Obama.

Keith Erwin/$enate District 31: Trial attorneys have contributed $147,700 (82.9%) of Erwin's funding since August 12. Overall, this interest group accounts for 60.7% of Erwin's total receipts. He has received $18,400 from labor unions.

Richard Lerblance/$enate District 7: Since August 12, Lerblance has received $98,000 of $139,440 from identified attorneys, or 70.3%. Some known attorneys identified themselves as "Businessman" (Terry West), and "Consultant", (Mike Turpen). In 2008, he has received 65.1% of his funding from attorneys. In addition, Lerblance received $11,250 from labor unions this reporting period. On Friday, October 24, Lerblance infused $80,000 of his own money into his race. His personal contributions for the campaign is now $130,000. Think about that...Democrats are fighting to retain a Senate seat in McALESTER, OKLAHOMA. In the history of this state, Democrats haven't had to get out of bed to win in McAlester.

Diane Drum/$enate District 15: In the first three quarters of 2008, Diane Drum of Norman raised $74,485 from individuals of which $56,115 came from lawyers, most of whom live outside Norman and Cleveland County, accounting for 75.3% of her financial receipts in the first three reporting periods of 2008. In the August - October reporting period and in last-minute contributions, she received $25,500 from worker's compensation PACs, $1,250 from labor unions, and $200 from the Sierra Club.

Robert Murphy/$enate District 21: In his first Ethics filing in July, former judge Robert Murphy of Stillwater reported raising $51,600 from individuals, of which $35,900 – 69.6% -- came from lawyers, most from outside of Stillwater or Payne County. In the latest filing, Murphy reports $20,050 (49.6%) from attorneys. But his most loyal contributor base includes 36 contributions totaling $7,455 from those with the occupation known as INFORMATION REQUESTED.

"The voters of these Senate districts should ask themselves, 'to whom is my Senator beholden?'" Swanson said. "Based on their fundraising figures, the above candidates clearly owe their allegiances to trial attorneys and liberal, often out-of-state labor unions, and will vote accordingly, against the best interests of their districts."

Share |

Lerblance: 'Slap an L on my forehead'

Oklahoma Republican Party Chairman Gary Jones said today that he agrees with State Senator Richard Lerblance on one important issue: Lerblance is a liberal.

"Richard Lerblance has turned campaigning as a conservative and legislating as a liberal into an art form," Jones said. "I must agree with Richard Lerblance's statement on opea.org," the website of the Oklahoma Public Employees union.

"He is a liberal."

"I've been called a 'liberal'...slap an 'L' on my forehead," Lerblance proclaimed, defending his big-spending record on opea.org.

"Richard Lerblance claims in his campaign materials to hold positions that he knows the voters in his conservative district prefer," Jones said, "but while pandering for the votes of the 450 state employees living in Senate District 7, he gladly boasts about his liberal, big-spending voting record.

"I'm sure he thought this stark admission would be maintained in the privacy of a website that few voters would ever visit, but Richard Lerblance has exposed himself as the liberal his fellow Senators know him to be," Jones continued.

"The jig is up, Senator. Not only will we follow your advice and slap an 'L' on your forehead as you suggest, but the voters of District 7 will slap an 'L' for 'loser' on your record on election day."

Lerblance faces Republican Kenny Sherrill.

Share |

Take A Minute To Study This Graphic

The Oklahoman has posted a graphic showing links to those involved in the Steve Phipps/Jeff McMahan/Gene Stipe/Mike Mass/Richard Lerblance/Tim Arbaugh/Randall Erwin/Jerry Hefner/Randy Dittman/Larry Witt campaign finance scandal. Take a moment to view this insightful graphic at http://static.newsok.biz/flash/stipe/stipe.html.

Share |

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."

Share |

Lerblance Undergoes Emergency Bypass Surgery

Senator Richard Lerblance underwent emergency heart bypass surgery and is recovering tonight at an Oklahoma City hospital, sources say.

The surgery apparently took place over the weekend.

Lerblance, D-Hartshorne, reportedly has been moved from the intensive care unit at Oklahoma Heart Hospital to a regular recovery room.

Lerblance was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives in August 2002. In June 2003, he was elected to the Oklahoma State Senate for District 7.

UPDATE ~ The McAlester News-Capital has these additional details: Lerblance underwent heart bypass surgery on Saturday at Oklahoma Heart Hospital in Oklahoma City. Today, he remained hospitalized while recovering from the procedure, but he said he’s already feeling better. “My main coronary artery was 95 percent blocked,” Lerblance said during a phone conversation from the hospital. “They were able to use a vein in my heart and didn’t have to take one out of my leg. That was pretty cool.”

Lerblance said he will probably get to go home by Wednesday. “I feel pretty good,” he said, relating how drainage tubes and tubes for IV fluids have already been removed from his body.

“We’re self-supporting now,” he said, sounding upbeat.

Lerblance said he had been aware of occasional pain in his chest prior to the surgery.

“The only time it had bothered me was if I exerted myself,” he said.

Lerblance said he had gone in for an angiogram on Thursday. When doctors saw the results, they told him he wasn’t going home and started trying to schedule him for surgery. “I went straight to the hospital,” Lerblance said.

Share |

Coffee: Lerblance Prison Bed Proposal 'Premature'

State Sen. Glenn Coffee, the co-president pro tempore of the Oklahoma Senate, said Thursday that prison legislation proposed by Democrat Sen. Richard Lerblance is premature.

“It is premature to choose a course of action for the Department of Corrections until the Legislature receives the report of the independent performance audit of prisons at the end of this year,” said Coffee, R-Oklahoma City.

“Senate Republicans believe the first priority of government is to protect the public, and we will lead the effort to keep violent, dangerous, and repeat criminals off the streets and behind bars where they belong,” Coffee stated.

Share |

Lerblance: Add 3,818 State Prison Beds

As prison overcrowding continues to plague the Department of Corrections (DOC), State Senator Richard Lerblance (D-Hartshorne) wants to tackle the issue head on by increasing space at Oklahoma prisons by adding approximately 3,818 beds.

“Government’s greatest moral obligation is to ensure the safety and well-being of its citizens, and that includes making certain we are keeping criminals off the streets,” Lerblance said. “It is simply irresponsible to pass laws that will increase Oklahoma’s prison population and then not fund the bed space to hold these criminals.”

Lerblance said he crafted his legislation to reflect the projected growth in Oklahoma prisons over the next several years, using numbers from the Oklahoma Criminal Justice Resource Center.

“These numbers accurately reflect the anticipated growth in Oklahoma prisons and allow the Oklahoma legislature to act responsibly by funding the needs within the Department of Corrections,” Lerblance said. “Creating a safer Oklahoma starts with a responsible approach to public safety policy and that is exactly what this legislation does."

Lerblance explained a $309 million 25-year bond issue would be needed to secure the funding for the additional bed space, with the debt being paid by money appropriated to the Department of Corrections by the Oklahoma Legislature.

Share |