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NEXT WEEK'S QUESTION:
Is Oklahoma ready for a woman governor?
E-mail your response to oologahspeaks@sbcglobal.net.
Please include your name and a daytime telephone number. Your response might be published in next week's Leader
LAKEVIEWS
By John M. Wylie II, Publisher
YOUR VOTE DOES COUNT
Two political myths were exploded in Tuesday's Primary Election.
Myth No. 1: One vote doesn't make a difference.
Baloney.
Lt. Gov. Jari Askins won the Democratic nomination for governor by fewer than 2,000 votes out of more than 260,000 votes cast.
Had just one Askin voter per precinct not showed up Tuesday, Attorney General Drew Edmondson would have won by a razor-thin margin.
Myth No. 2: If the candidate you believe would be best is way behind in the polls, vote for the front runner so you don't throw away your vote.
Nonsense.
The Tulsa World endorsed Edmondson and on Sunday ran a poll (from a respected firm) showing that he had a double-digit lead over Askins.
From our knowledge of the race, that seemed unlikely and in the end Askins won because her supporters had a superb get out-the-vote strategy for the final days.
They refused to be buffaloed and boy did their votes count.
While we are not fans of Randy Brogdon, we were a little disappointed that some of his supporters posted on our Facebook page that they would probably vote for Mary Fallin not because they thought her the better candidate but because they didn't want to throw away their vote.
In the end, Brogdon did better than polls had suggested he would. Wonder what would have happened without the stampede effect?
A couple of other notes. Oklahoma now will have its first woman governor, and the 12th Judicial District may well have its first elected woman District Attorney, Janice Steidley. All three candidates are in these leadership roles because they are smart, tough and willing to work hard.
Overall, Tuesday was a good day for Oklahoma politics. Now it is on to the General Election!
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