Hamilton: Pay to play in the governor’s race

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Is running for governor a rich man’s game?

It’s a question worth exploring given Oklahoma voters will begin deciding June 16 who will represent the two major parties in the race to succeed term-limited Gov. Kevin Stitt.

Let’s start with the phrase “rich man’s game.” It’s purposeful. And painfully obvious why.

First, it’s worth remembering Oklahoma has only elected one woman as governor, Republican Mary Fallin, who served from 2011-19.

One.

In 118-plus years.

The patriarchy reigneth?

Second, this year’s leading GOP contenders, according to the polls, are all men and all well-heeled: Attorney General Gentner Drummond, former House Speaker Charles McCall, former Sen. Mike Mazzei and Keating family scion, Chip.

Those who would challenge the “rich man’s game” stereotype might harrumph and point out: “Yeah, but the top Democratic contender is a woman and she ain’t rich.”

True on all three counts, assuming the polls are correct and the label “rich” refers not House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson‘s checkbook, but to her rages-to-riches, Oklahoma’s Promise success story.

But that debate is largely beside the point given Oklahoma’s reputation as a Ruby Red state, where an R behind a candidate’s name is tantamount to election in all but a handful of mostly urban voting precincts.

That’s one of the reasons GOP primary voters, especially, should take a microscope to their party’s gubernatorial wannabes.

In these troubled times, wouldn’t most voters want to feel confident their electoral choice truly understands the impact of $4-a-gallon gas on a workaday family’s budget? Or what it’s like to send their kids to under-funded public schools that have plunged from the middle in national rankings to the bottom?

In assessing the candidates, a good starting point might be the campaign contribution reports on file with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission. Who’s supporting the candidates? And why?

Some donors clearly are family and friends. Others undoubtedly have special interests – business, ideology, religion and more.

Worth looking at, too, is how much of their personal fortunes the candidates are willing to invest in a job that will pay $185,000 annually when they are sworn in.

According to the latest reports, three of the four leading Republicans have made seven-figure loans their campaigns: Mazzei $4 million, McCall $3.1 million and Keating $2 million.

By contrast, Drummond hasn’t invested a dime of his own money (though he raised $4.35 million from outside sources). Nor has Munson, who raised less than $1 million.

The different GOP strategies aren’t difficult to explain: As sitting attorney general involved in numerous high-profile cases, Drummond launched his gubernatorial campaign with better overall name identification. He didn’t need to make a huge investment introducing himself.

The other three faced different challenges in creating or expanding their statewide profiles. Keating’s name was a help, of course – his father, Frank, served as governor from 1995-03, including during the Oklahoma City bombing. But McCall and Mazzei arguably started out best known among Capitol insiders and hard-core political junkies.

It’s an unfortunate reality of today’s politics that money often determines a candidate’s viability – whether it’s a proven fund-raising ability or personal wealth. Remember, Stitt, a well-heeled mortgage company owner, had never run for public office before being elected governor in 2018. He loaned his campaigns about $7 million – none of which he apparently recouped.

A rich man’s game? It sure looks that way. Drummond, McCall and Keating enjoy the benefits of generational family wealth. Mazzei appears in national rankings of top wealth managers.

Can you imagine a wheat farmer from Billings – like the late, great Henry Bellmon – being elected governor today? The state is poorer when the top deciders increasingly are limited to its rich.

Arnold Hamilton is editor of The Oklahoma Observer; okobserver.org.