Americans will pick between two candidates on opposite ends of the political spectrum in the presidential election on Tuesday.
President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are facing Democrat Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in an election that could drastically alter the nation.
Trump and Pence want to build on the pre-pandemic economic success of their administration. Trump’s historic foreign policy – including a tough trade deals with Mexico, Canada and Communist China – plus support for the Israel that has been unmatched perhaps since the 1980s are coupled with a successfully convincing America’s NATO allies in Europe to shoulder more of the cost of defense of that alliance.
Biden and Harris – perhaps the most liberal member of the U.S. Senate – want to end Trump’s tax cuts, raise taxes and work to end America’s use of oil and natural gas.
Trump and Pence are solidly pro-life while Biden wants to end the Hyde Amendment, which bans the government for paying for abortion.
For almost four years, Trump has been falsely accused of being in the back pocket of Russia – a charge that was proven not to be true by the Mueller Report. Trump was exonerated in an impeachment trial that was based on a telephone call to the new president of Ukraine.
In the past two weeks, a hard drive containing emails from Hunter Biden, Joe Biden’s son, has been confirmed by the FBI. They show that the Biden family benefitted financially from shady deals in the Ukraine and by enormous amounts of investments from Russia and China that were attempts to influence Joe Biden when he was vice president.
Trump has appointed hundreds of conservative judges – including three Supreme Court justices – to lifetime positions on federal courts.
Biden and Harris both are open to “packing the Supreme Court” by increasing the number of justice past nine and to pushing for statehood for Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., in order to gain four more Democrat senators. Should Biden be elected and Democrat gain control of the U.S. Senate, Democrats will eliminate the filibuster (which requires 60 of 100 votes rather than a simple majority).
Despite opposition from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, Trump has built about 400 miles of fence to protect America’s southern border from illegal immigrants.
Trump has devoted trillions of government funds to fight the Chinese coronarvirus pandemic and to help Americans recover financially. Biden and other Democrats have sought more lockdowns, mask mandates for every American and mandatory vaccinations.
In Oklahoma
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe is being challenged by liberal Democrat newcomer Abby Broyles. Inhofe has been touting his work as chairman of the Senate Armed Force Committee and his support of President Trump.
Broyles has offered scant information about her policies but instead has attacked Inhofe’s age and his unwillingness to debate her.
The most controversial issue on the Oklahoma ballot is State Question 805 – a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban the revelation of past “non-violent” crimes in sentencing criminals.
Almost all law enforcement personnel and prosecutors opposed SQ805, which has been promoted heavily in TV ads with some financing from out-of-state groups.
Tulsa has three city council races on November 3. There is one statewide race for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. There are eight state appellate court justices up for retention on the November 3 ballot.
All five of Oklahoma’s congressmen have races. The lone Democrat, Rep. Kendra Horn, is in a tough battle with State Sen. Stephanic Bice. Horn is having to defend her decision to vote to impeach Trump and her support of the progressive Democrat platform and Speaker Pelosi.
There are three Oklahoma Senate races in the Tulsa area.
Senate District 34 is an open seat. Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, faces Democrat Shawna Mott-Wright in District 39 and Sen. Allison Ikley-Freeman, D-Tulsa, faces Republican Cody Rogers in District 37.
Ikley-Freeman is married to another woman.
Tulsa Ballot
U.S. President
Republicans – Donald J. Trump and Mike Pence
Democrats – Joe Biden and Kamala Harris
Independent – Jade Simmons and Claudeliah Roze
Independent – Kanye West and Michelle Tidball
Independent – Brock Pierce and Karla Ballard
Oklahoma Corporation Commission
Republican Todd Hiett
Libertarian Todd Hagopian
U.S. Senator
Republican Jim Inhofe
Democrat Abby Broyles
Libertarian Robert Murphy
Independent Joan Farr
Independent A.D. Nesbit
U.S. House District 1
Republican Kevin Hern
Democrat Kojo Asamoa-Caesar
Independent Evelyn L. Rogers
Oklahoma Senate District 35
Republican Cheryl Baber
Democrat Jo Anna Dossett
Senate District 37
Republican Cody Rogers
Democrat Allison Ikley-Freeman
Senate District 39
Republican Dave Rader
Democrat Shawna Mott-Wright
Oklahoma House District 11
Republican Wendi Stearman
Democrat Emilie Tindle
House District 23
Republican Terry O’Donnell
Democrat Susan Carle Young
House District 29
Republican Kyle Hilbert
Democrat Rick Parris
House District 30
Republican Mark Lawson
Democrat Chuck Threadgill
House District 66
Republican Jadine Nollan
Democrat Greg Laird
House District 68
Republican Lonnie Sims
Democrat Michael Ross
House District 71
Republican Mike Masters
Democrat Denise Brewer
House District 78
Republican Paul Royse
Democrat Meloyde Blancett
House District 79
Republican Margie Alfonso
Democrat Melissa Provenzano
Tulsa County Commissioner
Republican Josh Turley
Democrat Karen Keith
Judicial Retention
Oklahoma Supreme Court District 1
M. John Kane IV
Oklahoma Supreme Court District 6
Justice Tom Colbert
Oklahoma Supreme Court District 9
Richard Darby
Court of Criminal Appeals District 2
Robert L. Hudson
Court of Criminal Appeals District 3
Gary L. Lampkin
Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals District 1 – Office 2
Jane Wiseman
Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals District 2 – Office 1
Deborah Barnes
Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals District 2 – Office 2
Keith Rapp
State Questions
State Question No. 805
Initiative petition
State Question No. 814
Legislative
Tulsa City Council
District 5
Mykey Arthrell
Cass Fahler
District 6
Connie Dodson
Christian Bengel
District 7
Lori Decter Wright
Justin Van Kirk