Where are Oklahoma's Democratic candidates? Party says no need to worry
TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — This year's midterm election is shaping up to be a big one, but not just because of the big-name tickets.
Alicia Andrews, chair of the Oklahoma Democratic Party, says there's a reason you haven't heard much of anything from her candidates.
"All of the (Republicans) from all over the state are playing musical chairs and, because of that, our candidates are trying to see where the chips are going to fall and what makes the most sense for them to run," she said.
For the next couple of weeks, Oklahoma Democrats are playing the "wait and see" game. Which state or local representatives will drop out of office to make a run for a higher seat?
"We're talking to some familiar names and some familiar names that are thinking about running," Andrews said. "Then there are some new names that we've been talking to for a year that you may not know, but because the pieces have changed, they thought maybe they'd wait until the next cycle. Because the pieces have changed, they may go ahead and throw their hats in this time."
Tulsa County Democratic Party Chair Amanda Swope believes Republicans will be so focused on the big-ticket seats, it leaves room for Democrats to race competitively up and down the ballot.
"I think the Republican party will lean very heavily into focusing on those seats, so that might mean more opportunity for us on a state level and a local level to maintain our presence in those places," she said.
Swope says she's hopeful Democrats can snag at least one congressional seat.
But the message from Swope and Andrews is the same – Democrats should not panic that they don't know the names yet.
"There will be names, there will be folks filing," Andrews said. "It's just a matter of people getting their ducks in a row and gearing up. It's a fight in Oklahoma to be a Democrat."
Andrews says those first names should start rolling out in the next two to three weeks.
