Last Updated on October 17, 2022, 12:00 PM | Published: October 14, 2022
OKLAHOMA CITY (Free Press) — U.S. Senate candidate Kendra Horn committed to serve common Oklahomans in all parties Thursday night while accusing her opponent, Rep. Markwayne Mullin, of being “a corrupt, self-serving politician since day one.”
Horn and Mullin are running to fill the remainder of Senator Jim Inhofe’s term.
In a public event at Full Circle Bookstore in OKC with Oklahoma Observer editor, Arnold Hamilton, as part of their Newsmaker Series, the audience had the opportunity to ask the Democratic nominee questions before casting their votes on Nov. 8.
In the one-on-one conversation, former U.S. representative Horn discussed a range of topics from the political dynamics in Oklahoma and her chances of winning to extremism and corruption among public officials in the state.
Horn, a moderate Democrat who flipped Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional district seat in 2018 then lost to Stephanie Bice in the next election by 2 percentage points, is running against Congressman Markwayne Mullin in a special election to fill the remainder of Sen. Jim Inhofe’s six-year term after he announced his retirement earlier this year. A recent poll by SoonerPoll and News9 shows that the race for the open seat appears to be tightening to a single-digit race, with Mullin in the lead by nine points.
Oklahoma Politics, Republican Endorsements
The former congresswoman spoke during the hour-long conversation about how Oklahoma has commonly been oversimplified as a solidly conservative state when voters have proven to come together on certain issues that contradict that, including medicaid expansion and medical marijuana.
“If we can get out of these labels, these partisan labels, then we can move,” she said. “This idea that Oklahoma is not a moveable place, or it’s such a red state that we can’t make any progress – it’s just not true.”
Horn, who’s recently secured endorsements by several notable Republicans, also said there’s a real concern amongst Republicans about extremism coming from their party.
“The endorsements that I have received from Republican leaders, are a result of real authentic conversations, of building connection, and of an understanding that I am going to put Oklahoma first and what the state and what the nation needs,” Horn said.
Horn made it clear that she is not running to represent Democrats, and instead vowed to represent all Oklahomans if elected. She said that she would never pledge allegiance to a party, despite the trend of extremism in American politics.
Corruption
At one point, Horn talked about political corruption among her competitor and other elected officials on the ballot.
She claims that Mullin took out $1.4 million in PPP loans for his own business, while small business in the state were struggling during the pandemic. Mullin was called out on Twitter by the White House official account after he criticized President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan.
She also accused Mullin of violating campaign ethics laws and using his position in Congress to enrich himself while in office.
“The truth is that Markwayne Mullin doesn’t think he works for Oklahomans. He thinks he works for himself,” Horn said. “And he has been the epitome of a corrupt, self-serving politician since day one.”
Rural Communities
During the conversation, Horn was asked how she would win over rural Oklahomans who tend to vote Republican only.
Horn expressed how important it was for her to show up and listen to the needs and concerns of the rural communities, who she says are far too often written off by her own party.
“It’s mind-boggling to me how Democrats can claim to care about some of these things and then turn around and look down their noses on people in rural areas,” Horn said. “And that’s why we need people like me … in places like Congress, like the U.S. Senate, so we have somebody that could push back and say ‘You know what? Rural communities matter.”
According to Horn, Mullin “doesn’t think he has to talk to Oklahomans” and has barely been in the state since his runoff victory.
Energy Transition
Lastly, Horn was asked about her position on the oil and gas industry and the transition toward a clean energy economy.
In her response, Horn said she has an “all of the above” approach when it comes to energy, which includes a mix of improving traditional oil and gas, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while also creating economic opportunities in the state.
“This all or nothing idea that we hear far too often, that either we do it all now or it’s all gone, it is really dangerous, because it leads us to not do anything and what happens then is that we end up moving backwards,” Horn said. “We need all the above.”
Voting Info
The polls will open Nov. 8 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Early voting runs from Nov. 2 through Nov. 5.
The deadline to register to vote is Friday, Oct. 14. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 24 by 5 p.m.
Brianna Garcia is a freelance journalist covering local politics and culture for Free Press. She has a degree in Journalism from the University of Central Oklahoma.
