Oklahoma Watch
@OklahomaWatch
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Nonprofit investigative reporting team covering public policy issues that affect Oklahomans. Get our free newsletters at
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Please join us on Thursday, October 31st at 11:30 am for a luncheon as the tribal leaders discuss the issues and future that face Oklahoma’s native community.
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BREAKING: With 100% precincts reporting in,
#SQ802
has passed and Oklahoma will become the 37th state to pass Medicaid expansion.
State officials project 215,00 low-income adults will become newly eligible for health coverage when the expansion takes effect by July 1, 2021
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Federal auditors are now investigating how the Stitt administration awarded the ClassWallet contract and distributed relief money.
#ICYMI
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The Oklahoma Capitol is at capacity once again — troopers even limiting access to some parts of the building because of crowd-size limitations — as student-led protests join in on the third day of the
#oklahomateacherswalkout
#okleg
#oklaed
#oklaedwalkout
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510
Financial disclosures shine a light on potential conflicts of interest, but aren’t required of members of the governor’s cabinet. What the public would have learned about Sec. of Education Ryan Walters, coming Thursday in collaboration with
@readfrontier
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New: Millions of federal dollars. A no-bid contract to a for-profit, out of state company. A choice to forgo guardrails against fraud in order to empower parents. What could go wrong? New story from
@OklahomaWatch
and
@readfrontier
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“
@GovStitt
claims that he is the most pro-life governor in the United States, and there is nothing more pro-life that you can do than to save an innocent life, especially one that has been falsely accused and in prison for 22 years.”
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Imagine receiving a big bonus. You pay off debt or use it as a down payment on a house or a car. Months later, you’re told you have to pay it back, including thousands of dollars in taxes you never even had. These teachers are living that nightmare.
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“In a move that appears to have been done in secret, Stitt has retained Washington D.C. based law firms Sullivan and Cromwell, and Troutman, Pepper, Hamilton and Sanders.”
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Tweet from the governor:
After prayerful consideration and reviewing materials presented by all sides of this case, I have determined to commute Julius Jones’ sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
1K
654
3K
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Drama at the end of Fallin’s State of the State as a protestor unravels a banner reading “State of Despair” with a drawing of the governor’s face
#okleg
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Just uploaded:
@GovStitt
's executive order commuting Julius Jones death sentence to life without the possibility of parole
#juliusjones
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Gov. Kevin Stitt vetoed HB3501, which received an overwhelming majority of support — 96% — from Oklahoma legislators.
The bill would have coordinated state agencies and tribal judicial systems.
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The Oklahoma Education Association had strong words for the governor Friday. President Alicia Priest said public schools educate 91% of Oklahoma students but are receiving 50% of his discretionary funds.
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“Unfortunately, he has brought a cup of water to a raging fire. This is not leadership. This is political.” -
@joy4ok
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New: Oklahoma’s five U.S. Representatives collectively took in at least $568,000 during the 2020 election cycles from political action committees now vowing to reconsider or end contributions to those who voted for the election challenge, via
@tbrownOKC
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“I don't think people understand the seriousness of not being able to find teachers. But I can’t take four more years of this.” - principal at Checotah Elementary
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Oklahoma is now the first - and only - state to face paying back GEER funds.
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“I’m running against Sen. Lankford because he proved on 1/6 that he was a part of the group that wanted to overthrow the government. And I don’t think somebody who’s trying to overthrow the government should sit in the US Senate.”
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Notably this is a constitutional amendment.
That means if
@GovStitt
or
#okleg
want to rollback the measure, it will take another vote of the people
#okprimary
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NEW:
@TulsaPolice
is violating its own policy by hiding the results of an investigation into officers who heckled a grandmother suffering a bipolar episode and tackled her to the ground. The latest from
@SoonerReporter
&
@jazzmwolfe
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NEW: Federal auditors want Gov. Stitt to pay back at least $650,000 in misspent COVID relief funds for education. Oklahoma did not say it would return the money, via
@jpalmerOKC
@reesejgorman
@OklahomaWatch
&
@readfrontier
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“If we've learned anything during this pandemic, it's that the health of Oklahomans should never be tied to the political aspirations of our governor or any politician.”
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Day 9 of the
#OklahomaTeachersWalkout
: Crowd chants “we’re still here” on a packed fourth floor of the
#okleg
Capitol
#oklaed
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Joy Hofmeister, state superintendent for public instruction, could be seen standing behind Gov. Stitt, shaking her head during part of his response.
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45 of Oklahoma’s 77 counties don’t have a private school option. Treat’s plan means less money per child would remain in public schools at a time when most children rely on them…
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How much does Sec. of Education Ryan Walters earn as head of the nonprofit Every Kid Counts Oklahoma, and who’s bankrolling the organization? Details in our latest investigation in collaboration with
@readfrontier
.
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NEW: Epic Charter Schools’ founders and longtime CFO have been arrested on criminal charges following an investigation into alleged embezzlement of taxpayer funds. The scheme has cost the state more than $22 million, according to
@OSBI_OK
. Via
@jpalmerOKC
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Almost Final: With just 15 precincts left (out of 1948), the yes on
#sq802
lead is at a healthy 6,501 (337,585 to 331,084).
Barring a major surge of no votes, Oklahoma is about to pass Medicaid expansion
#okprimary
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“We absolutely should be using that money, that $700 million, to provide relief to Oklahoma families during a time of record inflation.”
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New: Oklahoma is home to one of the nation's largest evangelical populations and one of its lowest vaccination rates. At the intersection of religion and politics, COVID-19 misinformation spreads freely in Oklahoma.
via
@tbrownOKC
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Lots in the
#oklahomateacherwalkout
crowd threatening to go to the ballot box if they don’t get what they want —- a voter registration booth is even set up on the fourth floor
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Our team dug into a just-released audit of federal funds, including early pandemic relief dollars.
@jpalmerOKC
@pmonies
@LionelRamos_
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Auditors also found that the state failed to follow federal guidelines for 4/5 of Gov. Kevin Stitt’s educational relief programs.
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Oklahoma’s health ranking has dropped from 43rd to 46th in the nation since Stitt took office. Here’s what Stitt did and didn’t accomplish during his term. via
@soonerreporter
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JUST IN: Oklahoma Supreme Court says cigarette fee is unconstitutional. State will need to find $215M in new revenue or accept massive cuts
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If Oklahoma was following its own school safety protocols no schools would be in-person right now based on the latest
@HealthyOklahoma
data.
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As lawmakers moved to loosen gun regulations, Oklahoma’s firearms mortality rate rose 31.8% between 2014 and 2020, via
@_KeatonRoss
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Emails detail the pitches being made by D.C. based Vought Strategies to place Supt. Ryan Walters on national TV programs. Story by
@jpalmerOKC
and Fox 25’s
@wsuares
. Read it here.
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“If you are responsible for making decisions in a certain area of the government and you are being paid by an outside organization that has an interest in that, that absolutely can be a conflict of interest.”
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Breaking News: Transgender Student Sues to Stop State Dept. of Education Gender-Change Rule
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NEW: The IRS has begun digging into
@EpicCharter
’s finances, via
@jpalmerOKC
#oklaed
,
#okleg
,
@EpicCharter
@IRSnews
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Black and Hispanic lawmakers have historically been underrepresented in Oklahoma’s state legislature. Mauree Turner and Jose Cruz posted landmark victories in last week’s primaries that could signal change.
#OkLeg
@JoseCruzforOK
@MaureeTurnerOK
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A growing group of conservatives and Republican state lawmakers who support the death penalty have joined Democrats in asking
@GovStitt
to accept the Pardon and Parole Board’s clemency recommendation.
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The
@OKCPD
responds to 50+ mental health calls a day. Bennie Edwards, killed by Oklahoma City police Friday, is the latest example of the fatal flaws in a system questioned by mental health experts, legislators and even police.
#BennieEdwards
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For
@GovStitt
“Stay in School” program, which offered private school scholarships to families worth $6,500, there was no documentation that students actually used the money on private school tuition.
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Women who worked at OSSM, a public high school for advanced math and science students, said they felt like they were living through their own “Me Too” movement. Via
@jpalmerOKC
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The
@okea
message to teachers/education supporters at the end of the 2nd day of the
#oklahomateacherswalkout
: "They didn't think we’d show up today. In fact, they are counting on you going away ... And you need to come back tomorrow and even stay late."
#okleg
#oklaed
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.
@GovMaryFallin
on whether the pay raise will be enough to stave off the teacher walkout: “That'll be up to the teachers, but I hope they can come up here and say 'thank you' on Monday and go back to the classrooms.”
#okleg
#oklaed
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The scene outside the
#okleg
House chambers just after it voted once again not to hear a bill to end Oklahoma’s $100M+ capital gains exemption — passing the bill to eliminate the tax credit is one of the two demands
@okea
has made to end the
#oklaedteacherswalkout
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NEW: Federal auditors want
@GovStitt
to pay back at least $650,000 in misspent COVID relief funds for education. Oklahoma did not say it would return the money.
via
@jpalmerOKC
@reesejgorman
.
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Increasingly looking like the ayes will have it for
#sq802
.
Support for the Medicaid expansion state question now has a lead of 6,740 ( 336,314 to 329,574) votes with almost 99% reporting now
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Is the state superintendent using his role to campaign for higher office?
@jpalmerOKC
reports on a new contract proposal to book and manage interviews that has some citizens concerned.
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Congratulations to
@jpalmerOKC
with our friends
@reesejgorman
and
@cliftonhowze
from
@readfrontier
! They took first place in Investigative Reporting.
@LionelRamos_
also took first place in Defending the Disadvantaged Reporting at
@SPJFW
!
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“$145 million that was dedicated for student learning was transferred into a company’s private account and there was no transparency or accountability for how that money was used. And that was 100% taxpayer dollars.”
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“When we look at long-term risks of the vaccine, we don't see any, because of how these vaccines work. At this point, the only long-term effect of a vaccine that we know is survival — you are highly unlikely to have complications from COVID or die."
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Sen. J.J. Dossett, D-Owasso, has filed Senate Bill 51 that would require Oklahomans to vote on each race, rather than simply check a box for all Republicans or all Democrats.
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When teachers — or workers in any field — strike, it's usually a showdown with the bosses. But in Oklahoma, the traditional battle lines between workers and management have gotten blurred as both sides take aim at a bigger target: the state Legislature.
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Medicaid expansion is set to pass a historic vote in Oklahoma.
Yes on
#sq802
lead is now at 6,488 with just one precinct remaining (339,799 to 333,311 votes)
#okprimary
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren speaks to hundreds at NW Classen HS In OKC to help rouse support for teachers and more education funding.
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There are plenty of reasons and local issues that could decide a race, but it's notable that all six of the incumbents who were defeated were among those who voted against HB1010x, the tax-raising bill that was used to pay for the teacher pay package
#okvotes
#okelections
#Okleg
Incumbent Final Tally: 6/10 incumbents - all Republicans - on the ballot tonight are voted down
- Reps. Roberts, Pfeiffer, Lawson and Nollan win their runoff races.
- Reps. Teague, Ritze, Cleveland, Faught, Dunlap and Coody have been defeated
#okvotes
#OKelections
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“If you are a public servant, your duty is to the public, and anything that kind of calls that into question, even raises the appearance of a conflict of interest, is a problem.”
#ICYMI
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“What it showed is that mask requirements are 3.5 times more likely to reduce an outbreak in schools. So we actually have pretty good data now for mask effectiveness in schools.”
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BREAKING: Epic’s board vice chair resigns, asks for a new investigation into misconduct, via
@jpalmerOKC
@Okla_OAG
@EpicCharter
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Utility bills are skyrocketing, and Oklahoma is paying the most but why?
@OklahomaWatch
and
@NEWS9
collaborated to find out. Tune in Thursday and find out more.
@pmonies
@DanaHertneky
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28
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New week, more of the same: Big crowds, long lines inside and outside the
#Oklahoma
State Capitol Capitol as the
#oklahomateachetswalkout
moves into week two
#okleg
#oklaed
#oklaedwalkout
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Day 8 of the
#oklahomateacherswalkout
: Teachers, educators continue to line the
#okleg
Capitol as a resolution to end the work stoppage remains elusive
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Oklahoma has consistently had a higher crime rate than the national average since 2001… the violent crime rate in New York has been lower than Oklahoma’s for every year since 2002.
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#OklahomaTeachersWalkout
recap:
#okleg
Senate passed ball and dice ($24M), online sales tax ($20M) and repeal hotel tax (-$47M).
@okea
issues new demand to end walkout:
1.
@GovMaryFallin
to veto hotel tax repeal
2.
#okleg
House to repeal capital gains exemption ($100M+)
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Records obtained by The Frontier show that Walters’ campaign spent funds last year that were never reported to the Ethics Commission.
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At 7 p.m.,
#okleg
House votes 92-7 on HB1019xx --- The bill would requires Amazon to collect and remit sales tax from third-party vendors --- it is projected to raise $20.5M, and starting in 2020, that money would be dedicated to education
#okleg
#oklaed
#oklahomateacherswalkout
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Getting closer to 100%: Now with 98.2% of precincts in, yes on
#sq802
has a 6,356 lead (332,604 to 326,248)
#okprimary
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First results (looks to be absentee and early voting) coming in and support for
#SQ802
is off to a monster start --- certainly good news for supporters
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"I want the taxpayers to really know what is going on because you will never control government unless you control where the money is going."
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His company owed Oklahoma’s Land Office more than $207,000 in underpayments and interest on its leases. Now Gov. Kevin Stitt wants Elliot Chambers to run the Land Office, via
@pmonies
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Unofficial results:
@MaureeTurnerOK
wins the
#okhouse
88 seat. She beat incumbent Rep. Jason Dunnington in the primary
#okleg
#oklaed
#oklaedvotes
#okvotes
#Vote2020
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Just In:
@okea
issues new two-part demand for
#okleg
to end the
#OklahomaTeachersWalkout
:
1.
@GovMaryFallin
to veto the just passed bill repealing hotel tax
2.
#okleg
House passes bill ending capital gains tax deduction
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When partnering with
@readfrontier
, we found nearly half a million dollars in questionable purchases.
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“I think the passage of something like [banning the teaching of critical race theory] means that we no longer want to create critical thinkers that really help move Oklahoma forward.”
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The Office of Management and Enterprise Services gave Jill Geiger Consulting LLC a $325,000 no-bid contract to examine whether the state had adequate internal controls and to ensure relief funds were used appropriately.
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“To me we invest far too much in party, and we want to just wrap ourselves in party to the point that we forget about what’s correct.”
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Of the 181 tweets
@GovStitt
sent since he got his
#vaccination
on March 28, he only urged residents to get a vaccine or touted the benefits in 2 of them.
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After several scandals and turnover in agency leadership, some Oklahoma lawmakers are rethinking their efforts to give the governor direct appointment power over the largest state agencies.
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With 100% of precincts in,
@MaureeTurnerOK
has defeated incumbent
#okleg
Rep.
@jdunnington
in the HD88 primary.
She will face Republican Kelly Barlean this November
#okprimary
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New:
@GovStitt
’s New Board of Education Pick Spreads Misinformation, Conspiracy Theories - Oklahoma Watch
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Oklahoma ranks 50th out of 51 – including the District of Columbia. Mississippi came in last place.
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Tulsa opened Gathering Place today, its phenomenal park along the Arkansas River that is free and open to all.
#gathertulsa
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“To date
@govstitt
…has actually ignored voices from across the state that have told him that being the most anti-Indian governor in the history of the state is actually bad for Oklahoma.”
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52
Breaking: The
@GovStitt
campaign is spending more than $300,000 on an ad also featuring John O'Connor, his appointed attorney general and a candidate for that office. Critics say it violates state Ethics Commission rules.
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“No Oklahoman should grow up, complete their education and graduate like I did without knowing the difficult truths of the Tulsa Race Massacre.”
@joy4ok
#TulsaRaceMassacre
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Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater said he is taking seriously a letter sent to him by a bipartisan group of lawmakers expressing concern with a campaign advertisement by Gov. Kevin Stitt featuring his appointed attorney general, John O’Connor.
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Local polling shows that less than one-third of Oklahomans want a total ban on abortion.
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With a 3,000+ vote lead with just one precinct out, Democrat
@HornForCongress
looks to have flipped Oklahoma's Fifth District seat and will become the first Democrat to hold the seat since the 1970s
#okvotes
#ok5
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