What should I ask Andrew Rice?

Posted by David Roberts at 10:05 AM on 03 Dec 2007

Read more about: politics | elections | Oklahoma | James Inhofe

In about three hours, at 1pm PST, I'll be chatting with Andrew Rice, the 34-year-old Okla. state senator and Democratic candidate for Senate in Oklahoma. Yes, that's the guy running against the 74-year-old Inhofe. You can read about his positions on the issue here. (Global warming is one of the top four.)

Oklahoma's a fairly conservative state -- it went 66% Republican in the last presidential election -- though there's a popular Dem in the governor's mansion. Republicans control the state House; the state Senate is equally divided. At the federal level, both Oklahoma's Senators are Republican; four of its five Reps are R.

Sen. Inhofe has been handily elected three times now. Here's his electoral history, from Wikipedia:

2002 Oklahoma United States Senatorial Election

James Inhofe (R) (inc.), 57%

David Walters (D), 36%

James Germalic (I), 6%

1996 Oklahoma United States Senatorial Election

James Inhofe (R) (inc.),57%

James Boren (D), 40%

1994 Oklahoma United States Senatorial Election

James Inhofe (R), 55%

Dave McCurdy (D), 40%

Have things changed? As this story on Rice's run makes clear, not since 1990 has a Dem candidate for Senate from Okla. gotten more than 40% of the vote. But at least some observers have been warming up to Rice's chances, since he's running against one of the most staunch supporters of a historically unpopular president. His fundraising numbers have been beating expectations.

Here's is the Rice campaign's blogging on Daily Kos, and here is Rice's blogging.

What should I ask him?

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5 Comments | Post a Comment

how to get past the culture wars

"Mr. Rice, James Inhofe has seemingly convinced a lot of people from your state that global warming has something to do with religion, politics, and other culture war topics, and nothing to do with the atmosphere or the burning of fossil fuels.

Do you have ideas on how to open the minds of Oklahomans who have been misled by Inhofe on these and other environmental topics? When you talk to voters in your state, have you found ways to overcome cultural stereotypes around environmentalism? Or do you agree with critics who think that environmentalists tend to be their own worst enemies?"

by Kit Stolz at 10:31 AM on 03 Dec 2007

2 questions

David-
Ask him:

Tell us how you can win. How can a progressive win in a red state?
How can Grist readers help?

Get Some Sun: www.votesolar.org

by Adam Browning at 11:38 AM on 03 Dec 2007

The Herd Bull

has very fertile grazing in the land of Okie logic. Give that Andrew feller a shot of testosterone.

by justlou at 12:10 PM on 03 Dec 2007

If you win, we win..... I suppose

When do we begin to do something other than more the very same things which have given rise to the challenges posed to humanity by human-induced global warming?

Steven Earl Salmony
AWAREness Campaign on The Human Population
http://sustainabilitysoutheast.org/

by stevenearlsalmony at 1:19 PM on 03 Dec 2007

immigrant-bashing

Is Andrew Rice prepared to condemn the Oklahoma Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act of 2007? Does he support the opposition of Catholic priests and bishops in Oklahoma to that legislation?

http://www.usccb.org/mrs/mrp.shtml

Chickens deserve our true friendship! So do fish! So do other sentient beings! Let us learn to be kind.

by caniscandida at 11:44 PM on 03 Dec 2007

ADVERTISING POLICY

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