In the six years since Stephanie Bice was first elected to the Oklahoma State Senate, she has been seen as a rising star in the Oklahoma Republican Party and in state politics in general.
So, when Bice announced she was running for Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional District seat, currently held by U.S. Rep. Kendra Horn, an Oklahoma City Democrat, it came as no surprise. It just seemed like the natural course of things.
Now, with less than a week before the August 25 GOP congressional candidate runoff, it is clear that Stephanie Bice is the best choice to run against Congresswoman Horn in November.
While demographics are changing in CD-5, it is still a very conservative district. Horn’s victory over incum- bent Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Russell in 2018 was viewed as a fluke, something Bice herself has said was unforeseen. But, it happened, and now this committed conservative is determined to win next Tuesday and win on November 3.
And we are confident she will.
It was clear in a debate with her Republican opponent Terry Neese this past Tuesday in Oklahoma City that Bice was poised, confident and well-prepared when peppered with questions of local, national and international importance.
Ms. Neese, on the other hand, has tried, in the past, to be elected to higher office without success.
Additionally, questions about her business methods – believed to be unethical in certain respects – have given us pause, further solidifying our support of Bice’s candidacy.
Bice’s six years in the State Senate have served her well.
A committed pro-life conservative who is also an unapologetic supporter of the Second Amendment, she also has served as the Assistant Majority Floor Leader, as well as currently serving as Chair of the Senate Finance Committee.
Most remarkably, this business-friendly Republican made waves by modernizing Oklahoma’s liquor laws several years ago, something that had not been done since
Prohibition was repealed way back in 1959.
The effort, via State Question 792, led to the expansion of jobs – as many as 5,000 as new breweries, wineries and distilleries opened up in the state. Additionally, cold high-point beer and wine is now sold in grocery stores, giving consumers more options in how they purchase their alcohol.
Bice, a fourth-generation Oklahoman and graduate of Oklahoma State University, also has had plenty of experience in the business world herself, having worked for her family’s technology company for eight years.
In addition, she helped run a boutique digital marketing company in Oklahoma City, as well.
In the Senate, she has served Senate District 22 and the state with honor and integrity, with nary a controversy.
Bice and her husband Geoffrey have two daughters. Having watched her and those helping her campaign these past two months, the Southwest Ledger is impressed with what it has seen in this energetic conservative who is leading a new generation of conservative leaders here in the Sooner State.
At the conclusion of Tuesday’s debate in Oklahoma City’s historic Tower Theatre, Bice said she believed it was “going to take an army of people to defeat the Democrats and Kendra Horn and Nancy Pelosi in November.”
She then added, “I will always fight for Oklahoma’s future.”
We believe her. And it is a big part of why the Southwest Ledger is endorsing Stephanie Bice in the August 25 GOP runoff.