Primary rundown: Oklahoma House District 56
House District 56 candidates Randy Talley and Dick Lowe have a lot in common, but voters will have to decide June 30 which of the Republicans have the best chance to defeat Democrat Craig Parham in November.
Democrats have held the seat for several years, including incumbent David Perryman who has represented the three-county area since 2013. He decided not to seek re-election. The Republican primary winner will face Parham in the Nov. 3 general election.
Polls for the June 30 GOP primary open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.
Talley and Lowe are political rookies and are adamant about preserving all constitutional rights, particularly the First and Second Amendment freedoms that they contend have been attacked by far-left protesters and the Democratic Party.
The Republican candidates have knocked on thousands of doors in the predominantly rural district and discovered critical issues include the state’s economy, education, corrections, roads and bridges and agriculture.
Lowe, 62, is an industrial coordinator for the Canadian Valley Technology Center in
Chickasha. He was a public school teacher at one time and has been an agricultural producer most of his life with a cattle operation in Osage County. He and his son currently raise competitive show sheep.
Lowe is a strong believer that agriculture and small businesses in Oklahoma are vital to the state’s overall economy.
“That’s where most of your jobs come from. Small businesses are the backbone of the economy,” he said. “They need assistance as much as big businesses do because of COVID-19. They’ve suffered just as much and they need the state’s help. It could be capital help, expansion help and or maybe help with the supply chain. They (small businesses) need to work their way through this.”
Lowe, a self-described common-sense conservative with Christian values, believes the state’s corrections department needs a thorough overhaul coupled with raises for corrections officers. At the same time, state lawmakers cannot afford to reverse course in public education after giving teachers raises the last two years.
“It’s going to be really tough times the next two years with drops in revenue,” he said. “Teachers are so important but I think the state has been honest with them and they understand we can’t spend money we don’t have.”
Meanwhile, Talley said he was never “crazy” about being a politician, but wants to represent the people who live in southwestern Oklahoma after being encouraged by friends to seek public office. Having knocked on 2,500 doors in District 56, Talley said people are concerned about their First and Second Amendment freedoms.
“People believe those rights are eroding and that’s why I’m strong about protecting them,” he said. “People are going to be more interested in Second Amendment rights even stronger if the media makes popular the defund the police and hate America themes, which are slogans for a particular ideology.”
Much like his Republican opponent, Talley understands that jobs and the economy are key issues for voters in the 2020 election cycle. He’s also heard on the campaign trail that voters are upset with the government’s shutdown of businesses and churches during the COVID-19 pandemic. “It wasn’t just caution that was expressed by the government, but an overreach by government,” Talley said.
Issues facing Oklahoma voters are similar to those in every area of America, he said. “People are concerned about overspending and overtaxing. People are concerned all over about those two issues.”
In Oklahoma, infrastructure needs like better highways, roads and bridges top the list. A better corrections department and criminal justice reforms are included on the minds of voters in District 56, Talley said.
Talley, a former newspaper reporter and journalism instructor, currently works as vice president of communications at First National Bank & Trust Co. in Chickasha. Talley said friends encouraged him to seek office because “I could be an honest broker of information. I’m someone who will listen (to people) in every city and every county.”
Talley also said Oklahoma needs a solid labor force, which can come from college or trade schools. “We need businesses, large and small, working with higher education to maximize access to the labor market,” he said. House District 56 includes Caddo, Kiowa and Grady counties.