LAWTON – Five candidates competing for U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe’s seat discussed federal support for Lawton’s Fires Innovation Science and Technology Accelerator, as well as other issues facing Congress, during a debate Monday at Cameron University Theater.
GOP candidates Luke Holland, T.W. Shannon and John Tompkins joined Libertarian candidate Robert Murphy and Independent candidate Ray Woods for the event, sponsored by Young Professionals of Lawton. Cameron University Professor Dr. Justin Walton moderated the debate.
Candidates fielded questions on a variety of topics, starting with a question about whether they would follow Inhofe’s lead by supporting federal funding for FISTA, the Lawton-based organization recruiting defense contractors to modernize the U.S. Army at Fort Sill. Those contractors would be housed in the FISTA Innovation Park in Central Plaza. FISTA is remodeling the old Sears and Dillard’s spaces in the mall to accommodate defense contractors.
Holland, who served as Inhofe’s chief of staff, said he would absolutely support funding for FISTA.
“I will do everything in my power to not just support, but to make sure that their capabilities are boosted to the highest level,” he said.
Murphy did not say directly whether he would support FISTA. However, he said the United States should stop focusing on dominating the world militarily and concentrate on manufacturing, which would help the country compete with China and the rest of the world.
“Instead of being a military power, we need to be an industrial power,” he said.
Shannon said if he is elected, he would support FISTA because it draws on Oklahoma’s expertise in defense-related projects.
“As a state, our core competencies are three,” he said. “We know how to drill for oil and gas. We know, certainly, how to farm. And we know how to do aerospace and defense in a pretty spectacular way. FISTA is a great example of that.”
Tompkins said he was not familiar with FISTA, but he believes that the United States needs a strong military.
“I can’t help but recall Teddy Roosevelt’s saying that we need to speak softly but carry a big stick,” Tompkins said. “I do think that it’s important to have that big stick so that we can speak softly.”
Woods did not mention FISTA specifically, but he said the United States’ focus on military might was harming the country.
“We need to come back and think about education,” he said. “We need to think about health care. We’re some of the most-unhealthy people in the world because we’re supporting this horrible mentality that we’ve got to run over everybody.”
Student loan forgiveness
At one point in the debate, Prof. Walton asked the candidates if they would support a proposal to forgive some or all federal student loan debt.
Murphy said he did not think the federal government should simply cancel the debt for people who are struggling to repay their loans.
“I would propose that student debt, just like any other debt, should be able to be disposed of in bankruptcy,” he said.
Shannon said he supports education in general, but he said he would oppose any plan to cancel student debt.
“I absolutely reject this Biden idea of student loan forgiveness because all that you’re doing is redistributing wealth, and that is not the government’s role,” Shannon said. “The government’s role is not to take from this person by hiring a politician to go get you what you want.”
Shannon was referring to President Joe Biden, who is considering a plan to cancel up to $10,000 of federal student loan debt per borrower but has not announced his proposal yet.
Tompkins said he did not think a student debt forgiveness program was a good idea unless it allowed borrowers to repay their debt by performing some kind of community service, such as joining the Peace Corps.
“That’s the kind of detail that would need to be worked out, but I am not in favor of just forgiving student debt,” he said. “I think it’s unfair to the people who took out loans and worked hard to repay them.”
Woods said he believed education should be free, and it should give students a way to understand the world.
“What we need is a technical school to cover these things like you’re talking about as far as debt forgiveness,” he said,
Like Shannon, Holland said he disliked the idea of allowing people to cancel their student debt.
“The thing that’s most offensive about the idea of forgiving student debt is the message that it sends to all the kids who have student debt and have worked really, really, really hard to pay it off,” he said. “Because that’s what you do when you take out a loan. You pay it back.”
A crowded field
Kendra Horn, the only Democrat in the race to fill Inhofe’s seat, did not attend the debate. However, she sent a brief statement, which was read aloud.
“While I’m not with you here tonight, I look forward to contrasting my track record of problem solving and public service in the general election with whoever emerges from this field,” she said.
Sixteen people – including the five candidates who participated in the debate – are hoping to capture Inhofe’s U.S. Senate seat. The GOP candidates will square off in the June 28 primary election.
A candidate must win a majority of the vote – 50 % plus one – to secure the GOP nomination. If the top candidate does not receive a majority of the vote, he or she will face the candidate with the second-highest number of votes in an August runoff election.
The candidate who prevails in either the primary or the runoff – if a runoff is necessary – will face Horn, Murphy and Woods in the general election, set for Nov. 8.
Whoever wins the most votes in the general election will finish Inhofe’s unexpired term.