Show me the money: Campaign finance in the 2000 and 2002 Oklahoma elections

Abstract

To understand Oklahoma's elections, one needs to examine campaign finance. Campaign finance information not only reveals which candidates might win the race, but it will also reveal how candidates get their money, which candidates are getting more money, whether the political parties are competitive, and how active interest groups are in Oklahoma. This essay examines Oklahoma campaign finance for both the 2000 and 2002 elections using both data readily available from the Oklahoma Ethics Commission on the candidates, but also data that was gathered on the political action committees who contributed to the candidates. These two sources of information reveal that incumbents do better than challengers and that many races became more competitive in Oklahoma as seats became open as a result of term limits. However, there are substantial differences between not only the Oklahoma House and Senate candidates in terms of the donations they receive, but also between the Republicans and the Democrats. Particularly noteworthy was the substantial decline of the Democratic Party in 2002 compared to 2000 in raising funds. Hence, it was not a surprise that Republicans were able to capture the state House in 2004, and this does not bode well for the Democrats in 2006.