Dunk the Vote Play by Play Breakdown by Research Analyst Peter Lin Marcus

The 2020 election exposed how important voter turnout and education is, and why voter suppression has become an election strategy in many places.  Yet these 2020 races also highlighted the importance of voter turnout.

Alabama

Incumbent Senator Doug Jones was elected in a special election in 2017, narrowly defeating nominee Roy Moore.  Jones is running for his first full term as a senator. Former Auburn University football head coach Tommy Tuberville defeated former senator and attorney general Jeff Sessions in a July 14 runoff to secure the Republican nomination. Sessions occupied the seat until 2017 when he resigned to become attorney general in the Trump administration.

Alabama is one of the country’s most Republican states and Jones’s win was in part due to sexual assault allegations against Moore during the special election. Most analysts expect the seat to flip back to GOP control as Jones faces much stronger opposition from Tuberville.

Yet Doug Jones won in 2017 due to record turnout from African American community. This support was well earned.   As US Attorney, Doug Jones successfully prosecuted Klan members who had bombed  Jones prosecuted Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. and Bobby Frank Cherry, two members of the Ku Klux Klan, for their roles in the 1963 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. The case was reopened the year before Jones was appointed, but did not gain traction until his appointment. Doug Jones was deputized to argue in state court and indicted Blanton and Cherry in 2000. Blanton was found guilty in 2001 and Cherry in 2002. Both were sentenced to life in prison.

Despite some competitive polling, many in the Democratic establishment see Senator Jones’s seat as a lost cause.  This may be short sighted; the support Jones earned in holding KKK killers accountable probably is still present. Keeping good elected officials from difficult states and districts matters, especially if they have shown courage.   Like in 2017, maintaining and even increasing turnout may change the outcome.

Alaska

Republican Dan Sullivan was elected in 2014, defeating incumbent Democrat Mark Begich. He is running for a second term in 2020.  Candidates from the Alaska Democratic Party, Alaska Libertarian Party and Alaskan Independence Party appear on the same ballot, with the highest-placed candidate from each party receiving that party’s nomination. In October 2017, the Alaska Democratic Party sued for the right to allow non-Democrats to compete for and win the Democratic nomination, which was ultimately decided in their favor in April 2018  On July 2, 2019, Al Gross, an orthopedic surgeon and fisherman, declared his candidacy as an Independent. He went on to win the Democratic nomination.

Recent polls have showed Senator  Sullivan leading Gross by only 1-4 points, a virtual tie within the margin of error.  Increased voter turnout, especially of the Alaskan Native population and those underrepresented, can change the outcome.

Arizona

The current Senator, facing the polls,  Martha McSally, actually LOST her last Seante election in 2018 to now Senator Kyrsten Sinema.  She was appointed after losing the election to finish the Senate term of John McCain, who died in office. McSally is running in the 2020 special election to fill the remainder of the term, which expires on January 3, 2023.

Retired astronaut Mark Kelly won the Democratic nomination. Mark Kelly (who is married to former representative Gabrielle Giffords), has raised significantly more money and generally leads her by 5-15 points in the polling. Biden leads Trump by 1-8 points depending on polls, within the margin of error.  Voter turnout will determine the outcome of the Senate and Presidential race in Arizona.

Arkansas election

The candidates are Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton (Republican) and Ricky Dale Harrington, Jr, a

Libertarian and the only African American running statewide in Arkansas.  Joshua Mahony, a nonprofit executive and 2018 Democratic nominee for Congress in Arkansas’s 3rd congressional district, filed to run for the Democratic nomination, but dropped out just after the filing deadline.] No other Democrats filed within the filing deadline.  Earlier this year, Senator Cotton referred to slavery and the Holocaust as necessary evils, and introduced legislation to bar schools from using the 1619 project its lesson on how slavery shaped US foundations and institutions.   As the only major party candidate in this conservative state, Cotton seems almost certain to win, but his statements and actions highlights the need for higher voter turnout and a deep bench of  candidates.  Ricky Dale Harrington’s unique story highlights there are willing people but could use better support to force competition.

Colorado Senate race

Republican Cory Gardner was elected in 2014 after serving four years in the United States House of Representatives, narrowly defeating one-term Democrat Mark Udall in an election with the lowest turnout in 75 years. Gardner is seeking a second term]Former Colorado governor John Hickenlooper is the Democratic nominee and generally leads Gardner by 10-20 points in the polls, with many pundits already considering him a favorite to win. Gardner is Colorado’s only Republican statewide officeholder, and the once purple state has trended increasingly Democratic since Gardner’s narrow win in 2014. Gardner also has low approval ratings due to his strong allegiance to President Donald Trump, who is unpopular in Colorado. Hickenlooper has raised significantly more money than Gardner as well.

These predictions depend on increased voter turnout, especially among Latinos, AAPIs, African Americans, Native Americans, young voters and others underrepresented.

Georgia

Due to the resignation of Republican senator Johnny Isakson at the end of 2019, both of Georgia’s seats will be up for election this year. While the state overall still leans Republican, increased support for Democrats in Atlanta’s suburbs has made the state more competitive, with a close governor’s race, multiple close U.S. House races, and many other close local office races resulting in Democratic gains in 2018.

Incumbent U.S. senator David Perdue David Perdue will face Democrat Jon Ossoff, a documentary film producer and investigative journalist who won national name recognition while losing the most expensive House race in U.S. history in 2017, the Georgia 6^th, the Congressional seat of Speaker Newt Gingrich and Congressman Tom Price, by only 4 points.

The other Senate seat opened when three-term Senator Johnny Isakson announced that he would resign from the Senate at the end of 2019, citing health concerns.[ A “jungle primary” will be held November 3, 2020; a candidate earning a majority of votes cast will win, but if no candidate wins a majority, a runoff election between the top two finishers will be held January 5, 2021.The winner of the special election will serve until the expiration of Isakson’s term on January 3, 2023.

Georgia governor Brian Kemp appointed Republican Kelly Loeffler to replace Isakson until an election could be held; Loeffler took office on January 6, 2020, and will compete in the November 2020 election.  As the weathiest US Senator, she was appointed partly on the ability to self finance her campaign by Governor Brian Kemp, who was concerned with the funding needed to defend 2 Senate seats. Loeffler  lost significant support with insider trading on the during the pandemic while withholding health information from the public. Another Republican running is four-term Congressman Doug Collins, resulting in a bitter rivalry between the two.

On the Democratic side Reverend Raphael Warnock, Senior Pastor of Atlanta’a Ebenezer Baptist Church, has raised more money than the other candidates and is leading some polls.  As the senior pastor of Georgia’s most prominent house of worship with an American Dream trajectory (he grew up in the projects of Savannah, and was the first in his family to go to higher education) and a platform and vision more reflective of most Georgians, while religious organizing has generally offered less inspiring vision.  In the heart of the Bible belt, this may offer a route for religious people of color to build representation.   Georgia has a jungle primary November 3; all parties compete together, with the top two candidates regardless of the party advancing should the top candidate in less than 50% of the votes.

Georgia’s 6^th Congressional District, the seat of Newt Gingrich and Tom Price, made history with Democrat Lucia (Lucy) McBath winning in  2018, defeating Karen Handel, who won the 2017 special election and as Georgia Secretary of State had been an earlier architect of voter suppression.  Lucy McBath, an African American evangelical Christian and Delta Airlines flight attendant who ran after losing her son to a racially motivated murder,  offered a pathway for grassroots driven religious candidates to win in unlikely areas though offering an alternative faith based platform which opposed violence and sought to support the most vulnerable, and increasing turnout through a grassroots campaign.  She is very slightly favored to win reelection, though polls are within the margin of error.  Should Reverend Warnock win or even do respectably, this may be a model in the Bible belt and beyond.  Voter turnout matters for this model to be successful.

Iowa

Republican Senator Joni Ernst was elected in 2014 after serving four years in the Iowa Senate, coming from behind in the lowest turnout midterm election in decades.  . She is seeking a second term.

Democratic real estate broker Theresa Greenfield won the nomination. Ernst’s popularity has dropped in the polls, allegedly due to support for Trump’s trade tariffs that have impacted Iowa farmers. But Democrats have had a hard time winning statewide in Iowa in recent years, narrowly losing the governor’s election in 2018. Trump won the state by 9 points in 2016 after Barack Obama carried it in both 2008 and 2012. Democrats do hold three of Iowa’s four congressional seats, picking up two of them in 2018. Iowa is traditionally been among the whitest of states, but an increasing Latino population has already shaped the Democratic primary (their support of  Senator Bernie Sanders contributed to his surprisingly strong performance).  The closeness of the race highlights the critical role of engagement and turnout of Latino, youth and other often overlooked voters in Iowa.

Kansas

Incumbent U.S. senator Pat Roberts is retiring. U.S. representative Roger Marshall,is running of the Republican ticket, defeating anti-immigrant bigot for Secretary of State Kris Kobach.  Among Democrats, former Republican turned Democratic state senator Barbara Bollier as the Democratic nominee. Kansas has been one of the most Republican states for decades, with many Republicans being moderate centrists.  The rise of the conservative wing of the Kansas has moved many  former Republicans to the Democratic Party.  Kansas also elected Native American Democrat Sharice Davids to Congress, defeating an incumbent; turnout fro Native Americans and young voters was key.  The same voter helped Democrat Laura Kelly win the election.  Though Marshall is heavily favored to win, the polls have them only 5% apart, within the margin of error.   Turnout can heavily swing the election.

Kentucky

Incumbent Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, who has been Senate Majority Leader since 2015 and senator from Kentucky since 1985, is running for reelection to a seventh term. He faces the Democratic nominee, U.S. Marine fighter pilot Amy McGrath.  While some polls have the race within 4 points over the summer, recent polls have Senator McConnell ahead by 12-15% points.  Kentucky is solid Republican   Yet voter turnout still matters; in 2019 Democratic Attorney General Andrew Beshear defeated Governor Matt Bevin.  A focus on bread and butter issues and increased voter turnout from underrepresented groups made this happen, lessons for this election and beyond.

Louisiana

Republican Bill Cassidy was elected in 2014 after serving six years in the United States House of Representatives, defeating three-term Democrat Mary Landrieu. He is running for reelection A Louisiana primary (a form of jungle primary) will be held November 3; if no candidate wins a majority of the vote in the primary, a runoff election will be held. Multiple Democratic candidates are running, but the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has endorsed Shreveport mayor Adrian Perkins. A key factor transforming Louisiana was the severe decline of New Orleans’ population after Hurricane Katrina in 2005; up to half the people never returned. This would change outcomes in statewide races where New Orleans mattered.  Reversing this can start by significantly boosting the voter turnout of people already visit, and increasing rebuilding to bring back people to New Orleans

Maine

Susan Collins, Republican four-term Republican Susan Collins  is seeking a fifth term, with Democrat Sara Gideon also running. Collins is polling neck-and-neck with or slightly behind Gideon. She has never faced a competitive election during her 24 years in the Senate even though Maine leans Democratic, as she has projected a centrist image. But she faces growing unpopularity due to her increasingly conservative voting record and her votes to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court and to acquit Trump in his impeachment trial.

Sara Gideon raised over three times as much money as Collins in the first quarter of 2020.  Sara Gideon, whose mother is of Asian Indian background, would be the first person of color to represent Maine statewide and in Washington DC.  While Maine has historically been among the least diverse states, Portland has seen increasing diversity with African and Asian immigrants and refugees settling there, with some becoming citizens and others on a pathway there.  Polls are well within the margin of error, most showing Sara Gideon ahead 2-3 points.  Turnout, especially of new and infrequent voters will define the outcome of this election.

Michigan

Democrat Gary Peters was elected in 2014 after serving six years in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is seeking a second term.  Senate nominee John James, an African American businessman, won the Republican nomination Michigan is one of the most competitive states in national elections. James came unexpectedly close to unseating Michigan’s other Democratic senator, Debbie Stabenow, in 2018. In the summer polls had James as little as 2 points behind Peters.  More recent polls have Senator Peters about 10 points ahead.  The lesson is clear; turnout matters; tuning out everyone, especially younger people and Latino, African-American, Arabic AAPI others often not contacted by campaigns.  Election results here depend on turnout, especially in low turnout areas.  The 2016 election highlighted this, as will the 2020 election.

Minnesota

Incumbent Democrat Tina Smith was appointed to the U.S. Senate to replace Al Franken in 2018 after serving as lieutenant governor, and won a special election later in 2018 to serve the remainder of Franken’s term. On August 11, she won the Democratic nomination to serve a full term.

Former congressman Jason Lewis is the Republican nominee.  Polls had this race within a few points in summer 2020, well within the polling margin of uncertainty, but have a 10 point lead currently.  In 2016 Clinton won over Trump by only 1.5% due to lower turnout in large cities and heavier rural turnout.

Over the last 15 years Minnesota has proved that consistent organizing for voter registration, education and turnout matters.  When Congressman Keith Ellison’s campaigned and won his Congressional seat in 2006, his campaign built a “turnout machine” that knocked on doors other campaigns overlooked, including infrequent voters, apartment complexes and new Americans.  These voters transformed statewide and not just district elections. After 2006, this organizing insured that no Republicans have won statewide in Minnesota.   They were key to stopping Minnesota from going the way of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania in 2016.  These lesson apply well beyond Minnesota.

Mississippi

After seven-term Republican senator Thad Cochran resigned in April 2018, Republican governor Phil Bryant appointed state agriculture commissioner Cindy Hyde-Smith to succeed him until a special election could be held later in the year. Hyde-Smith won the November 2018 special election to fill the remainder of Cochran’s term, which ends in January 2021. Hyde-Smith is running for a full term. Former U.S. secretary of agriculture and 2018 Senate candidate and former Congressman Mike Espy won the Democratic primary with 93.1% of the vote.  He was the first black Congressman in Mississippi after Reconstruction; he increased the turnout of black people and poor white voters to in.  His campaign was unable to do the same thing statewide, especially with voter suppression a longstanding practice.  In 2020 polls suggest a similar outcome.  In 2019 Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood ran for Governor; despite winning statewide previously, he lost by 5% to Republican Tate Reeves, the closest any Democrat has come to win statewide in decades.  These results highlight the need for time and investment to build organizing efforts across Mississippi to build on previous successes in South Mississippi.

Republican Steve Daines was elected in 2014 after serving two years in the United States House of Representatives. He is seeking a second term.Incumbent governor Steve Bullock won the Democratic nominationOnce seen as likely to remain in Republican hands, Daines’s seat is now competitive due to Bullock’s last-minute entry. Daines leads Bullock by single digits in the most recent polling, while Bullock raised more money than Daines. But Montana is expected to be safely Republican in the presidential election, meaning that Bullock is relying on Montana’s history of ticket splitting, as he did in 2016 when he was reelected to a second gubernatorial term by 4 points despite Trump winning the state by 20 points. Montana also reelected Jon Tester, a Democrat, to the Senate in 2018, by 4 points. Daines was elected to a first term by a comfortable margin in 2014.  Montana has a number of Native Americans and young voters not consistently engaged; these voters may determine the outcome of the race.

Nebraska election

Republican Ben Sasse was elected to the Senate in 2014 after serving as the president of Midland University. He is seeking a second term. Businessman and 2018 U.S. Senate candidate Chris Janicek won the Democratic primary with 30.7% of the vote, defeating six other candidates. After the primary election, the Nebraska Democratic party withdrew its support from Janicek when allegations that he sexually harassed a campaign staffer emerged. Janicek refused to leave the race despite the state party endorsing his former primary opponent, which led former Democratic Congressman Brad Ashford to announce a write-in campaign on August 23, 2020. After Janicek vowed to remain in the race anyway, Ashford then withdrew on August 27, citing a lack of the time and resources necessary to run a U.S. Senate campaign. The state Democratic Party subsequently threw its support behind long-time Nebraska activist Preston Love, Jr., who declared a write-in candidacy for the seat. Not surprising, the data indicates this election is not competitive, with Sasse leading by over 35%.  Such drama shows the need for extensive voter education and  full vetting of candidates and outreach efforts around voting happening yearly between elections.  While Nebraska has a whiter population than many states, many of its Latino residents, Native Americans and youth haven’t been engaged.   They can make a difference; Nebraska had 2 Democratic Senators as recently as the 1990s.

New Hampshire

Two-term Democrat Jeanne Shaheen was narrowly reelected in 2014 with a 75 year low in voter turnout.   She is seeking a third term. Corky Messner, an attorney, won the nomination on September 8. Libertarian Justin O’Donnell will appear on the general election ballot.  In 2016 Democrats narrowly won the Presidential race and US Senate race by 1-2% with historically low turnout.  While polls indicate a much safer 18% margin in 2020, this depends on the much higher anticipated turnout in 2020 coming through.

New Jersey

Democrat Cory Booker was reelected in 2014; he first took office by winning a 2013 special election after serving seven years as mayor of Newark. Booker sought his party’s nomination for President of the United States in 2020. Although the state allows him to simultaneously run for both president and the Senate, Booker suspended his presidential campaign on January 13, 2020, and confirmed his intention to seek a second Senate term. The Republican candidates is pharmacist, Georgetown University law professor, and attorney Rik Mehta. New Jersey has not elected a Republican senator since 1972, and all pundits expect Booker to be easily reelected.  New Jersey is the only state to have two people of color as Senators: Senator Cory Booker and Senator Bob Menendez.

New Mexico

Two-term Democrat Tom Udall is the only incumbent Democratic U.S. senator retiring in 2020.

Congressman Ben Ray Luján was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.  Among Republicans, former KRQE chief meteorologist Mark Ronchetti won the nomination.  New Mexico’s Latino and Native American populations have increasingly organized and run for office in the last 2 decades.  New Mexico’s last 3 governors have been of Latino background, and Ben Ray Lujan is 14 points ahead in the polls, making him likely to be New Mexico’s first Latino US Senator.  Having the turnout match or exceed the poll’s assumptions is the key to having this result, and to continued improved engagement and outcome.

North Carolina

Republican Thom Tillis was elected in 2014 after serving eight years in the state House of Representatives, narrowly defeating one-term Democrat Kay Hagan. On March 3, 2020, Tillis and former state senator Cal Cunningham  won their parties’ primaries. Cal Cunningham is a reservist in the Marines, Cunningham leads slightly in the polls, though the average of  margin of 2 points is within the margin of error of the polls.  Both candidates have been affected by different kinds of scandals.  Cal Cunningham was caught having an affair.  Senator Thom Tillis was caught withholding information on the anticipated gravity of the COV-19 virus while conducting insider trading on his stock holdings.  They have different effects.  Senator Tillis, who denied the reports, found support fell dramatically after the insider trading and withholding of pandemic information was reported.  This was accentuated when he caught the COVID-19 virus after attending White House events where many others caught it.  By contrast, Cal Cunningham immediately took responsibility for his actions and apologized.  In the week after this came out, his support has seemed unchanged.  Despite the deep disappointment of many supporters, Cunningham’s support seems largely unchanged.

The final outcome will depend on voter turnout.  Six years ago, NC Republicans passed among the most comprehensive voter suppression and gerrymandering laws in the country.  Some of the laws were revoked by the courts.  Increased voter turnout in 2018, especially with African Americans, Latino, AAPI and youth changed the outcomes in some elections.  Should voter turnout continue increasing, these outcomes will keep continuing.

South Carolina

Three-term Republican Lindsey Graham was reelected in 2014 and is seeking a fourth term. Despite the significant Republican lean of the state as a whole, polls indicate that the Senate election is competitive, with summer polling ranging from a tie to a modest advantage for Graham. Graham’s popularity has declined as a result of his close embrace of Trump, reversing his outspoken criticism of Trump in the 2016 campaign

Former South Carolina Democratic Party chairman Jaime Harrison, the first African American Chairman of the SC Democratic party, won the Democratic nomination.  Jaime Harrison is a protégé of longtime SC civil rights activist and longtime House Majority Whip James Clyburn, whom he had worked for as counsel and who served as a mentor. Previously,  Harrison worked as a teacher for a year at his former high school. In 1999, he was appointed chief operating officer of College Summit, a non-profit organization that helps low-income youth find a path to college and career before earning his JD from Georgetown in 2004.

Harrison has shattered congressional fundraising records, bringing in $57 million in the final quarter for his U.S. Senate campaign against Republican incumbent Lindsey Graham. The third-quarter amount brings Harrison’s overall campaign fundraising to $86 million. Attributing the success to grassroots support, Harrison’s campaign said the $57 million came in the form of 1.5 million donations from 994,000 donors. The average contribution was $37.

Down in the polls by as much as 23 points in March 2019.  Harrison has since narrowed the race and broke ahead for the first time in a poll released on September 11, 2020, that showed him leading Graham by two points. The race has been rated anywhere from a tossup to “likely Republican” by various polling agencies. Polls have been within the margin of error.    Turnout of African-Americans, youth and infrequent voters will prove pivotal to the outcome of this race.

Tennessee

Three-term Republican Lamar Alexander was reelected in 2014, is retiring.  Assisted by an endorsement from Trump, former ambassador to Japan Bill Hagerty won the Republican nomination.

James Mackler, an Iraq War veteran and Nashville attorney, ran for the Democratic nomination with support from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee but was upset in the primary by environmental justice activist and community organizer Marquita Bradshaw of Memphis. Mackler’s campaign had raised $2.1 million, while Bradshaw’s funding as of March was less than $10,000. By the end of the primary campaign, Bradshaw had raised $24,000. A grassroots campaign made this possible. Bradshaw’s win was the first successful challenge to any DSCC-backed candidate since 2010 Prior to Bradshaw’s win of the 2020 primary for U.S. Senate, neither Tennessee Democrats nor Tennessee Republicans had ever chosen a Black woman as their candidate for statewide office.

Bradshaw has pledged to visit every one of Tennessee‘s 95 counties to campaign for the general election. In the weeks since the primary, Bradshaw has raised an additional $270,000.  Unfortunately, this disparity in funds and Tennessee’s recent Republican lean means that a competitive race is extremely unlikely; polls have Hagerty ahead 60-34%.  A grassroots campaign, while working wonders in the primary, may not be able to overcome those numbers and such a disparity in funding and support in the remaining time left.   Years of grassroots organizing, focused on overlooked populations of African Americans, Latinos and youth,  need to go forward on a statewide scale, building on Bardshaw’s work in the primary, to change this outcome.  With the first step, Bradshaw shows that it is possible.

Texas election

Three-term Republican John Cornyn was reelected in 2014 by a wide margin and is seeking a fourth term. He defeated four other candidates in the Republican primary with 76.04% of the vote.

Democrats MJ Hegar, an Air Force combat won the Democratic primary. Statewide races in Texas have been growing more competitive in recent years, and polling in August/September has shown Cornyn with a lead of 4-10 points over Hegar, with a significant fraction of the electorate still undecided. October polls seems to show a consolidation around Cornyn, with him leading by 9 points, 53-44, outside of the range of uncertainty.  Interestingly, polls in the Presidential race show a virtual tie, ranging from Biden +2 to Trump+7, within the range of error in the polls.

Turnout will matter significantly in the Texas race.  Texas has the second lowest voting rate of any US state after years of voter suppression.  Latinos, African-Americans,  AAPI  and youth do not yet vote in numbers matching their share of the population, leading to significant underrepresentation.   Changing Texas outcomes for education, health care, public safety and opportunities requires organizing and voter registration and turnout.

West Virginia

In 2014 Republican Shelley Moore Capito was easily elected after serving 14 years in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Environmental activist Paula Jean Swearengin, a candidate for U.S. Senate in 2018 whose race was documented in Netflix’ Knock Down the House (along with Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, who defeated an incmbant in 2018 and Cori Bush, who defeated an incumbent in 2020), won the Democratic primary. She is running a similar grassroots campaign.  Unfortunately, the 30 % margin  that Moore Capito is ahead by is probably too large to overcome in the remaining time, no matter how good the grassroots campaign. With West Virginia leading the nation in opioid abuse and deaths and economic decline, and the failure to significantly build an economy beyond declining coal, competition for hope and more sustainable visions are sorely needed, as is engagement of youth and many left behind.  Over time, organizing and voter engagement will pay off, with Paula Jean Swearengin’s efforts having paved the way.

Oklahoma

Four-term Republican Jim Inhofe is running for  a fifth term. The Democratic nominee  is  attorney Abby Broyles. Abby previously was a longtime award winning journalist for WFOR, the NBC affiliate.  As an award-winning investigative reporter, Abby uncovered political corruption that led to felony charges against Oklahoma Senator Kyle Loveless; unraveled the story of a hush-money sexual harassment scandal at the state Capitol; exposed a loophole that allowed a sexual predator of children to keep his taxpayer-funded retirement; and held lawmakers accountable for wasting taxpayer dollars defending legislation they knew to be unconstitutional. To further her advocacy for Oklahomans, Abby put herself through law school while working as a journalist.

Oklahoma is one of the most solidly Republican states.  The data suggests that this year Senator Inhofe will win this yer, leading in polls by 16-25%.  However, Senator Inhofe is 85, and the community needs to plan for his succession (as they should for all leaders).  Oklahoma has many unheard voices including the largest Native American population in the US, the legacy of the Trail of Tears, a significant African American population and growing Latino population, and many young people with a vision that may differ from previous generations.  As Abby Broyles highlights, Oklahoma has many talented leaders willing to step up.  Whatever happens in the election, organizing and voter registration, education and turnout is key to Oklahoma’s future.