Senators started their day with a condemnation of political violence in light of an attempt to assassinate former President Donald Trump during his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, over the weekend.
Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat presented Senate Resolution 1XXXX to his chamber.
“I believe it appropriate that the Senate send a strong message that political violence shall not be tolerated, and we stand resolute against any form of political violence,” Treat said.
The Senate unanimously approved the measure and the confirmation of Gov. Kevin Stitt’s nomination for the OSU Board of Regents, Jennifer Callahan.
Then, in a private meeting, the Senate Republican caucus selected Lonnie Paxton of Tuttle as the next Pro Tem-elect.
“I plan to lead from the front and further unify our caucus while reaching across the aisle, across the rotunda and to the executive branch to enhance our state,” Paxton said shortly after being nominated. “I truly believe Oklahoma’s best days are in front of us and we can only reach our full potential by working together.”
Paxton mostly received congratulations from Stitt and his colleagues in the legislature, but his nomination wasn’t without some opposition. Sens. David Bullard, R-Durant, and George Burns, R-Pollard, called his nomination to lead the Senate next year a “rigged election” undermining the will of Oklahoma voters.
The reason for the disapproval lies in a few Senate procedural rules and internal caucus politics, which are sometimes discussed – and always voted on – in private.
The rush to elect a new Senate leader came after the last person to be chosen, Sen. Greg McCortney, R-Ada, lost his reelection bid in the June primaries. With the vote for a new pro tem taking place now, before the general election, Senators who lost their seats, or otherwise won’t be returning to office, can still have a say in who leads the Senate Republican Caucus going forward.
They got to vote for the leader of a Senate they won’t be a part of.
But the vote isn’t final. It needs to happen again once newly elected legislators are sworn into office. The Oklahoma Constitution mandates that a vote happens at the start of each legislative session.
Bullard and Burns are calling the move to vote now, which was largely Treat’s decision, a way for Treat to ensure his influence in the Senate even after he is termed out in November.
“[Senate] leadership is trying to change the rules in a desperate attempt to have this rigged election at any cost,” Burns said in a statement hours before the vote. “I am opposed to this election and look forward to a strong change in November.”
Bullard accused Senate leadership of planning the vote for Paxton on the same day as the Republican National Convention to ensure he and other Senators couldn’t vote.
“Make no mistake, this is not a simple oversight, this date was chosen specifically to ensure not all state senators would be able to vote due to their attendance at the national convention,” Bullard said in a press release.
“Not only is this election unnecessary but the audacity of some to circumvent the will of the people shows a strong lack of respect for their fellow senators and most importantly, the people of Oklahoma for whom we all serve,” he said.
