Randy Brogdon
Mike McCarville & Staff
Former Senator Randy Brogdon has resigned his state job and is testing the waters for a possible Tea Party challenge to Governor Mary Fallin next year in what would be a Republican primary re-match of 2010, The McCarville Report has learned.
Brogdon, who opposed Fallin in the 2010 Republican primary, resigned suddenly from the Insurance Department last week after fireworks earlier this month. The 27th is his last day on the job, a source said.
Brogdon had reportedly been putting out feelers to Tea Party activists, and was quietly assembling a team without the knowledge of his boss, Insurance Commissioner John Doak, insiders tell TMR.
Doak hired Brogdon for a near six-figure salary after the 2010 elections.
Commissioner John Doak
In a meeting, Doak reportedly made it clear to Brogdon he would support Fallin in a rematch scenario, prompting Brogdon’s resignation letter, insiders say. Several Brogdon supporters, however, say his resignation was prompted by his desire to spend more time at home with his wife. One expressed doubt Brogdon would run again.
A Brogdon-Fallin primary would be a rematch of the 2010 primary race, which Fallin won handily.
We’re told that Brogdon is calling around putting together a team of political operatives to run, seeking the advice of some out-of-state consultants.
Brogdon’s political career began when he was elected to the Owasso City Council. In a subsequent race for mayor, he defeated the incumbent and a third candidate to win by an absolute majority.
In 2003 the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee (OCPAC) named him “Legislative Newcomer of the Year.” He was named “Legislator of the Year” for six straight years. In all of his six years of service, OCPAC selected him as “Senate Legislator of the Year.”
In 2005 Brogdon was the first senator in 20 years to receive 100% on the Conservative Vote Index. For the 2005-2006 legislative session, he was elected to a leadership position by his caucus to serve as Senate Republican Whip and in 2007-2008 he served as the Assistant Republican Floor Leader.
In 2007, he was the recipient of the Phyllis Schlafly Oklahoma Eagle Award for his support of Constitutional Conservative legislation.
Brogdon sought the GOP nomination for governor in 2010, losing to Fallin 136,460 to 98,159.
In 2011 Brogdon joined the Department of Insurance after being appointed by Doak as Deputy Commissioner of the Fraud and Investigations Unit.
So, he runs for Governor as a small government guy while a sitting Senator/government employee. He loses and takes a cush GOVERNMENT job, purportedly created for him even though he is small government, now resigns and wants to run for another GOVERMENT position? As what, a small government guy? I guess his stump speech will be a variation of “Do as I say, not as I do.”
We will vote for Randy Brogdon, now way were or will we vote for Fallin again. She’s ignoring those who voted for her, too busy with the rich in this state, appoints them to boards, when we need common sense not rich folks sense on boards and in offices.
Resignation comes down to simple fact that Brogden couldn’t keep a state job and be a candidate at same time.
[…] Read the complete story on McCarvilleReport.com […]
I will support Fallin. Brogdon struts about and is rude to women. I experienced it first hand while working for a U.S. Congressman. Mary Fallin represents Oklahoma very well.
If he runs for governor again, it will prove two things: [i] he does not learn from experience and [ii] he is a glutton for punishment.
With over $1.2M in Fallin’s warchest already, it is rather late to be thinking about mounting a serious challenge to an incumbent (and popular) Governor.
I voted for Randy Brogdon in 2010 as a republican. I’m an independant now and can’t vote for anyone in a primary (which is a travesty of our system) but will vote for Brogdon again if he makes it to the general. He is a true conservative constitutionalist. One of the above commenters made fun of the fact that he took a government job after losing to Fallin…and their point is? We need more true conservatives in national, state and local governments and less politicians like Fallin who campaign as conservatives and govern as progressives.
Folks, we shouldn’t vote for the candidate we think might have a better chance of beating the candidate we are completely against…in other words voting for the “lesser of two evils”. We should vote for the candidate we believe best represents the tenants of the constitution. Our country is in crisis, our constitution is under assault and our republic has failed because of it! What are you prepared to do to restore our Republic? Start with voting for a true conservative like Randy Brogon!
Randy Brogdon is not politically correct and would have my vote since he stands for what I belielve our state needs…solid common sense in the physical, social and moral areas of daily living. He has the qualities of a statesman and I feel that he would not be just another politician.
Randy Brogdon has my vote if he runs in the republican primary against Gov. Fallin . Gov. Fallin had New Jersey Gov. Chris Cristie come to her resent fund raiser. In August of this year he signed a law that makes it illegal for a counselor to help a homosexual escape a homosexual lifestyle which as best I can tell flies in the face of the first amendment. Birds of a kind tend to fly together.
[…] (H/T: The McCarville Report) […]