Stephanie Bice secures Oklahoma Fraternal Order of Police support as she seeks GOP nod to challenge Kendra Horn
Published: August 21st, 2020
Stephanie Bice, a Republican member of the Oklahoma state Senate, is a candidate in the August 25 runoff election for her party's nomination in the Fifth Congressional District race.
State Sen. Stephanie Bice, R-Oklahoma City
In the June 30 primary, U.S. Rep. Kendra Horn, D-Oklahoma City, won her party's nod for a second term representing central Oklahoma in the U.S. House. She will face either Stephanie Bice or Terry Neese in the general election. Official U.S. House Photo.
The City Sentinel newspaper, based in Oklahoma City, is an independent newspaper. In recent years, the paper's endorsements have included Republican, Democratic and Libertarian candidates.
Campaign Graphic for Terry Neese, Republican candidate.
Stephanie Bice, conservative Republican candidate for Congress in Oklahoma’s Fifth Congressional District, has earned the endorsement of the Oklahoma Fraternal Order of Police.
“I am grateful to have the support and endorsement of the Oklahoma Fraternal Order of Police,” Bice said. “The hardworking men and women of Oklahoma’s law enforcement put their lives on the line every day to protect and serve Oklahoma citizens. They can count on me to support them in word and action.”
In a recent letter to Bice, the president of the Oklahoma FOP Mark Nelson, thanked her for her years of supporting public safety as a State Senator.
“Support from our elected leaders will play a key role as we push back against this anti-public safety agenda. Knowing where Stephanie stands made it easy for our membership to overwhelmingly vote to endorse her as the next Congresswoman from Oklahoma,” Nelson said. “I am proud to know Stephanie, and the over 6,300 members of the Oklahoma Fraternal Order of Police are proud to offer our endorsement in this race.” The FOP endorsement became public this past week.
Bice is a life-long resident of Oklahoma’s Fifth Congressional District. She has established what her campaign describes as a “track record of supporting Oklahoma’s conservative ideals with her votes as an Oklahoma State Senator.”
Oklahoma’s Fifth Congressional District is located in the central area of the state and includes a portion of Oklahoma County, Pottawatomie and Seminole counties.
In a press release sent to The City Sentinel newspaper, CapitolBeatOK and other news organizations, the Bice campaign said:
“Stephanie Bice is a fourth-generation Oklahoman and was elected to the State Senate representing District 22, which includes Yukon, Piedmont and parts of Northwest Oklahoma City and Edmond. She serves as the Assistant Majority Floor Leader and Chair of the Senate Finance Committee. Bice has earned a reputation as one of Oklahoma’s most effective conservative leaders.”
Early voting in the runoff began Thursday at county election boards across the Sooner State. Early voting continues today (Friday, August 21) at the county boards from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.,
and tomorrow (Saturday, August 22) at the county boards from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Regular Runoff Primary Election voting is Tuesday, August 25 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Looking to November
Bice and businesswoman Terry Neese have been engaged in a fierce fight for the GOP nod in the district.
The winner on August 25 will face U.S. Rep. Kendra Horn, D-Oklahoma City, in the November general election.
In the primary election, the two ran in an unsually crowded field of hopefuls.
Concerning the runoff, The City Sentinel newspaper, in an editorial, endorsed Senator Bice for the Republican nomination. In an earlier editorial, the newspaper backed her as the best choice in a crowded field of GOP hopefuls.
During that primary process, in an editorial concerning the Democratic race between the incumbent member of Congress and Professor Tom Guild, the newspaper explained its endorsement philosophy:
“Endorsements from The City Sentinel newspaper are an affirmation of the person endorsed – not necessarily a criticism of other candidates. This aims to encourage qualified individuals to seek public office and serve our community and state. Endorsements reflect the preferences of the newspaper’s owners/publisher. Our pattern has been to support the best candidate possible in the primary process, and await voters’ selection of nominees before final decisions are made for the general election.”
The City Sentinel has not made a decision on a general election endorsement in the Fifth District congressional race. In 2018, the newspaper was neutral in the general election contest between the Democratic challenger, Kendra Horn, and Republican incumbent Steve Russell.
NOTE: Patrick B. McGuigan, publisher of The City Sentinel newspaper, contributed to this report.