Will negative ads boost Democrats Burrage, Corn, Paddack?

CapitolBeatOK Staff Report

Published: 29-Oct-2010

Three Democratic candidates, each utilizing negative television advertising in late efforts to emerge as winners in the Tuesday, November 3 elections have been touted in glowing terms in recent communications from the state Democratic party.

While each of the three trails in recent public opinion surveys, the ultimate impact of their television ad campaigns remains to be seen.

Steve Burrage, the current State Auditor and Inspector, has emphasized business experience and management credentials in his race, hoping to hold the seat in the face of a determined challenge from Republican Gary Jones, who has narrowly lost the seat twice in previous races.

Burrage is a former bank president who was appointed to his current job by Governor Brad Henry July 10, 2008, Gov. Brad Henry appointed Steve to the office Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector. Supporters tout his early endorsements from the Tulsa World and The Oklahoman. The latter newspaper in its editorial boosted Burrage as a “straight shooter.”

In recent polls, Burrage is running a few percentage points behind Jones.

Further behind in the polls for his race is state Sen. Kenneth Corn of Poteau, the Democrat hoping to beat state Sen. Todd Lamb for the lieutenant governor’s job being vacated by Jari Askins.

While Corn has produced perhaps the most controversial campaign advertisements of the year, he has augmented that on the “retail politics” side with hundreds of individual campaign stops. He has raised more money than his Republican foe.

Corn’s colleague, state Sen. Susan Paddack of Ada, is hoping to keep the state Superintendent’s job in the hands of Democrats, the only party that has ever occupied the post. Paddack’s campaign produced widely aired television advertisements asserting that Republican nominee Janet Barresi’s two charter schools are “elite,” a charge that many students of the institutions have countered.

Note: Editor Patrick B. McGuigan contributed to this report.