What the 2020 Election Means for Oklahoma
If you woke up this morning expecting to learn the definitive outcome of the presidential election, you’re going to need to hang on a little while longer. All the votes have been cast but the counting will continue for several more hours (and quite likely, days). It appears there was a polling error in a number of states, and undoubtedly the reason for it will be debated ad nauseam for weeks and months to come. One thing is abundantly clear: more voters made their voice heard in this election than in any presidential election since 1900.
“More voters made their voice heard in this election than in any presidential election since 1900. ”
Here in Oklahoma, all of our votes have been tallied and the Republican party was the big winner, netting an additional seat in Congress as well as an even-more-super supermajority in the state House. Having an 75% seat majority in both chambers of the state legislature, combined with control of the Governor’s office, means Republicans have the numbers to pass any legislation they want. However, as anyone who has ever coached their kids’ soccer team can attest - the bigger your team, the harder it can be to manage. Republican leadership must balance their priorities against the priorities of their caucus, some of whom may be further to the right than the last couple of years. You may recall the impact of the conservative “Platform Caucus” in 2016 2017; some of them ran for the legislature again this year
As we discussed with Senator Greg McCortney on our live podcast last night, in the coming session the Oklahoma state legislature will have to contend with a dire budget situation, a raging viral pandemic, and the politics of redrawing the state legislative and Congressional district maps, not to mention the ~2,000 other bills that will be filed over the next two months.
Since his election two years ago, Governor Stitt has benefitted from a warm relationship with the Trump administration, but that, too, may change before next session if Joe Biden is elected President. As we’ve discussed on Let’s Pod This, while the Governor enjoyed a relatively smooth and successful first year in office, this year he got crossways with a whole bunch of folks - the legislature, the Five Tribes, the medical community, the State Superintendent, and the Attorney General - just to name a few. Consequently, the Governor’s approval rating has dropped 16 points, from 57% in March to 41% in October, according to polls conducted and published by Amber Integrated. That’s a tough spot from which to start, and Governor Stitt must then chart a path to achieve his policy goals while also facing the same challenges as the legislature and with the added pressure of being the state’s chief executive and all the fame and blame that comes with the position.
The 58th legislature will be sworn in later this month or early December and then things get rolling pretty quickly. Here’s the legislative calendar for the next few months:
Dec 11: Bill Request Deadline
Jan 5: Organizational Day
Jan 21: Bill Introduction Deadline
Feb 1: First Day of Session / State of the State Address
Mar 11: Deadline for bills to pass out of chamber of origin
Apr 22: Deadline for bills to pass out of opposite chamber
May 28: Deadline for legislature to adjourn sine die
With little change to the state legislature or other statewide elected offices, I’m somewhat inclined to say that the election doesn’t “mean” much for Oklahoma, at least as far as state government is concerned and how things will play out in the spring. However, if 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that anything is possible.
