ODP Media Release: Desperate Hiett Latches on to Democratic Party Success

Lisa Pryor, Oklahoma Democratic Party Chairman, said today the GOP’s candidate for Lt. Governor, Todd Hiett, is misleading Oklahoma voters by running ads that suggest a strong connection between Hiett and popular Democratic Governor Brad Henry. She said the advertisement is a thinly veiled attempt to distract voters from the Republican’s failed record in the last legislative session.



“This is a simple act of desperation by a Republican trying to plug into the success of a an extremely popular Democratic Governor. If House Speaker Todd Hiett spent more time working for Oklahoma families and less time obstructing progress and playing partisan games, the last legislative session would not be remembered as one of the least productive in Oklahoma history,” Pryor said. “Republicans like Hiett are so desperate to win, they will do and say anything to distract voters from their deceitful and divisive legacy of pay to play."

Pryor said Democrats have a real leader in Lt. Governor Jari Askins. A Lt. Governor candidate who can truly work with Governor Henry and who will get Henry’s vote on Nov. 7. Hiett, in two head-to-head debates with Askins, has avoided answering who he will vote for in the Governor’s race – Henry or challenger Ernest Istook, a fellow Republican.

“He avoids answering a simple question. What else is he hiding from Oklahoma voters? We deserve a Lt. Governor who cares about education and health care access for all Oklahomans,” Pryor said. “Jari Aksins, a candidate committed to job creation and fiscal responsibility, can honestly team with Governor Brad Henry and lead our state forward.”