Reese Gorman

The Frontier •

At campaign stops in rural Oklahoma, voters quiz Stitt over school vouchers

During a campaign stop at a coffee shop in the small western Oklahoma town of Seiling, Kevin Stitt was losing his patience as the local newspaper publisher grilled him over private school vouchers. “I’m not cutting expenditures bro,” Stitt said, in response to the publisher’s questions on public school funding. Paul Laubach, the publisher of the Dewey County Record, stood in the corner of the room with his arms folded as other locals gathered to hear Stitt speak looked on in silence. Laubach
The Frontier •

In the race for governor, Kevin Stitt, Joy Hofmeister are trying to win favor with Oklahoma’s growing Latino population

In an election year where Republicans nationally hope to make big waves among Latino voters and Democrats are trying to hold on to what has historically been a safe vote, both Gov. Kevin Stitt and challenger Joy Hofmeister are working hard to appeal to the community. Stitt is running what is believed to be the first Spanish-language television ad by an Oklahoma gubernatorial candidate. He has attended a number of Latino community events across the state including a parade and a festival in Okla
The Frontier •

Outside groups are outspending candidates in the Oklahoma governor’s race

Super PACs and dark money groups have poured more than $12.5 million into television ads attacking Gov. Kevin Stitt and boosting his Democratic opponent Joy Hofmeister before the November election. The outside groups have so far spent more than the Stitt and Hofmeister campaigns combined, data from advertising analysis firm AdImpact shows. Stitt has spent about $4.3 million on television advertising, compared to $743,000 Hofmeister has spent, according to data through Oct. 3. Many of the indepe
The Frontier •

GOP contender for Oklahoma’s only open congressional seat says he would vote ‘no’ on most bills

Former state Sen. Josh Brecheen, R-Coalgate, calls himself a “Tom Coburn protégé” and credits the late U.S. Senator for helping mold his political ideology. Breechen prevailed in the GOP runoff over state Rep. Avery Frix on Tuesday to clinch the Republican nomination for Oklahoma’s Second Congressional District, leaving an easy path to win the general election in November. His success can be partially attributed to the anti-tax Club for Growth and its affiliate School Freedom Fund, which spent
The Frontier •

Super PACs are spending big on GOP candidates in Oklahoma’s open U.S. House and Senate races

Super PACs, some backed by dark money, are injecting millions of dollars into Oklahoma’s competitive U.S. House and Senate races this year. Some are even outspending the candidates themselves. The two main super PACs shooting money into Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional District race, School Freedom Fund and Fund for a Working Congress, have spent a combined $3.2 million since the June 28 primary in advance of the Aug. 23 runoff. In comparison, the two Republican candidates Rep. Avery Frix and forme
The Frontier •

Sen. Jim Inhofe has a strained relationship with the man favored to succeed him

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Retiring U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe’s relationship with U.S. Rep. Markwayne Mullin hit a low point after Mullin’s unauthorized attempt to visit Afghanistan last year. Now Inhofe has misgivings about the frontrunner to win his seat in November. “Markwayne and I, we have problems,” Inhofe said in an interview with The Frontier at his Washington D.C. office. Inhofe’s and Mullin’s relationship has ebbed and flowed over the past decade they have served together in D.C., Inhofe said. Du
The Frontier •

Sovereignty is a hot-button issue as Republicans compete in a congressional district mostly on tribal land

With 13 Republicans running for an open congressional seat that covers mostly native land, some District 2 candidates say they support added federal funding for tribal law enforcement, while others are calling to dismantle reservations. Whoever wins the seat will represent Oklahoma tribes in Congress and will have to work closely with tribal governments. The relationship is more critical than ever after the 2020 McGirt U.S. Supreme Court ruling, which cut into the state’s power to prosecute man
The Frontier •

Did a state official’s Lake Murray land deal violate ethics rules?

A state official who played a key role in negotiating questionable government contracts for pandemic supplies and a failed restaurant venture at state parks claims his private land deal near Lake Murray was all above board. But emails show Gino DeMarco, then deputy director of the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation, had access to information about a new marina development at Lake Murray State Park that wasn’t yet public and participated in talks about the scope of the project while a
The Frontier •

Months before seeking bids, a state tourism official spoke of a deal for Swadley’s Foggy Bottom Kitchen to ‘make money from day one’

Months before publicly seeking bids, an Oklahoma tourism official began negotiating a deal with Swadley’s Foggy Bottom Kitchen executives to ensure the company would make money running restaurants at state parks, according to emails obtained by The Frontier. The emails show Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation officials discussed fees and other contract terms with Swadley’s management beginning in the fall of 2019, before publicly soliciting proposals for a new restaurant operator at f
The Frontier •

Stitt gave families $8 Million for school supplies in the pandemic; They bought Christmas trees, gaming consoles and hundreds of TVs

This story was produced in partnership with the Oklahoma nonprofit newsroom Oklahoma Watch. Just get the money to families. That was the driving force behind Gov. Kevin Stitt’s plan for $18 million in U.S. Department of Education relief dollars intended to help students during the coronavirus pandemic. Other states used federal money to train new teachers or support programs for deaf and blind students. But in Oklahoma, a history teacher with political ambitions helped a Florida tech company w
The Frontier •

Seeking to boost the image of state parks, Oklahoma tourism officials sank millions into a private restaurant venture

Tourism officials hope a hot new restaurant chain serving ribeye steaks and burgers dressed with arugula can breathe new life into state parks, but the deal has cost Oklahoma millions of dollars. Since 2020, the state has paid Swadley’s Foggy Bottom Kitchen, operated by Oklahoma City-based Swadley’s BAR-B-Q, more than $13.6 million. The restaurants have run millions of dollars over the original agreement on renovations at state parks. The state has also had to pay Swadley’s management fees and
The Frontier •

Sen. Jim Inhofe expected to announce retirement

United States Sen. Jim Inhofe is expected to announce his retirement Monday after serving for almost three decades, three sources tell The Frontier. The news was first reported by The New York Times reporter Jonathan Martin who says Inhofe plans to stay in his seat through the end of this session of Congress. Inhofe was re-elected for a fifth term in 2020 and had already publicly stated in the Tulsa World he likely would not see re-election in 2026. Inhofe is the ranking member on the Senate A