A Tulsa Democrat is facing an uphill battle as he tries to unseat a popular incumbent Oklahoma Senator who has been in the seat since 1994.
Meanwhile, the Senator in question, Jim Inhofe, isn’t even giving his opponents in the general election a second thought.
KOSU’s Michael Cross reports.
US Senator Jim Inhofe brings his Grummond Tiger in for a landing at Sundance Airpark near Piedmont in central Oklahoma.
He spends a lot of his time flying not just across Oklahoma, but to other places in the country helping get fellow Republicans elected to the Senate.
When asked, Inhofe doesn’t seem concerned about the race, and he doesn’t even know who his opponents are.
He refuses to debate because everyone knows who he is.
“I’ve been in the Senate for 20 years. My time is spent making sure we can work in these races where if we take over the Senate which we will, but still I want to be personally involved in South Dakota, in Montana, in West Virginia.”
Besides his 20 years in the Senate, Inhofe spent eight years in the US House from Tulsa’s Congressional District One.
The only time he hasn’t won by double digits over his Democratic opponent was 1988 when he beat Kurt Glassco by just five points.
That’s not stopping Matt Silverstein who has decided to take on the Quixotic task of tilting against this Republican windmill.
The Tulsa financial planner says Oklahoma and the United States can’t afford another six years of Jim Inhofe.
“He is a belligerent, wasteful spender the likes of which the state of Oklahoma has never before seen, and we can’t be strong abroad unless we are first strong at home. And that’s why I feel so strongly it is time to retire Jim Inhofe, and the person to do it needs to be somebody who comes from the private business community.”
Silverstein says Inhofe has fought against Senator Tom Coburn on many fiscal issues including eliminating earmarks.
He also accuses Inhofe of the worst attendance of any sitting Senator, but always present to vote for a pay raise for himself.
Inhofe calls the accusations humorous and desperate.
“There’s an old adage that you go after the strongest position of your opponent. I know this is true. I’ve done it before. Since I’m the most conservative member they go after me for not being conservative. It’s a hard sell. It’ll never work.”
While a registered Democratic, Silverstein believes strongly in fiscal conservatism which draws concern from within his own party.
“They give me a hard time. They call me the Democratic version of Tom Coburn, because I do get out there, and I’m always talking about things that I don’t think the Democratic Party talks about enough. Things like waste, fraud, abuse, duplications in government.”
Silverstein is even pledging to hold himself to term limits like Coburn.
But, none of this appears to be fazing Inhofe who is more concerned with getting GOP Senators in open seats while removing Democrats in red states.
“You get down to Louisiana. Mary Landrieu, she and I are co-chairmen of the adoption caucus, good friends, but none the less just like the rest of them, the Democrats all vote right along with Barack Obama. They go back home and deny it, but they do.”
While Silverstein admits he takes issue with President Obama on many issues, it’s Inhofe’s policies which he calls into question.
Questions which would likely come up in a debate, but he says Inhofe is too frightened to face him one on one.
“He’s been on the tax payer’s payroll for almost 50 years and has never shied away from a public debate with his opponent and this is the very first time. That’s not something you do if you have a record you’re proud of.”
The General election takes place November 4, with early voting starting on October 30.
In the second part of our story, we’ll look at the three independents who are also hoping to take the Senate seat away from Jim Inhofe.
