Analysis:  Chatting before a recent Republican Women’s Club (RWC) of Tulsa County meeting, the lady sitting next to me said she could not vote for former-TU Coach Dave Rader because he canvased her house, but would not spend time talking with her about the issues.

I answered that Rader’s remaining opponent in the run-off Tuesday August 23, the strident rightwing activist Amanda Teegarden had acted much worse. I had asked Teegarden to talk months earlier at a RWC meeting noting that I am a precinct Chairman with other family voters also living in Oklahoma Senate Dist. 39. Teegarden immediately asserted that I was mistaken and walked away.

Amanda Teegarden

Then at the next RWC meeting, I again approached Teegarden asking if she had taken the time to check voter registration records and if she was prepared to talk beginning with an apology for being mistaken. Teagarden ignored my statement – rudely and obviously dismissive.

It is hard to win a political campaign and the skills required for campaign success are not the same skills required to execute the job once elected, but America is best served when candidates for public office first connect and bond with constituents.

I urge my family, friends and neighbors to vote, as I will, for Dave Rader. Do I really know him well? No. Have we talked in depth – not really. However, his professional careers document well-developed abilities to address difficult issues, solve problems, act responsibly, and lead others. I believe him a man of faith and believe when he swears to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States and the State of Oklahoma that he will do so. That is really all anyone can ask of any elected official – do the right things, follow law, apply government for the equal benefit of all people, always.

Dave Rader

Alan Staab and Rick Poplin ran excellent campaigns for District 39, but were eliminated in the first primary. This run-off election for Republicans is down to Rader and Teegarden.

To her credit, Teegarden is a good researcher. She has led activists in several issues with excellent detail. However, she researches in isolation and, on multiple occasions, failed to vet conclusions prior to public pronouncements. That is likely a fatal flaw should voters task her with working with 47 other strong Oklahoma senatorial personalities not to mention the House, Governor’s office and administrative agencies.

From my perspective in face-to-face encounters, Teegarden would rather demonize and diminish others than work with any soul that may disagree with her.

Disagreed we have.  Not directly, but Amanda Teegarden is a sister-in-spirit with former OK GOP Chairman Randy Brogdon who failed so magnificently, publicly and embarrassingly for Oklahoma Republicans that he resigned a short five months into a two year term. Brogdon was short-tempered and mean-spirited with diarrhea of the mouth and limited detailed knowledge of any topic save his own ego. Brogdon believed all he had to do as GOP Chairman was just run around throwing rhetorical absolutes to cheering zealots and the party would prosper. It didn’t work. He failed completely in historically short order. Teegarden holds several of the same personality faults.

Dave Rader

Dave Rader successfully coached college football players so he should be able to work with strong, but immature personalities which will be very helpful as an Oklahoma Senator.

Rader has met payrolls as a local businessman and prospered. He knows how government red tape harms small business and he will work to attract good jobs to Oklahoma.

Rader cares about students and will work to improve the education system in Oklahoma.

Rader has also focused attention on the urgent need for improvements to Oklahoma roads and bridges to make travel safe and efficient for families and commercial traffic.

Teegarden makes enemies and keeps them. While professing a Christian faith, she is harshly judgmental in her truth(s), oblivious to the arguments that may disagree and without the grace Jesus called his followers to exhibit. She is not likely to accomplish anything in group and group skills are exactly the need in the Oklahoma Senate to benefit our part of the state.

Dave Rader is the best choice in Oklahoma Senate District 39.