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Senate race pits tribal member against conservative
Wednesday, July 28, 2004

Rep. Brad Carson, a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, easily won the Democratic party's nomination for the U.S. Senate on Tuesday.

With nearly every precinct reporting, Carson had 80 percent of the vote, beating a field of four other candidates, most of whom had little recognition. His closest competitor was a state official who is currently under an indictment.

Carson's victory on primary night sets him up for a November battle against a Republican Tom Coburn, a former Congressman whose entry in the race roiled state GOPs who were supporting former Oklahoma City Mayor Kirk Humphreys. Coburn won 61 percent of his party's vote, beating Humphreys by a more than 2-1 margin.

The campaign is expected to be a tough one for Carson, who has served two terms in the U.S. House. Recent Tulsa World polls put him neck-and-neck with Coburn, a staunch conservative with strong support statewide. The two candidates will fight for the seat being vacated by the retiring Sen. Don Nickles (R).

The race is particularly significant because Carson, if elected, would be the only Native American in the Senate. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, Republican of Colorado and a member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of Montana, is stepping down at the end of the year.

Democrats also hope Carson can help the party regain control of the Senate, which has a one-member Republican majority.

A defeat for Carson, whose 2nd Congressional district in Oklahoma has the highest percentage of Native Americans in the country, would leave just one other tribal member in the entire Congress. Rep. Tom Cole, a Republican, is a member of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma serving the 4th district.

Kalyn Free, a member of the Choctaw Nation, was vying for Carson's seat but on Tuesday, she lost the Democratic nomination to Dan Boren, a state representative and the son of a former U.S. Senator. With every precinct reporting, Boren won 58 percent of the vote compared to just 36 percent for Free.

Boren has been criticized for his ties to one of the founders of One Nation, an anti-Indian group fighting tribal sovereignty in Oklahoma. He accepted a $2,000 campaign donation from Mike Cantrell, an oil and gas businessman who opposed a bill Carson sponsored to aid landowners of the Five Civilized Nations.

Oklahoma is seen as one of the battleground states where Native voters could play a role in deciding critical elections. Statistics for the state, however, are difficult to come by, although Carson and other tribal leaders have credited his victories in 2000 and 2002 to the Native turnout.

Relevant Links:
Brad Carson, campaign site - http://www.bradcarson.com
Brad Carson, U.S. House site - http://carson.house.gov
Tom Coburn - http://www.coburnforsenate.com
Dan Boren - http://www.borenforcongress.com
Kalyn Free = http://www.freeforcongress.com

Related Stories:
Choctaw Nation denies endorsement of non-Indian (01/19)
Choctaw chief won't back tribal member for Congress (1/16)
Tribal members annouce bids for U.S. Congress (10/15)
Okla. tribal members win races (11/06)
Two Indian candidates win Okla. primaries (08/28)


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