Candidates for statewide offices such as governor, attorney general and lieutenant governor are kicking off statewide campaigns. While candidates are very important, equally if not more important is what those statewide office candidates would accomplish, and how, if elected.
Oklahoma faces great opportunities and significant challenges; to address both, it will require newly elected officials to be willing to discuss those opportunities and challenges on the campaign trail and repeatedly commit to “do hard things” and help lead the state to meet the opportunities and challenges.
In campaigns, there is a great temptation to predominantly rely on message testing and polling to determine a candidate’s message while campaigning and subsequent focus while in office. While candidates most definitely should address major themes and desires from voters, leadership also requires thinking about what must be done for the sake of the future, even though it doesn’t seem as urgent as the next budget request from a tax consumer or what a poll says is important at that moment in time.
