A rising GOP star fights to survive in Oklahoma [View all]
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — It’s not easy to get to the right of U.S. Rep. James Lankford, a staunch conservative from a state that prides itself on being “the reddest of the red.” The Baptist minister and onetime leader of one of the nation’s largest Christian youth camps came to Congress three years ago and has preached a hard-right doctrine heavy on gun rights, abortions and the evils of Obamacare.
Yet Lankford, a rising star in the national GOP, now finds himself fighting for political survival in a primary election for a U.S. Senate seat that may show whether the insurgent shock wave that felled leading Republican Eric Cantor in Virginia extends into this part of the nation’s Republican heartland.
Lankford, 46, is being challenged by another conservative, T.W. Shannon, the former speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The race, which focuses on Lankford’s role in GOP leadership positions, has drawn advertising money from national conservative organizations and has left even tea party groups confused over who to support.
National tea party organizations are weighing in for Shannon, but local groups, some of which have backed Lankford in previous races, haven’t chosen sides.
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http://www.salon.com/2014/06/20/a_rising_gop_star_fights_to_survive_in_oklahoma/
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