By Alyssa Sperrazza and Mindy Ragan Wood
It’s no secret that money can make or break political campaigns at any level, whether its at the city council or the presidency of the United States.
After all, more money means more campaign signs, more television ads, more events hosted, and it usually means more support come election day.
But Denise Crosswhite Hader, a Republican candidate for House District 41, pulled through with 52 percent of the total vote despite her opponent outspending her by $100,000.
The Oklahoma Ethics Commission’s electronic reporting system showed Hader’s opponent, Roxanne Pollard, finished her campaign with an ending balance of $42,901.84. This was a stark contrast to Hader’s $12,805.66. The latest campaign contribution report shows Pollard collected more than $136,000 for the entire campaign compared to $36,850 for Hader.
Hader said she couldn’t have done this without her family and volunteers who continue to run her campaign, and it all came down to going door-to-door, meeting and connecting with people over the issues that mattered to them.
“Communication is the best thing you can do with citizens,” Hader said. “I did hear a lot from the teachers… that they felt like they were not heard, not honored, and I sure don’t want that to be the case…. So we still have a lot to do.”
Hader, who works as a House staff member at the state Capitol and is a small business owner, said she understands the struggle of small business owners and will work to fight burdensome regulations.
“It’s not just taxes, it’s regulation… we mean well but sometimes you regulate so much that they can’t be as productive,” Hader said. “With any small business, they are the backbone of the economy. That’s what I really saw [campaigning], how many people are working more than one job, all because of the tax burden, but also because we’re a great state with a great work ethic.”
Should Hader receive another victory in November, she’ll be replacing incumbent John Enns who was term limited.
Pollard did not return telephone calls for comment on the election results.
The Democrat’s runoff for House District 41 showed a close race between Jennie Scott and Sara Peterson.
Scott pulled in 631 votes over Peterson’s 441. The winner’s ending balance for her campaign was significantly higher than her opponent’s. Scott had $1,074 to Peterson’s $285 in remaining funds.
Scott said she knocked a lot of doors but that it seemed to be good timing to be a teacher and a candidate.
“I have been pretty well supported. I think because of the teacher walkout I may have had a slight advantage being a teacher candidate and I have done a lot of door knocking. I think I was able to build trust. People want to know that future legislators will listen and care about the issues,” she said.
The Democrat is eyeing tax breaks for big businesses who she says may not be fully paying their way.
“I think there are several routes forward. My top two options are that I would be very open to restoring GPD to seven percent and we’d still be below most states and be competitive. The tax incentives were given I think to encourage the oil companies to come back (to Oklahoma). Now that’s it’s a stable economy, I think they’re here to stay.”
Scott said she wants to examine whether tax breaks have resulted in more jobs, higher pay and industry growth. If not, those breaks “need to be reexamined.”
She claims she is pro-business.
“I definitely want to see more business, but I want to review those businesses to see if we’re getting more bang for our buck,” she said.
It was a clean race for the two, Peterson said.
“We were both out there for the right reasons and we knew we had each other’s support,” she said.
Scott agreed.
“I have immense respect for Sara,” she said. “I’m very proud we ran a clean campaign.”
