candidates shy from public stands

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Only a small percentage of Oklahoma candidates were willing to outline their positions on key issues as part of Project Vote Smart’s “political courage test.”
Project Vote Smart is a national nonpartisan, nonprofit organization devoted to providing the public with accurate political information.
Of the 260 state House and Senate candidates given the opportunity to take the “test,” only 24 responded, or about 9 percent. Questions on the test covered issues ranging from illegal immigration, to access to health care, to gun licensing.
Oklahoma candidates followed a national trend of candidates declining to take public stands, said Brandon Horton, press secretary for Project Vote Smart, who helped develop the test.
He said a lower percentage of Oklahoma candidates appear to be taking part than candidates in other states.
National figures are still being developed on legislative candidates, but they are expected to be substantially down from 2006, when about 20 percent took the test.
“We are disappointed for the voters because they do not have all the issue positions of the candidates who will be their potential legislators,” Horton said.
He said candidates give a variety of excuses for not taking the test. “The most common one is fear of opposition research because the candidates do get questions on a lot of sensitive issues.”
Oklahoma candidates for the U.S. House and Senate did better than legislative candidates, with 6 of 24 responding ahead of the July 29 primary.
That’s a response rate of 30 percent, according to figures supplied Friday by Project Vote Smart.
No congressional incumbents took and returned the test. Challengers taking the test were Republican Senate hopeful Dennis Lopez; Republican Fran Moghaddam in the 1st Congressional District; Democrat Kevin Coleman in the 2nd District; Democrat Blake Cummings in the 4th District and Democrats Steven Perry and Bert Smith of the 5th District.
The only incumbent senator responding was Democrat Nancy Riley of Tulsa. Incumbents willing to take a public stand in the House were Gus Blackwell of Goodwell, John Enns of Pawhuska, Sally Kern of Oklahoma City and Earl Sears of Bartlesville, all Republicans.
The Oklahoma legislative candidates responding were less than half of the 20 percent who responded two years ago.
The percentage of congressional candidates responding was down from 50 percent in 2006.