During midterm elections, voter turnout is traditionally much lower than in presidential years, but that doesn’t mean candidates slow down their campaigns. With Election Day nearing, gubernatorial challenger Joe Dorman is traveling the state trying to earn votes.
The odds are against State Representative Joe Dorman (D-Rush Springs). There is a long list of reasons why he shouldn’t win. Dorman’s a Democrat in a conservative state, unemployment is low, and his Republican opponent Governor Mary Fallinhasn’t lost a race during her 24 years in office. For Dorman, the road to the governor’s post has always been uphill, but he still wanted to run.
“We all knew at the beginning that it was a long shot,” Dorman said. “But they said, ‘You need to give it a shot and see what you think.’ We've all lived our lives that you never want to have any regrets in life.”
He says he originally entered the race because he saw state government fail Oklahoma children after the May 20th tornado. Dorman has long championed school storm shelters, and when he called for action after the 2013 tornadoes, people noticed.
“There were many Oklahomans that visited with me and said, ‘Hey, you should run for governor.' They were dissatisfied with the way things were going at the Capitol. This was people from all walks of life, different party registrations; they were all frustrated,” he said.
'A Geek For Governor'
Dorman’s campaign has visited all 77 counties in the state, and he’s still on the road, hitting coffee shops, fairs and football games.
His campaign staff even piled into his Dodge Charger and went to the International Superhero Festival in Pauls Valley earlier this month.
“This is amazing,” Dorman said on the festival’s stage. “I'm having such a great time today. Those of you who know my deep, dark secret, I collect comic books.”
“Let's get a geek in the office. A geek for governor!” said Kevin Stark, curator of the city’s Toy and Action Figure Museum.
When Dorman started his campaign less than a year ago, hardly anyone outside the capitol knew of the six-term representative from Rush Springs. But as November 4th draws near, he’s been pushing his TV campaign ads more heavily. Dorman says people know his name now.
“That's the thing I've noticed. Before, people looked and said, ‘Oh, he looks familiar,’” Dorman said. “But now, people are real nice and say very nice things.”
Aislinn Burrows lives in the Oklahoma City metro, but she came to Pauls Valley for the festival. She didn't expect to see the candidate mingling with people in superhero costumes.
“It's good to see him down here with the real people, you know, the working people that are out here on a Saturday having something fun to do in Small Town, Oklahoma,” Burrows said.
Evaluating Oklahoma's Education System
Dorman is trying to distinguish himself by running on education, an issue that’s come to define Oklahoma’s 2014 election. Earlier this year, Governor Fallin proposed funding cuts for colleges and universities, and it frustrated Burrows.
“I’m really excited to have a candidate on the ticket who is somebody who can work on both sides of the aisle and actually move education forward in the state of Oklahoma,” she said. “We saw some really deep budget cuts last year, and I think that he's the guy that can pull us out of that.”
Burrows hates seeing Oklahoma sitting at the bottom of lists that rank states on education, incarceration and public health.
Different polls have slightly different numbers, but they all show that Dorman is trailing right now. He knows he’s the underdog. He’s been the underdog the whole time, so those numbers don’t faze him.
“I feel very good about this race, and I feel we've done the best job possible we can to not let those Oklahomans down who are wanting to see something different at the Capitol,” Dorman said.
He isn’t sure what comes after November 4th if he loses. But either way, after serving 12 years with the State House of Representatives, he’s term limited, so it’s onto a new chapter.
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