Democrats Win Impossible Seat

“OKLAHOMA CITY — Democrats have flipped another statehouse seat in deeply conservative Oklahoma amid growing frustration over years of state budget shortfalls and recent scandals that led to the resignation of Republican incumbents.

Democrat Allison Ikley-Freeman defeated Republican Brian O’Hara in Tuesday’s special election for a state Senate seat representing parts of Tulsa. Complete but unofficial election results show that Ikley-Freeman, who is a therapist at a nonprofit mental health agency, won by 31 votes.

That seat was vacated after Republican Sen. Dan Newberry said he would step down early to focus on his career in banking.

Ikley-Freeman’s win marks the fourth pickup for state Democrats in special elections this year in Oklahoma, where Republicans have dominated state politics in recent years. The GOP still has a 39-8 advantage over Democrats in the Senate, a 72-28 edge in the House and controls every statewide and congressional office.

The 26-year-old said Oklahoma’s continuing state budget problems were a big concern of voters she spoke with during the campaign.”

Hosts: Cenk Uygur

Cast: Cenk Uygur

***

Young Turk (n), 1. Young progressive or insurgent member of an institution, movement, or political party. 2. A young person who rebels against authority or societal expectations.(American Heritage Dictionary)

[Spiral.Dynamics]

I live in Oklahoma. Bernie won here. Bernie won more votes in the county that I live in than any other candidate on both sides, and by a lot.

[planningwithjohn]

This is something that makes me proud to live in Tulsa, Oklahoma!

[MarkTulsa]

I worked on Senator Elect Ikley-Freeman's campaign and she is a personal friend of mine. One thing I can tell you is, Democrats in Oklahoma were able to put aside most of the differences that separated us in the 2016 campaign to work together to get Allison elected. This was a matter of pure survival. People are literally dying here because of the policies of our current GOP led legislature. Allison's outsider status was a major factor, but even more importantly, Democrats here are ALL OUTSIDERS and we are ALL PART OF THE RESISTANCE. We have received little support from the DNC and consider the Oklahoma Democratic Party a true grass roots movement. Many of us got into local politics because of Bernie Sanders, but we have worked side by side with people who have been party stalwarts in the state. No one was happy about 2016 but we must now look to the future.

[PipsKay]

That's amazing..that's what happens when we actually have someone to vote for..I live in Texas and will vote

[mikestewart]

Bless you Allison! Surround yourself with smart progressives. Make every change for the better. Bless you, again.

[Henchman_Holding_Wrench]

This was how it was meant to be. We aren't supposed to wait for the royal family to announce the next successor, we elect regular people who want to represent the will of the people.

[FrayJay]

Let's go Cenk! Get the word out there. Keep up the GREAT work TYT.

[thesoundsmith]

Congratulations, Ms. Freeman. Just follow your heart and go for it.

[audreymuzingo]

Funniest thing I ever saw in Oklahoma: written on a bathroom stall: 'I hate this part of Texas.' So she was either so drunk she didn't know what state she was in, or (rightly) considered OK to be just an extension of TX. Hilarious either way.

[madelainestein]

people are turning on Trump in Oklahoma our horrendous governor is throwing people with cerebral palsey out of group homes.

[benny_lee]

Cenk should become a politician. I would vote for him.

[waynzwhirled]

Great news! Excellent presentation. Love it.

[hfortenberry]

WOOHOO!! This is awesome! I'm so glad she won!!!

[ShareefusMaximus]

Not only did Oklahoma go for Trump, there was not a single county that DIDN'T go for Trump. (The ONLY state in the union to do so) . Sad, bigly.

[a.feigenheimer]

This proves once again how important local elections are and why every vote counts.

[Gaudy_Nautica]

I live in Tulsa and this is so exciting!

[abentwookie]

The problem we have is mainly with progressives my age who love to go online and support progressive ideas, speak out against conservatism and even go to rallies.... But then when it comes time to actually VOTE they are nowhere to be found. You guys NEED to vote. Talking doesn't do much, if you want actual change you need to vote. And stop falling for the games republicans like to play where they turn us against each other. In 2018 you will see a flood of conservatives (many pretending to be progressive) in all of these progressive YouTube channels again and they will do everything they can to try to split the vote again. Don't be so gullible this time. You're not always going to get the ideal candidate but if you don't vote for the "lesser of two evils" then you end up in a really bad situation like we are with Trump right now. Trump has dismantled pretty much every progressive advancement we have made in the last few decades and its only his first year. Its going to get much worse. And all of the people who didn't put aside their dislike of Hillary and vote to keep Trump out of office are responsible for this...

[sherronmitchell]

Voter apathy is a big problem in our country. Please everyone, vote. It is necessary for a democratic republic.

[stevenperry]

Don't much like TYT. But... he speaks the truth here. Big money doesn't matter if enough people don't want what big money wants.

[LouMontana-wcnr]

Conservatives would rather commit treason than admit they are fukN-retarded.