Our View: Lucas is the Experienced Voice Western OK Needs

With primary elections coming up next week, Western Oklahoma will face an important choice about who will be our voice in Congress. As western Oklahomans who are intensely aware of Congressional action, we've met and worked with countless politicians over the years to protect community newspapers and our rural way of life. That's why we’re proud today to endorse Representative Frank D. Lucas for the Republican nomination for Oklahoma's Third District.

Frank is the best choice because of his experience and the respect he has earned from his colleagues and constituents. He has been a friend to small-town newspapers, supporting the overdue Postal Service Reform Act earlier this year, and to farmers and ranchers across the district. Frank was instrumental in the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, crucial legislation that includes farm support, disaster relief programs, and crop insurance improvements.

Frank's opponents like to say that he votes too often with Democrats. But in truth, Frank is the one who often gets Democrats to vote with him, not the other way around. Frank is the only person who could have convinced Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats to support the last Farm Bill, and his expertise will be needed again when Congress renegotiates the bill in 2023. Frank's experience has made him one of the most respected members of Congress, and Oklahomans are lucky to have an effective leader on our side.

His position will become all the more crucial if, as most expect, Republicans regain control of the House in midterm elections this year.

Frank is not one to draw attention to himself, which is unusual in our modern age of partisan rancor and 24/7 cable news. But make no mistake: when he talks, people listen. And he is a fierce advocate for rural Americans everywhere, a much-needed perspective in Washington.

We don't often weigh in on partisan politics. But we’re proud today to endorse our friend Frank Lucas for reelection, and we hope you'll help us send him back to Congress for two more years. Early voting begins later this week, and Election Day is on Tuesday, June 28.