Henry in the eye of a Perfect Storm

A perfect political storm gathered around Brad Henry in the months leading up to the general election and helped carry the Shawnee Democrat into the governor's office.<br><br>A reluctant candidate

Saturday, November 9th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

A perfect political storm gathered around Brad Henry in the months leading up to the general election and helped carry the Shawnee Democrat into the governor's office.

A reluctant candidate before formally announcing for governor on June 24 -- an unheard of late date -- Henry proved to be an able campaigner. He acknowledges, however, that political events he did not control contributed to his razor-thin victory over Republican Steve Largent, the odds-on favorite.

For instance, wealthy independent Gary Richardson helped Henry's cause by pulling large chunks of votes away from Largent in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, which Largent carried handily.

Also, a measure to ban cockfighting brought out a big vote in heavily Democratic rural areas. Henry opposed the cockfighting ban, which was not placed on the ballot until Aug. 20. Largent supported it.

For his part, Henry reinforced his rural advantage by branding a Largent plan to cut administrative costs of school districts as a prelude to school consolidation.

Gary Copeland, director of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center at the University of Oklahoma, said Henry appeared both serious-minded and "a little folksy at times."

"Henry talked about Democratic Party values in a way that is accessible to a wide audience. He presented himself in a manner that makes him accessible, sympathetic and likeable to Oklahomans It's one of those things that makes politics wonderful. You take someone who is way back, is virtually unknown, and he gets a chance to present his case to voters and he succeeds. It shows elections matter."

It was deja vu for Republicans, who remembered that 32 years ago, school consolidation fears brought out a heavy rural vote that sank GOP Gov. Dewey Bartlett's re-election bid.

State government's budget problems also may have played in Henry's favor as he stressed his experience dealing with such tough issues as HMO reform and workers' compensation reform.

Henry emphasized his support of a lottery, which Largent opposed, as the only viable way to raise money for schools in a time of sagging tax collections.

Calling Largent's tax plan a reward for the wealthy, Henry appealed to senior citizens by advocating a plan to exempt retirement pay from taxation.

Henry also appeared to benefit when Largent used a vulgarity in response to a television reporter's question about his whereabouts during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Richardson responded with a commercial that showed the World Trade Center towers burning in the background.

Henry and Largent said their tracking polls showed Richardson's support dropped after the ad, and Henry claimed he picked up most of it.

All of this helped overcome some significant deficits Henry had going into the campaign, including name recognition of only 6 percent.

Henry is a veteran member of the Oklahoma Senate, not usually a
good launching pad for statewide candidates, and is a trial lawyer, an occupation much-maligned by conservative Republicans.

He also had taken liberal positions on some social issues in a state known for its conservative values. Pro-choice on abortion, Henry was the No. 1 legislative supporter of a state lottery and was even accused of being
"anti-family" by outgoing Republican Gov. Frank Keating after
Henry let a bill die in his committee that promoted "covenant
marriages."

Largent never used any of Henry's political liabilities in his television commercials, sticking to a pledge not to go negative.

Months before deciding to run, Henry recalls he did not look like gubernatorial material as he arrived at a meeting of Democratic stalwarts searching for a candidate.

He had been to the lake, was wearing cutoffs and had an embarrassing brown stain on his shirt -- droppings from a
convenience store burrito.

Until some political friends started talking to him about it, "being governor was the farthest thing from my mind," Henry said.

In the group was Barry Switzer, former University of Oklahoma football coach, and Tulsa businessman Julian Rothbaum, a longtime Democratic political activist.

Referring to Henry's reluctance to run, Rothbaum said: "You can't win if you don't run," a simple remark that Henry could not get out of his mind for weeks after the meeting.

By the time Henry made his formal announcement in late June, Edmond businessman Vince Orza had already lined up much of the traditional Democratic support.

Once in the race, Henry could not be deterred, although many considered him as an also-ran in a five-candidate field. Orza was such an overwhelming favorite that he drew endorsements from many lawmakers, including House Speaker Larry Adair.

Henry says Switzer's help in personal appearances was invaluable in increasing public awareness of his budding primary candidacy.

After getting only 28 percent of the vote in the primary against Orza's 44 percent, Henry spurned suggestions he should bow out to enhance Democratic chances of defeating Largent. Henry ended up defeating Orza in the primary runoff.

Henry, who spotlighted wife, Kim, and their three daughters in television commercials, also said it paid off that he shook more hands than other candidates.

"I was amazed how much the people are starved for personal contact," he said.