Seven Republicans Race For District Two Seat

One of the hottest races in Tuesdayâ€™s Oklahoma primary election is in the second congressional district<br><br>It covers much of northeastern Oklahoma.<br><br>Seven candidates are running on the republican

Saturday, August 19th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

One of the hottest races in Tuesdayâ€™s Oklahoma primary election is in the second congressional district

It covers much of northeastern Oklahoma.

Seven candidates are running on the republican side, hoping to replace retiring congressman Tom Coburn.

Four Republicans have stepped forward as the key candidates in the district two congressional race.

They are Steve Money, Eric Troutt, Andy Ewing and Jack Ross.

Jack Ross is the only one with first-hand congressional campaign experience. He ran unsuccessfully in the second district as a democrat in 1990.

Since then, he says he's added to his experience by continuing his economic development work in Broken Arrow.

"My vision for Oklahoma and this district for the last 15 years has been to improve the economic prosperity of our people the 2nd congressional district is one of the poorest districts in our country and in the nation. I want to do something about that," says Ross.

One of his opponents, Andy Ewing, says his business experience as a Muskogee car dealer is his best asset.

He's the candidate holding the endorsement of the current Congressman, Tom Coburn.
"...I've been a businessman in northeastern Oklahoma for 29 years I know what it's like to live within a budget, I know what it's like to sell a product and satisfy a customer and I know what it's like to have a payroll every two weeks," says Ewing.

Candidate Steve Money says his strong point is health care.

Money says he can fight Medicare and Social Security problems because he does it every day in his health Homecare business.

â€œWe don't have time for somebody to go to Washington and figure out what going on. I've already learned and what I already know and what I've been fighting for so long. I really got into just try to continue at the governmental level what I've already been doing in the private sector and that's fighting for health care," says Money.

The fourth player in the campaign is Eric Troutt, an attorney who says he's running a grassroots campaign.

He says watching politics from the outside has made him want to jump in.

"I'm running because I looked at the moral decay and social problems in America and I just said enough. You know, we've gotten so far away from our Christian values that America was founded on," says Troutt.

These candidates have their own ideas about politics, in a few days Republican voters will choose which ideaâ€™s they want in Washington.

The other three Republicans running for the District Two seat are Tennie Rogers, Terry Gorham and Mark Detro.

Detro was arraigned Wednesday on drug charges and possession of a firearm.

His campaign manager was charged with the same counts.