The DSCC and the Rice campaign just released a poll that confirmed what we’ve known all along – that once Oklahomans get to know Andrew Rice and hear his message of putting people before politics, they support him.

Benenson Strategy Group Poll (8/12-8/14, +/- 4%)
Rice 41%
Inhofe 50%

More good news below the fold.

Yesterday, Jim Inhofe called on his supporters to send their gas receipts into his campaign office so that he can send them to Sen. Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader.  Apparently, Inhofe is trying to show his frustrations that Congress adjourned without bringing any relief on energy prices.

Oklahomans, though, should be more frustrated with Jim Inhofe’s decades of doing nothing to avert an energy crisis.

State Sen. Andrew Rice is fed up with opponent’s lack of leadership on this issue.  He’s not going to send Jim Inhofe his gas receipts.  Instead, he’s going to send Jim Inhofe an invoice for $1,076,573 – the amount of money he’s received in campaign contributions from big oil.

(more below the fold)

Today, the differences between Andrew Rice and his opponent, Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe, became even clearer.

The Oklahoma Democratic Party just issued a release, demanding that Sen. Jim Inhofe return the thousands of dollars in campaign contributions he’s received from indicted Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK).

More from their release below the fold.

July in Oklahoma heats up, especially in election years.

With the primary election four days away, Andrew Rice's campaign is getting more intense.  We took it to the next level on Monday by launching our first TV ad, called "Leader."  This 30-second ad has received great feedback from all corners of Oklahoma.

Here's the ad; more on the heat below the fold.

PAC for a Change, led by Sen. Barbara Boxer, seeks to support progressive leaders who will reshape Washington's partisan ways.  The winner of the PAC for a Change "Choose a Challenger" contest will be featured in a national email to thousands of potential new supporters. Winning this contest could raise tens of thousands of dollars from grassroots activists across the country, so your vote is critical to helping make this Andrew Rice's best financial quarter to date.

Certainly, there are a lot of worthy candidates Sen. Boxer has submitted for your support.  But, even beyond the fact that I live in Oklahoma and work on Sen. Rice's campaign, I know of at least five good reasons why you should vote for Andrew.

Top five reasons are below the fold.

Candidate filing for Oklahoma elections began yesterday, and both Andrew Rice and Jim Inhofe filed for U.S. Senate.  Immediately after filing, Andrew talked about his campaign, making one central message clear: Though his name is the one on the ballot, this campaign is not about him.  It’s about the people of Oklahoma – and across the country – who want a change in the status quo, who want their voices to be heard, and who want a Senator who looks out for their interests.

Videos - both from our filing and from Inhofe's campaign - below the fold...

Monday's Roll Call noted that the DSCC, having far outraised its Republican counterpart, the NRSC, is ready to take action in states not normally considered good opportunities for Democratic Senatorial challengers.  One place they've been focusing on is Oklahoma.  In part due to the strength of the challenger (state Sen. Andrew Rice) and in part due to the weakness of the incumbent (Jim Inhofe), Oklahoma this year is up for grabs.

From RC (subscription required for full article):

But it’s in Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma and possibly other Republican states — where the GOP generally doesn’t expect to have any trouble — that the DSCC believes it might be able to sow the seeds of a filibuster-proof Senate majority. [...]

In Oklahoma, the DSCC is planning to send out as many as 10 field staffers to aid state Sen. Andrew Rice’s bid to oust Sen. James Inhofe (R), according to state Democratic Party Chairman Ivan Holmes.

Andrew Rice, state senator from Oklahoma and Jim Inhofe's sole opponent for U.S. Senate this year, will be here at 4:30 pm Central (5:30 Eastern/2:30 Pacific) to liveblog about his US Senate race.  He'll focus on the problems created by a combination of record gas prices and record oil company profits, but all questions will be welcome!

Check here at 4:30 Central today to speak with Sen. Rice:
http://senator-andrew-rice.dailykos.com/

Thanks -
Karina Henderson
Rice for US Senate

PS - If you want to find out more about Andrew, go to http://www.andrewforoklahoma.com .  And if you'd like to make a contribution now (so you're not having to nav away from the liveblog later), how about donating to our "Turn Oklahoma Green" page on ActBlue?  Click here - http://www.actblue.com/...

In his 35 years, Andrew Rice has accomplished a lot.

He represents a diverse Oklahoma City district in the state senate, where he has established himself as a consensus-builder and a strong advocate for children and families.  As a freshman senator, he has already built an impressive legislative record that includes cosponsoring and helping pass the "All Kids Act" – legislation similar to SCHIP – and forming a bipartisan coalition to create the Hunger Task Force, in order to find solutions to Oklahoma’s hunger crisis.

Before his election to the state senate, he received a master’s degree in theology, worked with the Texas Freedom Network, founded the Progressive Alliance Foundation, and performed other humanitarian work abroad.  After his brother, David, was killed on 9/11 in the World Trade Center, Andrew became heavily involved in the push for the creation of the 9/11 Commission and worked with victims’ family groups in opposing the Iraq War, citing it as a distraction from the fight to destroy the terrorist networks that killed his brother.

Not bad for someone turning 35 today.

(more below)

Topping off his best fundraising quarter to date, Andrew Rice today announced that he has raised $1 million during this campaign cycle.  Over $430,000 came in during the first quarter of this year alone,

With nearly 2/3 of the total funds raised coming from Oklahoma and over 95% of his contributions raised from individual donors, it's clear that Andrew Rice has burgeoning support from everyday people.

This campaign is on pace to becoming this cycle's classic "David vs Goliath" victory, similar to that of Jon Tester in 2006.  Tester's campaign made it to the million mark days before his June 6 primary.  Andrew Rice is nearly two months ahead of that pace, and doesn't have a primary opponent to contend with.

(Originally posted at Swing State Project)
Democracy for America today announced their endorsement of Oklahoma State Sen. Andrew Rice in his campaign for U.S. Senate.

From DFA's website:

We can make this Sen. Inhofe's last year in office.

Andrew Rice has a proven record in the Oklahoma Legislature having worked on issues like health care, veteran's rights, and the environment.  Andrew will bring his experience to Washington to fight to end the War in Iraq, provide access to health care for all Americans, and solve the crisis of global warming.

(more below)

cross posted at Huffington Post here

State Senator Andrew Rice, whose brother David was killed in the WTC on 9/11, blogs about the tragic mistake of the Iraq War, and how it has set us back against Al Qaeda.

Below the fold....

(Reposted from MyDD)

Ever since the New York Times suggested earlier this month that Oklahoma could be the critical 60th Democratic seat in the U.S. Senate, evidence backing up that statement has been pouring in.

First, Andrew Rice - an Oklahoma state Senator and the only challenger to incumbent/entrenched Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe - became the first U.S. Senate candidate to pick up the endorsement of the Sierra Club.

Earlier this week, we added Oklahoma's AFL-CIO to Andew's endorsement list. And Andrew was picked as one of seven top U.S. Senate challengers in Sen. Russ Feingold's "Pick a Progressive Patriot" vote.

(more below)

The wall that Jim Inhofe has built around himself is being chipped away.

From the New York Times Tuesday:

Signaling a significant departure from the Southern Baptist Convention’s official stance on global warming, 44 Southern Baptist leaders have decided to back a declaration calling for more action on climate change, saying its previous position on the issue was "too timid."

From Bloomberg news on Monday:

Echoing the concept of the seven cardinal vices -- set to paper by Pope Gregory I in the sixth century -- the new list adds a social dimension, Bishop Gianfranco Girotti, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, said in an interview yesterday with the Vatican's official newspaper l'Osservatore Romano.

"You offend God not only by stealing, taking the Lord's name in vain or coveting your neighbor's wife, but also by wrecking the environment[."]

(more below)

Last night, State Sen. Andrew Rice spoke to a crowd that packed the public library in Muskogee, Okla.  From the Muskogee Phoenix:

Frustrated by the direction federal government has taken since terrorists attacked America, first-term state Sen. Andrew Rice, D-Oklahoma City, says he’s ready to unseat U.S. Sen. James Inhofe, R-Oklahoma.

"He embarrasses me — as someone who is supposed to be a public servant from Oklahoma," Rice said Thursday evening during a meeting of the Muskogee County Democrats. "I don’t think we can afford him any more."

(more below)

Happy Holidays Kossacks!

As many of you know, because of the widespread dissatisfaction with seven years of incompetent federal government in DC, many Americans are hungry for change and therefore Democrats are showing the signs of being competitive in places for the first time in years. Oklahoma's U.S. Senate race is among them.

State Senator Andrew Rice will LiveBlog here on DailyKos tomorrow, Thur. Dec. 13th, at 3pm CST/1pm PST.

More info. below the fold.

As Many of you may be aware, most of Oklahoma has been devastated by an ice storm that has cut off electricity for over 500,000 Oklahomans (which also means no heat for most people as well, in the midst of frigid conditions)

State Senator Andrew Rice spent much of today touring and helping out in his urban State Senate district, which has been hit particularly bad.

Rice's statement below the fold.