Wednesday, May 28th - OKLAHOMA CITY

I am Steve Russell.  I am a husband, father, native Oklahoman, and a conservative that has served America for 21 years as an Army Infantryman.  I have fought in Kosovo and Afghanistan.  I commanded roughly a thousand soldiers in a battalion in Iraq.  Together, we were a central part of the hunt and capture of Saddam Hussein.  After years of absence and hardship on my family, I decided to turn down a promotion to full colonel, and a Fellowship at Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada to move back to Oklahoma, where I was raised.  It was time to reconnect with my family and settle my children before they started to leave home.  Coming home to Oklahoma has been wonderful.  There was no other place I wanted to settle my family.  Not only have I reunited with family and a great many friends, I have also seen the positive changes that have occurred in Oklahoma during my time away.

Today I am officially announcing my run for the State Senate in Oklahoma’s 45th District.  While I have always considered Oklahoma my home while serving as a soldier, I have been able to develop a unique perspective that I believe will be a real benefit to Oklahomans in general and Senate District 45 in particular.  I have witnessed firsthand the creation of new democracies.  I have seen how the rest of the world views Oklahoma, and I have developed an even deeper appreciation for the things that make us and our people special:  Love of God, love of family, and an enthusiasm for individual respect and responsibility that often does not exist in many parts of the world and in some parts of our own country.

My love for Oklahoma has not blinded me to the current problems we face. We have bureaucracies that fight against fiscal and moral reforms in issues ranging from education, to health care, to corrections, to workers’ compensation.   We have a business climate that too often punishes, rather than rewards innovation and entrepreneurship.  We have children in state custody who want nothing more than an opportunity to be part of a functioning family and functioning families that face an unwelcoming and expensive prospect when trying to adopt them.  We have a backlog of road and bridge projects that are just now beginning to be addressed.  We have a National Guard that will redeploy next year with needs that few in our state government can understand.  But I believe we can fix these problems, and help Oklahoma reach its full potential.

I have decided to run for state senate because this seat can make a difference on the policy of the entire state.  I refuse to let cynicism take away the belief that regular people of regular means can still be elected by their fellow citizens to serve them in government.  

I will take a stand to protect the unborn without apology, but I will also work to ease the burden of good families wishing to adopt children.  Three of my own children were orphans.  Kids deserve a home.  But for the grace of God, it could be any of us.  We have to find a better way, without the expense and red tape that often turns away those desiring to adopt. 

I have been asked about my views on tort law and the need to reform it.  I believe that we must protect our jury trial system and should be careful in exchanging one set of problems for another.  We have all seen the problems resulting from too much power in the hands of the judges and not the people.  But that said, we must find a way to prevent a businessman or doctor from having to pay to be wrong because he cannot afford to be right unless he wants to lose his business or practice.  Some call this a business decision.  I call it extortion, and we must stop it.

I will fight for a dedicated funding mechanism for our roads and bridges.  We should not have a government that reinvents itself every year by having budget fights….and then grows the government with surpluses rather than fix the needs of neglected infrastructure. 

You also need to know that I am a fighter.  I am not ashamed of my faith or of the name of Jesus Christ that inspires it.  I am not trying to be somebody.  I have had a taste of that.  It is all very fleeting.  I am trying to do ‘good.’  I will use the experience I have gathered around the world as I worked in failed states, rubbled cities and among suffering populations.  I have experience making tough decisions, where the stakes were not someone’s inconvenience, but someone’s life.  I know how to lead.  I look forward to serving you in the senate and I have been heartened by the encouragement I have received from so many.  Thank you for supporting me here today.

 

Keep Steve in the fight!

Keep it coming!  Let's continue to give Steve the funds he needs for mail outs, signs and materials to get his great message out to the voters of the district. Please consider a $45 or greater donation today.  Individuals can donate up to $5000 in a state senate race in Oklahoma.

Payments can be made online via PayPal or with your credit card. 

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Checks can be sent to:

Friends of Steve Russell
10600 South Penn
Suite 16-294

Oklahoma City, OK 73170

Contact us if you have any questions.  Check the website for regular updates.  Spread the word and Don't Quit!