{"id":734977,"date":"2024-06-17T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-17T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/?p=734977"},"modified":"2025-02-21T10:02:26","modified_gmt":"2025-02-21T16:02:26","slug":"outside-spending-soars-ahead-of-primary-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2024\/06\/17\/outside-spending-soars-ahead-of-primary-election\/","title":{"rendered":"Outside Spending Soars Ahead of Primary Election"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-custom-everlit-iframe-embed\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"50px\" src=\"https:\/\/everlit.audio\/embeds\/artl_dXQlJkF9oaV?client=wp&amp;client_version=2.6.0\" title=\"Everlit Audio Player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The ads take viewers to a dark place with ominous background music.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The narrator wastes no time introducing the villain: A Republican candidate for Oklahoma House or Senate painted as a liberal in disguise.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They\u2019re alleged to be soft on crime, fiscally irresponsible or controlled by special interests. Photoshopped images of President Joe Biden often appear in the background.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSometimes they\u2019re just full out lies about the other person,\u201d said Jarod Mendenhall, the superintendent of Muskogee Public Schools who is challenging incumbent Rep. Neil Hays in the <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Oklahoma_House_of_Representatives_District_13\">House District 13<\/a> Republican Primary.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Oklahoma Federation for Children Action Fund, a social welfare organization that supports school voucher programs, has spent $31,672 since May 28 on digital advertisements and mailers opposing Mendenhall, Oklahoma Ethics Commission records show. Mendenhall does not support expanding educational tax credits, <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Jarod_Mendenhall\">stating in a Ballotpedia survey<\/a> response that most who apply for the credits are already sending their children to private schools.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou just sit back and think that\u2019s pretty incredible that we have a system that\u2019s designed to where you can spend an inordinate amount of money towards something that\u2019s a falsehood,\u201d Mendenhall said.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Spending by outside political groups, many funded by dark money organizations, has soared ahead of the June 18 primary election. While the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/legal-resources\/court-cases\/citizens-united-v-fec\/\">spending is not illegal<\/a>, critics argue it can harm voters who are bombarded with messages from questionable sources.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed alignleft is-type-wp-embed is-provider-datawrapper wp-block-embed-datawrapper\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" title=\"Outside Spending in Oklahoma Primary Elections\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/h6f8I\/4\/#?secret=afxlS7mhpb\" data-secret=\"afxlS7mhpb\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"476\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>From April 15 to June 15, politically involved nonprofits spent more than $3 million to influence Oklahoma voters, more than three times what was spent over a similar period in 2020. About $400,000 of the total has been spent on digital advertisements, commercials and mailers opposing candidates, while the rest has gone to support candidates, according to an Oklahoma Watch review of Oklahoma Ethics Commission filings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The outside spending exceeds the $2.6 million candidates used on campaign expenses from April 15 to June 3. A statewide Republican primary for a vacant Corporation Commission seat and dozens of legislative primaries in the Republican and Democratic parties are on the June 18 ballot.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Oklahoma campaign finance laws limit individual contributions to candidates at $3,300 per election and political action committees at $5,000 per election. But 501(c)4 nonprofits may spend unlimited amounts on political messaging so long as they do not coordinate with candidates.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On June 3, the Virginia-based conservative advocacy organization Make Liberty Win spent $132,000 on \u201cfield distribution of literature\u201d for House District 23 Republican candidate Derrick Hildebrant. Oklahoma Conservative Renewal LLC, a social welfare organization that posts no information about its mission on its website, spent $263,000 on opposition mailers and advertisements from May 22 to June 3.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brendan Glavin is the Deputy Research Director at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opensecrets.org\/\">Open Secrets<\/a>, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that tracks campaign finance and lobbying data. He said many social welfare groups, including Make Liberty Win, do disclose their donors to the FEC but are largely funded by dark money organizations.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As outside political spending has skyrocketed over the past decade, Glavin said state House races have become increasingly nationalized.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re accumulating vast sums of money and spending it with a common message across the whole country,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Frustrated by skyrocketing in outside spending in the 2022 gubernatorial election, Gov. Kevin Stitt established a task force to study campaign finance and election threats in July.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The task force did not recommend limiting dark money spending, calling the matter a federal issue, but suggested increasing caps on candidate and political party donations as a solution to curb outside spending. Members also urged the state to ramp up enforcement of an existing rule requiring independent expenditure entities to have an Oklahoma-based treasurer and provide an active and legitimate phone number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWithout significant change, the state is at risk that independent expenditure entities can assume the role of primary campaign communication entity as opposed to candidates,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/oklahoma.gov\/content\/dam\/ok\/en\/governor\/documents\/Task_Force_on_Campaign_Finance_and_Election_Threats.pdf\">the report reads<\/a>. \u201cMeaningful change must be considered by the Oklahoma Ethics Commission to reverse this potential.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ethics Commission members discussed the report at its May meeting and could take action on the recommendations in the coming months. Proposed Ethics Commission rules are subject to legislative and gubernatorial approval.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For now, candidates like Wendi Stearman say they are countering the outside spending by maintaining their voter outreach. The Oklahoma Federation for Children Action Fund has spent $72,518 on digital ads and mailers opposing Stearman, who is challenging incumbent Sen. Julie Daniels in the Senate District 29 primary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know if it will be effective or not, but it doesn\u2019t change how I do anything,\u201d said Stearman, a former state representative who has raised just over $20,000 since April. \u201cI\u2019ve been going door to door like I\u2019ve been doing last summer and I\u2019ll just keep doing it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mendenhall, the candidate for House District 13, said he\u2019s hopeful his campaign messaging will resonate more with voters than the outside advertisements.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re feeling like there\u2019s a lot of threat there and there\u2019s a good chance they\u2019re going to lose,\u201d Mendenhall said of the attack ads he has faced. \u201cSo that\u2019s been telling me a whole lot about them and their whole strategy to win the race.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1080\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cropped-Jake-Ramsey-250X.png?resize=1080%2C1080&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-734961\" style=\"width:181px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cropped-Jake-Ramsey-250X.png?w=1080&amp;ssl=1 1080w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cropped-Jake-Ramsey-250X.png?resize=336%2C336&amp;ssl=1 336w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cropped-Jake-Ramsey-250X.png?resize=771%2C771&amp;ssl=1 771w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cropped-Jake-Ramsey-250X.png?resize=140%2C140&amp;ssl=1 140w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cropped-Jake-Ramsey-250X.png?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cropped-Jake-Ramsey-250X.png?resize=800%2C800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cropped-Jake-Ramsey-250X.png?resize=600%2C600&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cropped-Jake-Ramsey-250X.png?resize=400%2C400&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cropped-Jake-Ramsey-250X.png?resize=200%2C200&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cropped-Jake-Ramsey-250X.png?resize=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cropped-Jake-Ramsey-250X.png?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cropped-Jake-Ramsey-250X.png?resize=706%2C706&amp;ssl=1 706w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cropped-Jake-Ramsey-250X.png?resize=100%2C100&amp;ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cropped-Jake-Ramsey-250X.png?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><em>Jake Ramsey is a Summer 2024 reporting intern with Oklahoma Watch. He is also Editor-in-Chief of The Vista, the University of Central Oklahoma\u2019s student newspaper. Contact Jake at <a href=\"mailto:amartinez@oklahomawatch.org\">jramsey@oklahomawatch.org<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"771\" height=\"771\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274.jpg?resize=771%2C771&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-700099\" style=\"width:193px;height:193px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274.jpg?resize=771%2C771&amp;ssl=1 771w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274.jpg?resize=336%2C336&amp;ssl=1 336w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274.jpg?resize=140%2C140&amp;ssl=1 140w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274.jpg?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274.jpg?resize=400%2C400&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274.jpg?resize=200%2C200&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274.jpg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274.jpg?resize=706%2C706&amp;ssl=1 706w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274.jpg?resize=100%2C100&amp;ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274.jpg?w=801&amp;ssl=1 801w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274-771x771.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><em>Keaton Ross covers democracy and criminal justice for Oklahoma Watch. Contact him at (405) 831-9753 or <a href=\"mailto:Kross@Oklahomawatch.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kross@Oklahomawatch.org<\/a>.\u00a0Follow him on Twitter at <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/_KeatonRoss\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">@_KeatonRoss<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:17px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\t<div class=\"wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles is-style-default wpnbha is-grid columns-3 colgap-1 show-image image-aligntop ts-3 is-3 is-landscape is-style-default\" style=\"\">\n\t\t<div data-posts data-current-post-id=\"737911\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"article-section-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>MORE FROM keaton ross <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"754183\" class=\"tag-attorney-general-gentner-drummond tag-corrections-2 tag-criminal-justice tag-darcy-jech tag-department-of-corrections tag-james-havens tag-kyle-counts tag-medical-parole tag-oklahoma-news tag-oklahoma-pardon-and-parole-board tag-senate-bill-320 tag-tom-bates category-corrections category-criminaljustice type-post post-has-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2026\/01\/02\/attorney-general-only-the-doc-director-can-refer-prisoners-for-medical-parole\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Prison-Visit-Keaton-23-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-large size-newspack-article-block-landscape-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Attorney General: Only the DOC Director Can Refer Prisoners For Medical Parole\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Prison-Visit-Keaton-23-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Prison-Visit-Keaton-23-scaled.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Prison-Visit-Keaton-23-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Prison-Visit-Keaton-23-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Prison-Visit-Keaton-23-scaled.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Prison-Visit-Keaton-23-scaled.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 2400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Prison-Visit-Keaton-23-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 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tag-oklahoma-legislature tag-oklahoma-news tag-oklahoma-pardon-and-parole-board tag-oklahomans-for-criminal-justice-reform tag-prisons tag-state-question-780 tag-state-sen-dave-rader category-corrections category-criminaljustice type-post post-has-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/12\/23\/oklahomas-prison-population-climbed-in-2025\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2024_1010_5D4B1944-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-large size-newspack-article-block-landscape-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Oklahoma\u2019s Prison Population Climbed in 2025\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2024_1010_5D4B1944-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2024_1010_5D4B1944-scaled.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2024_1010_5D4B1944-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2024_1010_5D4B1944-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2024_1010_5D4B1944-scaled.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2024_1010_5D4B1944-scaled.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 2400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2024_1010_5D4B1944-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 782px) 400px, (min-width: 600px) 42.5vw, 90vw\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/12\/23\/oklahomas-prison-population-climbed-in-2025\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Oklahoma\u2019s Prison Population Climbed in 2025<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-12-23T06:01:00-06:00\">December 23, 2025<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2025-12-26T09:48:59-06:00\">December 26, 2025<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"753965\" class=\"tag-attorney-general-gentner-drummond tag-campaign-finance tag-elections tag-legislature tag-oklahoma-ethics-commission tag-oklahoma-news tag-transparency category-democracy category-democracy-democracy category-government category-publicmoney category-transparency type-post post-has-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/12\/19\/oklahomas-campaign-finance-database-is-back-online\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/TED_8259-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-large size-newspack-article-block-landscape-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Oklahoma\u2019s Campaign Finance Database is Back Online\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/TED_8259-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/TED_8259-scaled.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/TED_8259-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/TED_8259-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/TED_8259-scaled.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/TED_8259-scaled.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 2400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/TED_8259-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 782px) 400px, (min-width: 600px) 42.5vw, 90vw\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/12\/19\/oklahomas-campaign-finance-database-is-back-online\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Oklahoma\u2019s Campaign Finance Database is Back Online<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-12-19T13:30:00-06:00\">December 19, 2025<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2025-12-22T08:59:30-06:00\">December 22, 2025<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Politically involved nonprofits have poured more than $2.5 million into state legislative races, nearly triple what was spent in 2020. 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