Democrat leads fundraising for south OKC Senate seat

The Democrat running for a vacant south Oklahoma City Senate seat has raised five times as much as the GOP hopeful, reports show.

Immigration attorney Michael Brooks raised over $164,000, his campaign reports show. His only opponent, Joe Griffin, has raised over $29,000, his reports show.

The special general election for the Senate District 44 seat is Tuesday.

Brooks said Friday he was humbled by the outpouring of support “from our friends, neighbors, people we went to school with, our church family, and ... hundreds of working families from across Oklahoma.

“Our support goes to show that if you work hard, have deep roots in the community, and have a sincere desire to put people before partisanship, Oklahomans will join you,” Brooks said.

Griffin said he was not worried.

“We have a strong message and a strong ground game. We’re doing well,” he said Friday. “We still feel confident. We feel good.”

Griffin is a former television reporter who later worked as the chief communication aide for two Oklahoma House speakers. While still in law school last year, he unsuccessfully sought a House seat.

The Senate District 44 seat became vacant in March when Sen. Ralph Shortey resigned after being charged with three felonies. Shortey, R-Oklahoma City, was first elected to the seat in 2010.

Shortey is accused in the still pending child prostitution case of offering to pay a 17-yearold boy for sexual “stuff.”

Griffin pointed out that Brooks ran against Shortey in 2014 and had more in donations that campaign, too, but still lost.