Fallin says she’s done with politics
After nearly three decades of service, Gov. Mary Fallin said Friday she is done with politics.
“I think so,” Fallin said when asked if her political career was over when her current term ends. “I have been serving in office since I was 35 years old.”
Fallin is 63 and recently welcomed her first grandchild.
She began her career as a member of the Oklahoma House before being elected lieutenant governor and to Congress. She is winding down the final days of her second term as governor.
“My children, when I actually took my seat in the Legislature, were a month and a half old and 3,” Fallin said. “Now they are 31 and 28, so I think it is time to spend some quality time, more time I should say, with my family.”
She said she would also like to spend some time with her husband, Wade Christensen, and take some vacations.
Republican Gov.-elect Kevin Stitt will be sworn into office on Jan. 14 after campaigning as a political outsider and against “career politicians,” citing Fallin as an example.
Fallin, who has seen her popularity decline significantly since taking office, was asked what she thought about being vilified in political advertisements from both Stitt and Democrat Drew Edmondson. Both tried to tie her to their opponent.
“It was hard on our family,” she said. “I will admit that.”
She said she has not talked to
Stitt about the ads. People will choose their own path of doing what they need to do to get elected, she said.
“And certainly in politics, you say a lot of things that you might not normally say, but that is just campaigning,” Fallin said.
But her husband posted on social media his thoughts about the negative ads and his wife’s service.
“I could never be a politician,” Christiansen, an attorney, wrote in a Nov. 3 Facebook post shortly before the Nov. 6 election. “Most people wouldn’t! During this election season, I’ve seen commercials and read articles attacking my wife (and many other ‘career’ politicians) saying she has nothing to show for her eight years as governor but failed policies.”
The facts prove otherwise, he wrote, highlighting what he saw as a lengthy list of her accomplishments as governor.
Christiansen wrote that he has tried to follow his wife’s example of grace and class under a barrage of unfair remarks and disrespect to the position. He wrote that he felt like he needed to respond to the attack on her character and service.
He said her accomplishments ranged from repairing the aging state Capitol to workers compensation reform, improving the condition of state bridges and increasing the number of jobs and industries in the state.
Christiansen also said Fallin was able to obtain the supermajority in both chambers to pass a historical teacher pay raise.
About a week after the election, the governor and her family hosted Stitt, his wife, Sarah, and their six children at the Governor’s Mansion for a meal.
“I don’t think there were any hard feelings,” Stitt said on Thursday when asked about it. “We never really talked about it. They were just very gracious.
Fallin said she was pleased Republicans maintained all statewide elected offices and increased their majority in the House.
She said that was a confirmation voters thought Republican policies were good.
She said her office will do everything it can to ensure that Stitt is successful. She said she is confident the “people of Oklahoma selected a good person to be our next governor.”
Fallin said she will continue to be involved in the state. She also plans to do some consulting at the national and state level.