Electing rural-friendly candidates to public office is the focus of a two-day campaign management seminar Dec. 1-2 at the Best Western Saddleback Inn, Oklahoma City. The seminar is sponsored by Oklahoma Farm Bureau.
“It’s important we elect people who understand the unique issues of rural Oklahoma,” said OFB Public Policy Director Lori Peterson.
A majority of Oklahoma’s legislators represent at least a portion of rural voters. Out of a total of 149 state lawmakers in the current legislature, 84 are considered “rural.”
The campaign seminar will include sessions on candidate evaluation, campaign issues, raising campaign funds, working with the news media, recruiting volunteer campaign workers and using polling data to your advantage.
Linda Johnson, Director of Policy Implementation for the American Farm Bureau Federation, will conduct the sessions. Johnson travels the country working with state Farm Bureaus on campaign schools.
This is the fourth campaign school sponsored by Oklahoma Farm Bureau. Graduates credit the school with getting them elected to office.
“The information presented in the seminar is very timely, as it helped me know when to begin each phase of the campaign,” said State Sen. Daisy Lawler, Lawton. “This is the only seminar like this, and I believe it was extremely helpful.”
The Lawton senator added she will attend the seminar again this year as a “refresher course” to help in her re-election campaign.
