David Walters

Walters Says Senate Bid Is Obligation

Sat Oct 12, 2002

By Tim Talley
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Former Gov. David Walters' only term in office was marred by public scandal and personal tragedy.

But eight years after he decided not to seek re-election, Walters has thrust himself back into the public spotlight as he campaigns for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican incumbent Jim Inhofe.

Walters said a sense of obligation, not a need to validate himself, prompted him to run against Inhofe, who he said is ineffective because of "extreme and radical views."

"I need to run for the United State Senate like I need a hole in my head," said Walters, 51. "I enjoy my business and my family and in many ways would like to do lots of different things. But this is important."

Walters said the state needs a more moderate voice in the Senate. He said he encouraged others to oppose Inhofe before he began his own campaign.

"When no one else stepped up, I did," Walters said. "I will serve with distinction. I will work hard. I'm in the middle ideologically. Jim Inhofe would have to drive 200 miles to get there."

Inhofe's campaign manager, Josh Kivett, rebutted Walters' accusations.

"David Walters is desperate for media attention and would rather attack Sen. Inhofe than talk about issues," Kivett said.

Elected governor in 1990, Walters carried 75 of Oklahoma's 77 counties and received the largest margin of victory in 32 years.

But Walters became the state's only sitting governor to be indicted following a grand jury investigation into his campaign finance activities. In 1993, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of violating campaign finance laws.

Two years earlier, Walters' only son, Shaun Walters, 20, took his own life with an overdose of prescriptions antidepressants. After the death, Walters railed against the media for hounding the young man, who was facing a drug paraphernalia charge.

Walters said his campaign law violation was blown out of proportion. The case involved $13,500 in excessive donations.

"They did a good job of making that look like an ax murder," he said. "Four checks out of 4,629 checks. You could have put them under a microscope and not determined anything was wrong with them.

"I understand that it goes with the territory, although with me it tends to be more radioactive. It was a rough time because we were almost constantly under attack."

Walters' opponent in the Democratic primary, Tulsa attorney Tom Boettcher, said many people would not vote for Walters because of his past.

Walters received 49 percent of the vote in the primary, less than the majority needed to win the nomination. He won a runoff with Boettcher with 57 percent of the vote.

Walters has made criticism of Inhofe the centerpiece of his campaign, saying the conservative incumbent is taken for granted by Republican leadership and reviled by Democratic lawmakers.

"If we continue to manage around the margins, we're going to continue to be one of the poorest states in the nation," Walters said. "We're not lacking anything. The soil, air and water is the same here as it is everywhere else. We're just lacking good, strong leadership."

Walters, who operates a company that produces power plants, trails Inhofe in campaign polls and in fundraising.

As of Sept. 30, Inhofe had raised just over $3 million for his campaign and spent more than $2.1 million, according to figures provided by Inhofe's campaign. Inhofe had $1.25 million in cash on hand.

Walters had raised $1.75 million and spent $1.6 million and had about $150,000 on hand as of Sept. 30, according to his campaign.

Walters' campaign hopes to chip away at Inhofe's lead with a media campaign that will focus on Inhofe's voting record.

"They don't know that he doesn't show up for work," Walters said. "They don't know that he votes consistently for his pay raises. They don't know that in spite of the fact that he runs ads to the contrary, that he works pretty hard to stop prescription drug benefits under Medicare. They don't know that he votes to invade the Social Security trust funds, which continues to weaken that. They don't know that he votes against almost every educational program that comes on line."

Kivett, Inhofe's campaign manager, said Inhofe participated in 97 percent of the votes since he took office in 1995. He also said the pay raise Walters referred to was a cost-of-living adjustment that Inhofe donates to charity.

Kivett said Inhofe has consistently voted to protect Social Security and Medicare, sponsored a prescription drug bill under Medicare and supports President's Bush's elementary and secondary education initiative.

"Either David Walters doesn't know the facts, or again he likes to misrepresent them," Kivett said. "He is simply trying to scare the voters of Oklahoma."

Walters has received strong support from the national Democratic Party, which hopes to increase the party's narrow one-vote majority in the Senate. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., has visited the state twice to raise money for Walters' campaign.

"We're pleased with the progress we've been making so far," Walters said. "People are responding very well."