A contentious state house district in Tulsa is once again up for reelection.
House District 79 largely sits between Yale Avenue, Mingo Road, and 41st and 71st streets. It’s represented in the state House by Democrat Melissa Provenzano, who since 2018 has won the district by four percentage points or fewer.
Provenzano, a former Tulsa Public Schools administrator, faces engineer Paul Hassink, a Republican, as she did in 2022.
Hassink says winning over independent voters is the key to winning the seat.
“The biggest message is, ‘We’re not happy with things in general, OK?’ There’s a lot of anxiety about the way the country is going,” said Hassink.
Hassink said independent voters he’s spoken to are specifically concerned about the security of the southern border of the United States. He said this “translates to crime, and there’s a high degree of concern about crime.”
Oklahoma lawmakers used similar reasoning to pass a bill this year making unauthorized immigration a misdemeanor offense. It’s currently unenforceable since the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the state claiming the law is unconstitutional.
“The country is going in a direction Oklahoma can’t stop, at least not without a significant level of other states stepping in to communicate that at a federal level,” said Hassink, adding that he uses this point to encourage voters to first make their voices heard on statewide issues.
Provenzano said she speaks to independents in her district, too, but said she hears a different message when she talks to them.
“They are so tired of the extremes on either end having the primary voice, and what I explained is, ‘You know, 95% of what comes to the House floor, we all agree on, regardless of Democrat or Republican,’” she said.
Provenzano said independents are most concerned about education.
“Their top concerns are, ‘What are you doing about our public schools to make them better?’ Speaking bluntly, ‘What are you doing about Ryan Walters?’ The man seems to not have the public schools in his best interest.”
The election for House District 79 is Nov. 5. Early voting starts Oct. 30. Visit www.oklahoma.gov/elections for more information.
