Candidates running for one of Oklahoma’s 75 district judge seats have raised more than $2 million so far this election cycle (as of the latest campaign finance filing period that runs through Aug. 13.)
Of that amount, about $1.6 million has came from individual donors with half of those contributions coming from attorneys.
Since Oklahoma lacks specific guidelines for when judges should recuse themselves, some worry the donations create conflicts of interest in cases.
Although some candidates have taken in little or no money from attorneys, others have taken in tens of thousands of dollars from those in the legal profession.
Campaign Donations to District Judge Candidates
| Candidate | Office | Faces General Election Opponent? | Total Raised | Donations from Attorneys | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bret A. Smith | District 15, Office 4 | Yes | $123,115.40 | $23,748.00 | |
| Linda G. Morrissey | District 14, Office 9 | Yes | $115,953.36 | $94,620.00 | |
| Hank Young | District 7, Office 5 | No | $107,830.00 | $16,150.00 | |
| Jay S. Walker | District 5, Office 1 | Yes | $100,000.00 | $0 | |
| Chris Sloan | District 7, Office 5 | Yes | $93,170.00 | $16,950.00 | |
| Heather Elizabeth Coyle | District 7, Office 8 | Yes | $93,039.86 | $39,059.86 | |
| Richard C. Ogden | District 7, Office 11 | No | $88,260.00 | $60,780.00 | |
| Cindy H. Truong | District 7, Office 7 | No | $81,405.00 | $16,500.00 | |
| Natalie N. Mai | District 7, Office 5 | Yes | $68,093.00 | $19,742.07 | |
| James A. Williamson | District 14, Office 3 | No | $69,079.51 | $7,385.94 | |
| Dawn Moody | District 14, Office 10 | No | $57,166.79 | $37,616.61 | |
| Martha Rupp Carter | District 14, Office 12 | Yes | $54,823.93 | $31,134.10 | |
| Tracy Priddy | District 14, Office 3 | Yes | $54,285.00 | $24,500.00 | |
| Kory Slade Kirkland | District 6, Office 1 | No | $50,184.00 | $19,800.00 | |
| Brad David Leverett | District 3, Office 1 | Yes | $49,750.00 | $9,625.00 | |
| Bill Graves | District 7, Office 10 | Yes | $46,344.92 | $26,544.92 | |
| Kelly Morgan Greenough | District 14, Office 6 | No | $44,465.15 | $30,400.00 | |
| Stephen Clark | District 14, Office 12 | No | $41,605.24 | $15,739.38 | |
| Linda S. Thomas | District 11, Office 1 | No | $41,395.00 | $7,750.00 | |
| Michele D. Mcelwee | District 7, Office 9 | Yes | $40,915.00 | $22,800.00 | |
| Daman H. Cantrell | District 14, Office 4 | No | $40,350.00 | $800.00 | |
| Caroline Wall | District 14, Office 1 | Yes | $38,891.08 | $21,700.00 | |
| John Paul Jordan | District 26, Office 2 | Yes | $37,803.00 | $7,900.00 | |
| Jim Caputo | District 14, Office 3 | Yes | $35,425.00 | $24,100.00 | |
| Rebecca Brett Nightingale | District 14, Office 11 | No | $34,818.66 | $27,520.00 | |
| Rod Wiemer | District 24, Office 3 | Yes | $34,350.44 | $3,000.00 | |
| Christopher Brecht | District 14, Office 9 | Yes | $31,783.00 | $16,560.00 | |
| Michael Tupper | District 21, Office 1 | No | $31,300.00 | $23,775.00 | |
| Keith Overton McArtor | District 14, Office 1 | No | $30,023.63 | $16,413.63 | |
| Susan Stallings | District 7, Office 10 | Yes | $28,602.50 | $5,960.00 | |
| Paul K. Woodward | District 4, Office 2 | Yes | $28,337.00 | $7,850.00 | |
| Kelly Hake | District 24, Office 4 | Yes | $26,555.00 | $2,600.00 | |
| Jack Dean McCurdy II | District 26, Office 2 | Yes | $25,775.00 | $23,100.00 | |
| Shawn S. Taylor | District 12, Office 1 | Yes | $24,425.00 | $18,500.00 | |
| Jeff Virgin | District 21, Office 5 | No | $22,950.00 | $13,250.00 | |
| Kurt Glassco | District 14, Office 14 | No | $20,293.56 | $11,624.85 | |
| Leah Jo Edwards | District 21, Office 2 | No | $19,950.00 | $9,650.00 | |
| Rand C. Eddy | District 7, Office 8 | Yes | $19,470.00 | $17,550.00 | |
| Kendra Coleman | District 7, Office 9 | Yes | $18,976.89 | $7,300.00 | |
| Dennis Wayne Hladik | District 4, Office 3 | Yes | $18,902.50 | $6,400.00 | |
| Doug Carel | District 14, Office 10 | No | $18,805.45 | $2,200.00 | |
| Ryland Louis Rivas II | District 6, Office 1 | No | $18,460.00 | $5,700.00 | |
| Emmit Tayloe | District 5, Office 1 | Yes | $18,150.00 | $7,650.00 | |
| Blake B. Shipley | District 14, Office 2 | Yes | $17,025.00 | $825.00 | |
| Mike Duffy | District 3, Office 1 | Yes | $16,707.56 | $4,050.00 | |
| Amy Palumbo | District 7, Office 3 | No | $15,742.83 | $6,650.00 | |
| Lee Turner | District 8, Office 1 | Yes | $14,200.00 | $11,850.00 | |
| Tom Sawyer | District 14, Office 1 | Yes | $13,808.74 | $- | |
| Russell Singleton | District 4, Office 2 | Yes | $13,408.00 | $1,250.00 | |
| Curtis DeLapp | District 11, Office 1 | No | $12,557.78 | $2,700.00 | |
| Trevor S. Pemberton | District 7, Office 13 | No | $12,492.13 | $11,211.29 | |
| Thomas E. Prince | District 7, Office 2 | No | $11,778.00 | $10,232.00 | |
| Misty Miranda Fields | District 12, Office 1 | Yes | $11,751.22 | $556.84 | |
| John M. Dunn | District 24, Office 4 | Yes | $9,084.46 | $7,545.92 | |
| Thad H. Balkman | District 21, Office 3 | No | $9,025.00 | $8,725.00 | |
| Aletia Haynes Timmons | District 7, Office 1 | No | $8,427.21 | $7,577.21 | |
| Alan Gentges | District 11, Office 1 | No | $8,150.37 | $2,298.37 | |
| William J. Musseman | District 14, Office 13 | No | $7,750.00 | $5,875.00 | |
| James E. Walters | District 15, Office 4 | Yes | $7,354.00 | $0 | |
| Sharon Holmes | District 14, Office 2 | Yes | $7,250.00 | $3,800.00 | |
| Kenneth M Stoner | District 7, Office 4 | No | $5,700.00 | $0 | |
| Douglas Alan Kirkley | District 15, Office 2 | No | $5,400.00 | $0 | |
| Timothy R. Henderson | District 7, Office 6 | No | $4,041.95 | $2,421.94 | |
| Rick D. Westcott | District 14, Office 12 | Yes | $3,794.29 | $250.00 | |
| Ray Charles Elliott | District 7, Office 14 | No | $3,652.50 | $3,000.00 | |
| Lisa Tipping Davis | District 7, Office 12 | No | $3,017.35 | $2,864.85 | |
| Thomas E. Salisbury | District 8, Office 1 | Yes | $2,495.60 | $500.00 | |
| Ken Adair | District 24, Office 3 | Yes | $2,100.00 | $1,000.00 | |
| Tracy George | District 26, Office 2 | No | $1,969.00 | $0 | |
| Eric Nathan Edwards | District 4, Office 3 | Yes | $752.50 | $0 | |
| Doug Drummond | District 14, Office 8 | No | $500.00 | $0 |
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