NOTE: New OK-05 polling conducted by GQR Research shows Representative Kendra Horn leading Stephanie Bice by 5 points (51/46), with Vice President Biden within 1 point of President Trump (47/48) in a district Trump won by over 13 points in 2016. Rep. Horn is winning independent voters by more than 30 points (65/31). The poll showed voters view Congresswoman Horn with a 13-point net positive favorability rating, while Stephanie Bice’s favorability is net negative by 3 points. Rep. Horn also enjoys a 15-point net positive job approval rating.
The poll was conducted on behalf of the DCCC from 8/5-8/9 through live interviewer calls to landlines and cell phones, with a sample size of 500 likely general election voters and a margin of error of +/-4.4%.
“Over the past year, Stephanie Bice has shown the people of the 5th Congressional District that her priorities are all wrong. In the middle of a global pandemic, Bice voted to take money away from police and teachers and supports efforts to strip Oklahomans of their health insurance. Meanwhile, Representative Kendra Horn has proven to be an effective leader for her community, working tirelessly to lower the cost of prescription drugs and get Oklahomans back to work safely. The contrast in this race is clear, and I have no doubt that Kendra’s record will earn her re-election in November.” – DCCC Chairwoman Cheri Bustos
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To: Interested Parties
From: Brooke Goren, DCCC Regional Press Secretary
Date: August 25, 2020
Subject: The Case Against Stephanie Bice
After a deeply damaging and protracted Republican runoff battle, Representative Kendra Horn in strong position to win re-election in Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional District this November.
The contrast between Rep. Horn and her new opponent, State Senator Stephanie Bice, couldn’t be clearer: While Rep. Horn believes that government’s role is to serve people, Bice puts partisanship and her political ambitions ahead of hardworking Oklahomans.
After barely crawling out of the runoff, Bice will have to grapple with more than a million dollars’ worth of damage done to her brand among Republican voters. Bice’s opponent attacked her as “a tax raising politician we just can’t trust,” criticizing her for lying about stance on abortion, guns, and peddling a fake endorsement from Vice President Pence.
In the final months of the campaign, conservative outside group Club for Growth attacked Bice over her vote “for the single biggest tax hike in state history.” In the last few weeks alone, Club for Growth spent nearly half a million dollars telling voters that Bice voted to give herself a pay raise while voting to take money away from teachers and the police and decrying her as “strangely liberal” for raising taxes and criticizing President Trump.
As Oklahomans struggle to deal with an unprecedented economic and public health crisis, Bice opposed expanding health care coverage to more low-income adults and has advocated for policies that would do away with protections for 335,300 people in OK-05 with pre-existing conditions – including testing positive for the coronavirus.
Meanwhile, Rep. Horn has spent her career lifting people up and building bridges to bring those with differing opinions together. After winning the biggest upset in the country in 2018 as a first-time candidate, she has brought her measured, bipartisan approach to serving all Oklahomans in Congress.
During her first term in office, Rep. Horn has focused on showing up for her constituents, taking on Washington’s biggest problems, and standing up to party when it makes sense for her community. Known across the district for her outstanding constituent services, Rep. Horn has been named one of the top 10 most accessible freshmen members of Congress. Since being sworn into office, she has introduced legislation to cap out-of-control prescription drug costs and teamed up with Senator Inhofe to fight for better housing for military families. She worked across the aisle to help pass the USMCA trade deal and stood up to members of her own party to advocate for Oklahoma’s oil and gas industry.
Perhaps nowhere else has Rep. Horn’s leadership been more evident than during the coronavirus pandemic. She successfully advocated for a pause in Oklahoma City water shutoffs so that residents could wash their hands during the public health crisis, secured billions of dollars in relief for small businesses and economic impact payments, and hosted regular town hall events to provide constituents with up-to-date information — all while pushing for fiscal responsibility and bipartisanship.
With a massive cash-on-hand advantage over her opponent and a strong record to run on, Rep. Horn is in an excellent position to defy expectations once again and continue representing Oklahomans for years to come.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
HEADLINE: Outside group plans new attack on Sen. Stephanie Bice [The Oklahoman, 8/07/20]
HEADLINE: Congresswoman Horn named one of the ‘Most-Accessible’ freshman representatives [Fox 25. 1/14/20]
HEADLINE: Rep. Kendra Horn introduces legislation to cap out-of-pocket prescription drug expenses at $2,000 [KOCO, 10/12/19]
HEADLINE: Horn, Oklahoma Republicans urge agreement on NAFTA replacement [The Oklahoman, 12/05/19]
HEADLINE: Kendra Horn Speaks Out About Proposed Ban On Fracking [News on 6, 2/28/20]
HEADLINE: Neese, Bice each spent nearly $1 million to make GOP runoff in 5th District [The Oklahoman, 7/17/20]
“[Oklahoma political scientist] Johnson believes Horn will be a tough opponent in the general election, resulting in a seat up for grabs by either party. ‘She has not shied away from talking with constituents about tough issues and tough times… She’s running the sort of race that you need to run to overcome a lot of the variables that might be against her over the next few months.’” [KGOU, 6/12/20]
Stephanie Bice: A Typical Politician Just Out for Herself
BICE HAS REPEATEDLY VOTED TO HURT OKLAHOMANS WHILE GIVING HERSELF A PAY RAISE
Teachers will be on the front lines this fall, risking their lives and health to educate our children — but Stephanie Bice has made it clear that she doesn’t have their backs. Bice voted for legislation that would have let school administrations pay teachers less than statewide minimums, cut health insurance benefits and underfund the teacher retirement system.
During the runoff, the conservative group Club for Growth spent nearly half a million dollars reminding voters that Bice voted to give herself a pay raise while voting to take money away from teachers and the police.
Bice also voted to cut the affordable housing tax credit in half, while giving millions of dollars in cash rebates to Hollywood producers.
AMID A GLOBAL PANDEMIC, BICE WOULD BE A DISASTER FOR OKLAHOMANS’ HEALTH CARE
Stephanie Bice’s reckless health care positions may have played well in a crowded Republican primary, but the general election is a different story.
Just like the Washington establishment backing her campaign, Bice has advocated for doing away with the entire Affordable Care Act – including popular provisions like protections for people with pre-existing conditions and allowing young people to stay on their parents’ insurance plan. Bice’s plan would end protections for 335,300 people in OK-05 with pre-existing conditions, leave millions of Americans without access to critical services, and raise prescription drug costs – despite the ongoing public health crisis.
While Oklahomans overwhelmingly voted in favor of expanding Medicaid coverage to low-income adults in June, Bice opposes the plan.
In contrast, Rep. Kendra Horn ran on a promise to fight for lower health care costs and has made the issue a central focus of her work in Congress. Horn supports common-sense solutions to lower premiums and has made lowering sky-high prescription drug costs a top priority, introducing legislation that would cap out-of-pocket expenses.
A TYPICAL PARTISAN POLITICIAN WILLING TO SAY ANYTHING TO GET ELECTED
Less than two years into her current State Senate term, Stephanie Bice is already looking for a promotion. Combine that with her record of saying anything just to get elected, and it’s clear Bice simply can’t be trusted.
During her career in the legislature, Bice has refused to stand up to her party. Rather than go on the record against party leaders on out-of-touch women’s health measures, Bice skipped out on the votes entirely. And she missed a full day of votes earlier this year to play politics in the Washington swamp.
In 2016, Bice criticized Donald Trump, calling his comments inappropriate and offensive, and even endorsing one of his opponents. Yet when it became clear that her previous criticism was untenable in the primary, Bice flip-flopped on her beliefs. Now she pledges her complete loyalty to Trump, claiming that she would work with him on the border wall, praised his handling of the coronavirus, and attending his rally in Tulsa just a few months ago.
Bice drew cries out outrage during the primary and runoff elections for falsely touting endorsements she did not have. Bice sent campaign mailers claiming to have the support of Oklahomans for Life, which did not endorse her campaign, and claimed to be endorsed by Vice President Mike Pence, who did not back either runoff candidate.
Bice’s self-serving political ambition couldn’t paint a starker contrast with leader and public servant Kendra Horn. A first-time candidate who ran to give her community a voice, Horn’s unique perspective and independent streak is a welcome breath of fresh air for Oklahomans fed up with partisan politicians like Bice.
While Rep. Kendra Horn answers to Oklahomans alone and does not accept corporate PAC money, Stephanie Bice heads into the general election indebted to dark monied special interests. Meanwhile, handpicked by the Washington establishment, Bice’s campaign has failed to attract local endorsements thus far, relying instead on support from Washington Republicans and out-of-state PAC’s.
PATH TO VICTORY
In 2018, Kendra Horn shocked the political world with her upset victory in this traditionally Republican district. The first Democrat to hold this seat in over 40 years, Horn has a deep understanding of the challenges facing her community and the track record to prove it.
Horn’s victory here in 2018 shows that the suburban realignment is happening everywhere, even traditionally ruby-red Oklahoma. In ’18, the Democratic nominee for governor carried this seat by a 9-point margin. The 5th Congressional District is over 80% urban and suburban, and is 13% Black and 8% Hispanic.
Meanwhile, when it comes to raising the resources necessary to win, Rep. Horn has run circles around Bice. While Horn heads into the general election with over $2.6 million cash-on-hand, Bice spent down in the runoff and has just over two months to make up the difference.
In 2018, Kendra Horn proved the political pundits wrong and earned a historic opportunity to give her community real representation. Now, with robust grassroots support, full campaign coffers and – most importantly – a track record of getting results for her constituents, Horn is in a strong position to keep fighting for Oklahomans in Washington.
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