Oklahoma GOP gubernatorial hopeful accused of urging Democrats to oppose voter-ID measures

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, a leading Republican candidate for governor, is under fire after a short, edited recording surfaced showing him urging non-Republicans to vote "no" on two voter-ID proposals scheduled for the August 25 ballot. The clip, purportedly from an August 3 summit of government employees, claims Drummond asked attendees to mobilize Democrats, Libertarians and independents to offset the usual Republican turnout advantage.

Drummond’s campaign chairman Matthew Parker responded that the snippets were selectively edited and do not reflect Drummond’s true stance. Drummond now faces former state Senator Mike Mazzei, who has the backing of Donald Trump, in a runoff that will determine the GOP nominee. An independent poll indicates the contest is essentially tied, with about 14 % of voters undecided and likely to tip the balance. Early voting begins Thursday, and the outcome will decide which candidate advances to the general election.