Former Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson announced Monday he's running for governor.
Edmondson said the state is giving away too much to special interests at the expense of Oklahoma families. He cites one oil company making $21 billion from 2008 to 2015, which would have meant $2 billion in taxes at the 6 percent corporate rate.
"They paid $71 million. They paid an effective tax rate of 0.3 percent," Edmondson said. "Now, they're not breaking the law. They're following the laws that they bought and paid for."
Edmondson said he has a record of protecting Oklahomans, first as Muskogee County district attorney and then as Oklahoma attorney general.
"But when I look at the problems that face our state today, you know, if I was still DA, there isn't anybody I could put in jail. If I was still Attorney General, there wouldn't be anybody that I could sue, because these problems are self-inflicted," Edmondson said.
Edmondson joins two fellow Democrats — former state Sen. Connie Johnson and House Minority Leader Scott Inman — who have declared they're running for governor. Edmondson also ran for governor in 2010, narrowly losing the party primary to then-Lieutenant Governor Jari Askins.
Edmondson put his support behind Askins then. He shares many policy positions and said he gets along with both current potential candidates.
"I expect whoever ends up as the Democratic nominee will be leading a unified party at that point in time," Edmondson said.
Edmondson said the state's problems, from a struggling education system to overcrowded prisons, come down to a lack of funding.
