Brad Henry's Picks and State Chamber woes

The Capitol is abuzz with rumors of who will be in Governor-Elect Henry's cabinet. The most often heard version is that Senators Kelly Haney, Dave Herbert, and Brooks Douglas will be on the cabinet. Some say that Kelly Haney, who ran against Brad Henry for the Democrat nomination for Governor, will be Secretary of Commerce. Given Haney's experience in financing that would be a good move. Haney impressed many with his positive campaign.

The State Chamber is running scared. It was no secret that the State Chamber was close to Largent and fearful of trial lawyer-supported Henry. The State Chamber was a leader in the successful effort to bring Right-to-Work to Oklahoma earlier this year. The unions, which supported Henry, have it out for the State Chamber now and are expecting Henry to put the State Chamber in the doghouse. Relations between the State Chamber and Legislative Democrats was already so bad that most Democrat candidates refused to respond to the Chambers' voter surveys this fall.