The Tulsa World
August 22, 1983
Murphy “Testing Waters” on Keeping House Speaker’s Post
By Nancy Mathis
World Capitol Bureau
OKLAHOMA CITY – Acting House Speaker Mike Murphy said Thursday he wants to retain the post on a permanent basis and is “testing the waters” for a possible candidacy for the powerful position.
Meanwhile, the two leading candidates, Rep. Jim Barker, D-Muskogee, and Rep. David Riggs, D-Sand Springs, racked up additional support as two previously uncommitted cliques divided their support between the two.
Riggs says he is now one vote shy of winning the powerful post on a first ballot nomination. The nominee needs 38 votes from the 74 Democrats in the House to become the nominee and speaker.
Barker, who gained the support at eight eastern Oklahoma lawmakers Thursday, has said he is the front-runner. Rep. Mick Thompson, D-Poteau, said the eight rural legislators interviewed Barker, Riggs and John Monks, the third-running candidate who also is a Democrat from Muskogee.
“I just think for our goals we needed to commit for Jim Barker,” Thompson said.
Riggs received a boost from a group of six southwestern Oklahoma House members. Rep. Marvin Baughman, D-Geronimo, said the lawmakers decided Riggs was “the best qualified candidate both technically and ethically.”
The commitments by the two groups leave only a handful of undecided members, Riggs said.
Murphy, who assumed the duties of speaker when Dan Draper was convicted of federal vote fraud charges and suspended from office, said the media and other members misunderstood his press release issued Monday that said he was not a candidate for speaker.
Murphy said he meant to say he was not a speaker candidate for the 1985-86 term but that he wants to serve out Draper’s unexpired term.
The press release stated that Murphy, the speaker protempore, has assumed the speaker’s duties and intended to stay as speaker until January 1985. The release said Murphy did not think a Democratic caucus to select a new speaker was necessary.
The Idabell Democrat said that before putting his name on the speaker ballot he’s “going to wait and see if I get more support in the next few days.”
Murphy on Thursday appointed Rep., Jim Glover, D-Elgin, as majority floor leader to replace suspended Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, D-Miami, who was convicted along with Draper. Glover had been the first assistant majority floor leader.
Riggs said Murphy’s entry into the race could cause a delay in the planned Sept. 6 Democratic caucus to settle the issue. “It (Murphy’s candidacy) would open up another office,” said Riggs, referring to Murphy’s speaker pro tempore position, which also is a House-elected post.
“I just want to feel out the water and see how deep it gets,” Murphy said.
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