Munson seeks another term in north OKC HD-85 against Robinson

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Oklahoma’s House District 85 in north Oklahoma City has seen its fair share of change during this past decade. 

Despite being represented by notable Republican lawmakers such as Mary Fallin, Odilia Dank, and David Dank, current Democratic incumbent Representative Cyndi Munson, pulled off a political upset when she won the seat in 2015 during a special election after David Dank’s death. She won that one against well-connected and heavily-funded Republican Chip Carter.

Then, the very next year (2016) in the regular cycle, Munson capitalized on her hard work and won again, this time beating another Republican favorite, Matt Jackson.

Those back-to-back wins and another victory in 2018 over Matt Jackson again represented a shift in voting preference for the once-secure Republican stronghold. Currently, Munson is running against Republican newcomer Bill Robinson. 

The house district covers parts of Oklahoma City, Nichols Hills, The Village, and Warr Acres. 

The following is a layout of each candidate’s platform based on a questionnaire, which only Munson completed, and outside research. 

With less than a month left until the November elections, Free Press will be providing coverage of races in the Oklahoma City metro area in depth. By doing so, we hope that you, the reader, gain a better understanding of the choices that you will have on November 3.

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Cyndi Munson, incumbent

Munson has continued to connect with voters by knocking on doors throughout the district in each campaign and even during off-campaign years.

This will be Munson’s fifth campaign as she ran in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2020. 

Munson started with a career in the nonprofit sector where she worked with groups like the OK Messages, which helps families with incarcerated parents, and Girl Scouts of Western Oklahoma. She is also the first Asian American woman to serve as a legislature in Oklahoma. 

During her time in office, five of Munson’s bills have been signed into law by the governor. Her bills have required dementia training for healthcare providers, provided additional guidelines for health insurance providers, and strengthened child abuse prevention laws.

“During my time in office, I have made clear that we can find common solutions while also standing firm in our values,” she wrote. “For me, that means taking care of Oklahomans, especially during a crisis.” 

In her questionnaire response, she wrote that she supports funding government services, implementing criminal justice reform policies, and guaranteeing voting access. 

On her website, she has listed education as a top priority. Munson attended public schools, which is why she is such an advocate for increasing education spending. 

She was also in office when the 2018 teacher strikes occurred and claims that she has consistently voted against education budget cuts. 

She wants to prioritize women and the elderly, which is why she introduced a bill that would guarantee more rights to sexual assault survivors

“Oklahoma is ranked the second worst state in the nation for women to live in. 49% of women in Oklahoma will experience domestic violence in their lifetime,” she wrote on her website. “There are over 150,000 cases of abuse or mistreatment of senior citizens each year.”

Munson is also a child of a veteran and introduced a bill that would make it easier for veterans serving abroad to receive benefits. 

Bill Robinson, challenger 

Bill Robinson did not fill out our questionnaire and did not respond to our efforts to contact him.

Robinson only has a Facebook page for his campaign, however, he does not explain his stances except for clarifying that he is a veteran and that he does not support defunding the police. 

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Alex Myers is a freelance reporter based in Oklahoma City. He will be covering political races in the OKC metro for Free Press through the General Election.