EDMOND, Okla. — In her quest to become Oklahoma’s first female governor, Democrat Jari Askins has amassed many professional qualifications: She’s been a judge, a legislator, the head of a state agency and a corporate attorney.
But what the 57-year-old hasn’t been is a wife. And as this historic race between two female candidates nears its conclusion, that gap in her biography is attracting increasing attention.
At rallies and other appearances, opponent GOP Rep. Mary Fallin, 55, regularly mentions her husband and their six children. She says her family and her experience as a businesswoman and officeholder have made her most qualified to be governor.
But remarks by Fallin at a Tuesday debate, in which she cited her motherhood as a key difference between the candidates, drew groans from some in the audience.
“I don’t understand why that’s important,” Brenda Reneau, a Republican and former state labor commissioner, said of Fallin’s emphasis on her family. “Is she going to bring them to work? I’ve never found one thing while I was in office that I needed experience in being married and having children.”
But Shana Goodman, a Norman salon owner and a single mother, said she thinks it is important, “because I think when you are actively involved in raising children, it shows you know how to sacrifice yourself for the well-being of others.” The Associated Press
