Here’s an encore that nobody asked for.
We’ve learned that David Hooten – the trumpet-tooting former Oklahoma County Clerk who resigned in disgrace in the summer of 2022 after threatening to get his employees drunk and make their bodies sore as part of some weird, experimental fear-immersion stunt – is running for office again.
This time around, Hooten – a man who admitted to his employees that he had his brain genetically altered to withstand the effects of alcohol – wants to take his creep show to a place where it will be more socially acceptable: The Oklahoma House of Representatives.
We learned about Hooten’s candidacy thanks to a spattering of “David Hooten for State House” campaign signs that have appeared in the Nichols Hills area, along with postcard mailers like this:
Yep, that’s right!
We have some bad news for all legislative aides, House pages, and hot lobbyists!
If the Oklahoma County GOP gets its way this November – and they sometimes do – there’s a chance that David Hooten’s horn may be tootin’ in your general direction! Grab your earplugs and take cover!
Thankfully for his potential victims, the odds of Hooten winning the general election are slim. He’s running in a House district that has skewed Democratic in recent years and is facing incumbent Democrat Cyndi Munson.
For those who are unaware, Cyndi is hip, cool, and smart. And while she doesn’t play the trumpet, she – along with her Oklahoma Democratic Women squad members Carrie Blumert and Carrie Hicks – are apparently part of an experimental jazz flute trio called San Diego.
That said, Cyndi doesn’t come without some baggage of her own.
Although she hasn’t threatened to harm her staff’s mental health by forcing them to get drunk inside a terrifying escape room, she is BFFs with Heath Hayes – a.k.a. the former Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse employee who was fired for allegedly embezzling money from a charity that's associated with the agency, according to the agency.
Here are some pics of the friendly duo out and about on the town:
According to media reports, Heath – the former Communications Manager for the Dept. of Mental Health – “allegedly embezzled $17,500 from a companion nonprofit called Healthy Minds Healthy Lives while serving as a board member of the foundation that works to promote mental health in Oklahoma.”
His alleged actions triggered the agency to halt all marketing contracts he signed off on and could have a far-reaching impact on the mental health and well-being of Oklahomans:
There's fallout at the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS) as one of their former long-time employees faces a felony charge of embezzlement.
The agency tells FOX 25 they've paused several promotional campaigns aimed at saving lives, as they look for any more misuse of money. ODMHSAS says it slammed the brakes back in spring on every outside contract overseen by former employee Heath Hayes.
This includes spending to promote the mental health lifeline 988, the Tough As a Mother campaign for moms facing addiction, and ads to get the word out about free Narcan and fentanyl test strips, and the now-discontinued vending machines.
I’m not saying or implying Munson was aware of what Hayes was up to when he worked at the agency. Let’s be real—Oklahoma is more of a banana republic than a democracy at times, and it’s pretty much impossible for any politician to not be friends or acquaintances with someone who is trying to rip off the government.
Well, at least that’s what Kevin Stitt told me.
But… if we’re going to make fun of David Hooten for the crazy things he did and said while working in the County Clerk’s office, I think it’s only fair to bring up the fact that his opponent – one of the most powerful Democrats in the state legislature – is best friends with a guy accused of trying to rip off a charity and a state agency that oversees a cause dear to liberals.
No other media outlet seems to want to mention it, so it might as well be us!
Anyway, I doubt any of these revelations will matter or make a big difference in November.
40% of Oklahomans vote straight party on their ballot, while another 40% already have their minds made up. That leaves maybe 20% of undecided voters to decide things.
If I were one of them, I’d vote for Cyndi Munson in a heartbeat over Hooten. Cyndi could own a Swadley’s franchise and go on hot-air balloon rides with Ryan Walters and Matt Langston, and I’d still vote for her over some weirdo who claims he got his mind altered to withstand the effects of alcohol.
A person who would ruin their own ability to get buzzed cannot be trusted.
Stay with The Lost Ogle. We’ll keep you advised.
