Rep. Mary Fallin’s campaign slogan claims “no one will work harder for Oklahoma,” but her record indicates otherwise. Measured by attendance, Fallin falls in the bottom ten percent of members of Congress.

According to congressional records, Fallin has missed dozens of votes in the last three quarters. In the first quarter of 2010, Fallin was absent 19 percent of the time, and her attendance only got worse as the session has progressed. In the second quarter, she missed 29 percent, and in the third quarter, that number went up to almost 32 percent. Since the August recess, she has not been present at one vote.

Despite promising she would never miss an important vote, Fallin missed votes pertaining to millions of dollars in funding for Ft. Sill and an Army Depot in McAlester, and a $14 million infrastructure investment bill for Tinker AFB. In addition, Fallin has missed keyvotes on tax cuts and a bill that would benefit small businesses and community banks.

In contrast, Lt. Governor Jari Askins already has a track record of working hard for Oklahoma. As a legislator, a judge, on the pardon and parole board, and as Lt. Governor, she has built a reputation for coming in early and working late until the job is done. While in the legislature, Askins on average authored 15 bills per legislative session. Fallin, on the other hand, averaged 3.5 bills per session.

Todd Goodman, Chairman of the Oklahoma Democratic Party, said Fallin’s attendance record is an embarrassment to a state that prides itself in its strong work ethic.

“Missing work as often as she does shows a real lack of work ethic on Fallin’s part, and it’s an indicator of what we can expect from her if she’s elected governor,” Goodman said. “Oklahoma voters want to know the people they choose to represent them are fully committed to doing the job. If I missed work 30 percent of the time, I wouldn’t have a job, and I think most Oklahomans are in that position. We should elect someone as our next governor who has the record of working harder than anyone else and won’t consider her position a part-time job--that someone is Jari Askins.”