Watch a special video of Mary's "Working Across Oklahoma" Tour

Check out this special video recapping Mary's Working Across Oklahoma tour.

The support for Mary and the tour can be seen in our great fundraising numbers and the most-recent polling data – both of which show our campaign is gaining even more momentum.  During the tour, Mary was able to spend a lot of time talking with Oklahomans about the issues that concern them and it is clear voters appreciate someone who works as hard as she does.

Press Release: Fallin Announces Fundraising Record After Successful “Working Across Oklahoma” Tour

OKLAHOMA CITY – Mary Fallin, Republican candidate for governor, today reported that her fundraising numbers for the first quarter of 2010 came in at approximately $510,000. The number is the most Fallin has ever raised in a quarter and is the most any Oklahoma gubernatorial candidate has raised this election cycle. Her campaign also reported that it now has more than 3,245 individual donors, with 98 percent of donations coming from individuals and 95 percent of all contributions coming from within the state of Oklahoma. The campaign also has donations from all 77 counties.

Campaign Manager Denise Northrup attributed the good numbers to Fallin’s focus on job creation and economic growth, her willingness to get out among the voters and the success of Fallin’s recent “Working Across Oklahoma” tour, a 15 day, 21 county trip across the state. During the tour, Fallin spent a portion of each day doing the jobs of other working Oklahomans, serving as a ranch hand in Guymon, a nurse’s aid in Muskogee and an aerospace technician in Tulsa, among many other stops.

“Voters and potential donors appreciate a candidate who is going to get out of the office and actually listen to their concerns and ideas on how to create more jobs here in the state,” said Northrup. “Mary did that, and I think our fundraising success shows her message is really resonating with Oklahomans. I also think it shows that people really appreciate her dedication and hard work.”

What They’re Saying About the Working Across Oklahoma Tour

“Oklahoma Republican Mary Fallin kicks off gubernatorial campaign,” Oklahoman (3/29/10)

• "Fallin told a crowd estimated at 150 to 200 that if elected governor she would travel across the state to meet with constituents and to promote the state to attract businesses. … Her main focus, she said, will be restoring the state's economy."

“Fallin gets to work on campaign: gubernatorial hopeful launches bid in factories,” Tulsa World (3/31/10)

• "Putting on protective goggles, latex gloves and a plastic apron, U.S. Rep. Mary Fallin went to work Tuesday morning at a NORDAM assembly line in north Tulsa. … Then the Republican gubernatorial hopeful kept at it for nearly 45 minutes, even starting over on a Boeing 747 window after it failed inspection. All without a photographer in sight." 

“Fallin literally works across state,” Lawton Constitution (4/1/10)

• "While in Lawton, Fallin worked at Dr. Ajay Bhargava's office, where she performed a sonogram on a pregnant woman. Then Fallin headed to the Lawton Area Transit System, where she learned to drive a city bus. … Fallin said her tour is a way of connecting with Oklahomans and focusing her campaign on the issue of bringing jobs to the state."

“Fallin says she would focus on jobs,” Muskogee Phoenix (4/1/10)

• "Congresswoman Mary Fallin said Thursday if she is successful in her bid to become Oklahoma’s next governor, she will have a 'laser beam' focus on jobs. … She got involved on a personal level at Muskogee Regional Medical Center on Thursday morning, working as an intake clerk.

“Fallin working across Sooner State,” Duncan Banner (4/9/10)

• "As if her resume wasn’t extensive enough, Congresswomen Mary Fallin (OK-05) launched a whirlwind, 15-day, 21-county tour, where she is literally working her way across Oklahoma. Wednesday, Fallin was in Cox City to try her hand as a pumper for Mack Energy."

“Fallin explores state jobs,” Edmond Sun (4/9/10)

• "Not often does an Oklahoman get a chance to see Congresswoman Mary Fallin walk into a certified public accountant’s office wearing a UPS jumpsuit."

Working Across Oklahoma tour wraps up in Tulsa

We got started in Norman yesterday, which was the last day of the opening round of the Working Across Oklahoma tour.

I started off giving a speech at a health care providers’ conference. I talked about how the Obama/Pelosi health care bill is not the answer to meaningful reform. We need to introduce free-market reforms, transparency and competition into the system to lower costs, improve outcomes and increase access to affordable and quality health care.

There were health care professionals there who expressed to me concerns about the negative effects of “ObamaCare.” I told them when I’m governor I will lead the charge in overturning this jobs-killing, reckless-spending bill.

After speaking at the conference, we headed to Tulsa where I participated in a GOP gubernatorial candidate forum. There was a great crowd on hand and they received our campaign well. They also really responded to my message that as governor I will focus on creating a pro-business environment in Oklahoma that would lead to more and better jobs and greater economic prosperity for our families.

Then, I moved on to Oral Roberts University where I had the pleasure of speaking with members of the student government association. It’s always great to see young people who are motivated to serve their fellow students through service in student government.

Next, it was on to BlueCross BlueShield where I worked as a health care administrator. I sat in on meetings where the topic of conversation was how to “bend the cost curve” for the insurance carrier in order to reduce medical costs for its customers.

Finally, I ended the day by speaking to the Republican Assembly in Tulsa during one of their regular meetings at a Furr’s in the Farm Shopping Center. Again, our conservative message was well received and I had a good time visiting with folks there.

The 15-day tour is over and I'm headed back to Washington. It was a grueling schedule (I logged 14-hour days most days) but it’s been worth it to get out and talk one-on-one with Oklahomans while working alongside them in their offices, in their fields and on their factory floors.

While there are a number of important issues on the minds of Oklahomans right now, like health care and stopping out-of-control government spending, the issue I kept hearing over and over was that people want our next governor to focus on boosting our economy and creating an environment where more and better jobs are created.

When I kicked-off this tour, I promised my administration would do just that. After 15-days on the road, I promise you my resolve to fight on this issue has only grown stronger.

Today’s job gone to the dogs – Working Across Oklahoma tour

I’ve had a lot of interesting jobs on the Working Across Oklahoma tour. I drove a bus in Lawton. I made sandwiches at a Love’s in Webbers Falls and I drove a feed truck on a cattle ranch in Guymon.

However, I’m sure today’s work stop tops them all in terms of uniqueness. I worked as a vets’ assistant with Rick Reid at his animal clinic in Nowata. Normally, I would be a little nervous when a vet tells me I’m helping him clean the teeth of a dog. However, today I was actually relived to hear that. Originally, I’d been scheduled to help Rick spay a cat but that procedure got canceled! Nevertheless, it was interesting to watch the vet at work on the little dog.

Afterward, Rick and I talked about education. He’s also the president of the local school board and is dedicated to ensuring his students receive the best education possible. As governor, I’ll work to improve the quality of our educational institutions across the board: from grade school to vocational schools to our universities.

Earlier, our day started in Bartlesville in the usual way. We dropped in on several businesses in downtown before heading over to the library for a meet and greet reception with local GOP activists. It was good crowd of conservative activists. The Bartlesville Rotary Club had me as the guest speaker today and we had a good crowd for that meeting as well.

Also, I wanted to tell you about my day on Saturday. We traveled to Newcastle and Pauls Valley for the Working Across Oklahoma tour.

In Newcastle, we had 50-60 people show up for a meet and greet at Kairos Gun and Archery. There were a lot of NRA members in the house and they told me they appreciated my strong support of Second Amendment! The great folks at Kairos provided us all with some delicious barbecue.

In Pauls Valley, I worked the register at Reavis Drug. It was good to visit with the customers shopping at Reavis – which is a huge store with a lot more products than what you’d expect to find in a drug store. They were concerned about the recently passed federal health care bill and what effects it would have on them. I told them about the millions of dollars of unfunded mandates passed on to Oklahoma and about the Medicare program cuts contained in the bill. I also told them of how as governor, I will lead the fight to make sure this job-killing, reckless-spending bill is overturned.

Tomorrow, I’ll be in Tulsa where I’ll work again in the health care industry. It’s my last stop on this leg of the Working Across Oklahoma tour but we’re considering adding more work stops in the weeks ahead as the campaign continues.

Working Across Oklahoma Tour Update

Looking at the trip odometer this morning, I noticed we’ve traveled 3,600 miles since the Working Across Oklahoma tour started. The days have been long and we’ve spent lots of time on the road, but it’s all been worth it.

Today, we started in Oklahoma City where I dropped by the Arts Council to sit in on a meeting about the annual Arts Festival held in downtown Oklahoma City. It looks like the council has another year of great food, music and art on tap. Our non-profit organizations, like the Arts Council, do a great job of enhancing our communities with events like the annual festival.

After that, I went to the national Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism, where I spoke at the dedication of a memorial to Eric Petty and other Oklahoma soldiers who have been killed in the line of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. Eric’s parents, Ronnie and Janet Petty, are dear friends and Janet has handled military affairs for my staff going back to my tenure as lieutenant governor. We must never forget the sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform in the name of keeping us free. We also must never forget the burden shouldered by families like the Pettys who sacrifices we can never repay but will always remember.

Later in the afternoon, I went to the UPS facility in south Oklahoma City where I delivered packages and rode a truck along a UPS delivery route. I got a few strange looks from people who expected to see their normal delivery person when I knocked on doors.

Finally, I ended the day in Edmond where I helped fill out a tax return at Hale & Co. CPAs. The Hale CPAs use sophisticated software, but our tax code remains very complicated. It’s easy to see why so many Oklahomans are frustrated when it comes to filling out your taxes. We need to look at simplifying our tax code. Additionally, it’s important we keep our tax burden low in Oklahoma so that our families can keep more of their hard-earned money.

The Working Across Oklahoma tour continues to be a huge success and I sure have appreciated the knowledge and insight I’ve gained. It’s important our next governor be connected with the people and understands what issues concern them most. And that’s exactly why I’m out here on the road and exactly what I’m learning while working alongside Oklahomans in their offices, out in the fields and on the factory floor.

Tomorrow, I’ll be visiting Newcastle for a meet and greet at a local gun shop as well as working at the Reavis drug store in Pauls Valley.

Honoring our seniors – Working Across Oklahoma tour update

Today, the schedule was light compared to what we’ve been doing the rest of the time on our Working Across Oklahoma tour.

Our stop today was especially meaningful to me. I worked at Sunset Estates nursing home during the summers while I went to Oklahoma State. And later, my mother was a resident in that same nursing home and I spent a great deal of time visiting her there. It was such a relief to me to know I could trust the staff to care for my mother and that the staff genuinely cared about her well-being.

Today, I visited the Tuscany Village Nursing Home in the Oklahoma City area and was able to speak with the staff and some residents. Tuscany Village is spectacular and I can tell the staff really works to attend to the physical needs of their residents as well as their emotional needs. In fact, the Tuscany Village staff sits down and eats every meal with their residents.

With an increasingly aging population, it’s important we take care of our seniors and treat them with the respect and dignity they deserve. We also must ensure we provide them with the health care they need. As governor, I will support programs that protect our seniors and enrich their lives.

But it’s disappointing to consider that the recently passed federal health care bill devastating cuts to the Medicare program, which many Oklahoma seniors depend on for their health care. I voted against this bill and as governor of Oklahoma I will lead the charge to see its repeal.

Tomorrow, I’ll be in the Oklahoma City area again for three work stops! I’ll be working at a non-profit organization, at an accountant’s office and as a UPS delivery person.

Banking on energy in southern Oklahoma – Working Across Oklahoma update

Today I traveled to the Arbuckle Mountain region of our state for the Working Across Oklahoma tour. We started off with a meet and greet reception this morning at the 77 Grill in Davis with my good friends Skip Healey and Bob Drake. The restaurant is one of those great “highway diners” that serves up delicious home-style food. The turnout was good and we had a pleasant time visiting with folks in Davis.

Our first work stop of the day was in Ardmore, where I worked at the First National Bank. The bank put me to work in the customer service department. We fielded several phone calls from customers and assisted them with any questions they had.

We left the bank and traveled to the Dornick Hills Country Club where the Ardmore Rotary Club meets. I talked with club members about our campaign and shared with them my intent to focus on the economy as governor. I talked about the Working Across Oklahoma tour and told club members I was out there doing the jobs of Oklahomans because I think it’s important our governor has an understanding of the concerns on the minds of “everyday” Oklahomans.

Next, it was on to Duncan – lots of beautiful scenery on the drive there. The folks at Mack Energy were kind enough to let me work on an oil field pumper. Though it was windy (my hard hat kept blowing off), it was a beautiful day to be working outside! A reporter from the local paper tagged along as we checked gauges to measure volume in the storage tanks then entered them into a handheld computer. Mack has done a great job utilizing new technologies to help drill and explore for energy more efficiently.

Like agriculture, the oil and gas industry has played a critical role in our state’s history – and will continue to do so in the future. Our nation needs an energy policy that protects our national interests while helping us end our reliance on foreign sources of energy. Oklahoma’s oil and gas companies, including independent producers like Mack, can and will play a big part in cultivating domestic energy sources. As governor, I will support our oil and gas industry and work to ensure they are able to help us secure our energy independence!

Finally, we ended the day with a meet and greet reception at the Simmons Center, a local recreation and events center. The turnout was great and it was good to meet a lot of new friends and supporters in Duncan!

Tomorrow, I’ll be working at a nursing home in the Oklahoma City area. Our schedule has been packed lately because of the tour and we’ve put a lot of miles on the odometer in a short amount of time. But the long days are worth it to spend time talking one-on-one with Oklahomans about how we can get our economy growing again to create more prosperity for our families.

On the Air in Western OK – Working Across Oklahoma tour update

Today, we took the Working Across Oklahoma tour to Western Oklahoma for stops in Weatherford, Cordell, Clinton and Arapaho. As we rolled along Interstate 40, I noticed the trip odometer passed 2,500 miles! We’ve traveled a lot of miles and burned a lot of gasoline on this tour, but it’s been terrific to get out there and work with Oklahomans and talk about what they’d like the next governor to focus on.

In Weatherford, I worked as an on-air DJ for KWEY radio! Vanessa, the morning host, showed me the reins and helped make sure I made all my commercial breaks. One of the songs I spun was “American Honey” by Lady Antebellum. While the songs were playing, Vanessa and I had the chance to talk and she told me about how she worked to balance her job with her parenting responsibilities. Even more tough for Vanessa is that her day starts at 5 a.m.! I certainly appreciate her and all the hard-working parents out there who provide for their families and perform well at their jobs. As governor, I will support policies that strengthen Oklahoma families and ensure they have the opportunity to pursue greater prosperity.

Next, it was on to Cordell where I got the chance to speak to a joint meeting of the Kiwanis, Rotary and Lions clubs. I speak to a lot of civic clubs and it’s always encouraging to see so many people dedicated to helping improve their own community. The willingness to serve others and help a friend in need is one of the great attributes of our people.

In Clinton, I toured the Bar-S Foods facilities and talked with employees during the afternoon shift change. The factory produces hot links, hot dogs and processes chickens and other meat products. After visiting with workers, I had the opportunity to talk with the management there and they told me they wanted to continue expanding their operations in Oklahoma. However, two things may keep them – and a lot of other Oklahoma companies – from doing so: our workers’ compensation system and the Obama/Pelosi health care system.

As governor, I’ll work with the Legislature to reform our workers’ comp system so that we can lower costs for businesses but still provide a way to compensate injured workers. I’ll also continue to fight the type of job-killing, excessive-spending programs like “ObamaCare” that keep coming from Washington.

Finally, we ended the day with a campaign reception at the barn of the Day family of Arapaho. My good friend Congressman Frank Lucas was the special guest and he gave me a very gracious introduction before I spoke to the crowd! We had a great time and it was good to see so many friends and supporters in western Oklahoma.

Tomorrow, I’m off to southern Oklahoma where I’ll work on an oil field pumper crew for Mack Energy in Duncan!

Working Across Oklahoma - Working with green in Green Country!

Hello again! Today, I traveled to eastern Oklahoma for the Working Across Oklahoma tour. I always enjoy trips into Green Country and the area is earning its nickname now that we’re into spring!

For the first work stop of the day, I worked as a sales clerk and at the sandwich counter in the Love’s Country Store along Interstate 40 in Webbers Falls. The staff was great and welcomed me into their crew! While we rang up gasoline purchases and made sandwiches for the hungry travelers, I got the chance to talk with my co-workers about what kinds of issues concerned them.

Like many Oklahomans, they were concerned with the state of our economy as well as balancing work with family obligations. My main focus as governor will be to focus on creating a pro-business environment so that we can have more and better jobs in Oklahoma.

Another part of making our state business friendly, and friendly to families, will be to work toward lowering the tax burden on Oklahoma families so they can keep more of their hard-earned money.

For lunch, we then drove to Stilwell for a meet and greet reception at the Charlie’s Chicken. A couple of the Adair County Commissioners joined me for the meet and greet and we had a good talk with the diners at Charlie’s.

In Tahlequah, I had a meeting with the Cherokee Nation before heading off to Hulbert to work at the Tri-B Nurseries for our second work stop. At Tri-B, I worked in “production planting” which means I helped fill and arrange several potted plants including some habanero peppers! The folks at Tri-B told me they were concerned about the penalties and taxes included in the recently passed Obama/Pelosi health care bill. Those tax increases and penalties on businesses were a couple of the many reasons I voted against “ObamaCare” as many times as I could. As governor, I will the charge in our state to fight against the big-government takeover of our health care system.

We ended the day with back-to-back receptions in Tahlequah. At the Chamber of Commerce, the folks there shared with me about the great things going on in Tahlequah. And our friends at the Cherokee County GOP were fired up about this year’s election. It definitely will be a great election year for fellow conservatives across the state and our nation!

Tomorrow, we’ll be on the opposite side of the state, working as an on-air DJ in Weatherford and visiting Clinton and Cordell for campaign stops!

Farming cattle and wind in the Panhandle – Day Five of Working Across Oklahoma

Today marks the end of Week One (a long, but enjoyable week) of the Working Across Oklahoma tour. I’ve had the honor of working alongside some great Oklahomans and so far it’s been an incredible trip.

This morning, a round of spring thunderstorms kept us from flying to Boise City as planned. Instead, we hopped in the car and drove to our meetings in Guymon. I know a lot of statewide elected officials can neglect the Panhandle because it’s isolated; but it’s an important part of our state and I promise I’ll visit plenty when I’m governor of Oklahoma!

After speaking to the local Rotary Club, I headed out to the Mayer Ranch to work as a ranch hand. As you’d expect, the pastures were littered with cow chips, but we pulled on our boots and waded into the mess. Joe Mayer rode along as I drove his feed truck through the pastures to feed some of his herd and check on the cattle.

Agriculture has played a huge role in our past and will be an important part of our future. There’s a lot of technology and strategy that goes on in today’s ag industry and Oklahoma can be proud of the work our farmers are doing. They represent the best of our state with our common values of self-reliance, community and integrity. As governor, I will be committed to supporting our agriculture industry and ensuring the long-term survival of our farms.

Next, I visited with the folks at Novus Windpower, which is a wind energy company based in Guymon. They took me on a tour of one of their wind farms on the other side of the Oklahoma/Texas border. Novus is doing great work in trying to harness the wind that comes sweeping down the plains. We just need to get more wind farms on our side of the border!

Our nation must develop a comprehensive, long-term strategy for ending our dependence on foreign sources of energy. Part of that plan will be unleashing our oil and gas companies so they can develop our domestic energy sources. But another key component will be alternative energy sources like wind farms. In my administration, I will work to ensure Oklahoma becomes a leader in the alternative energy industry.

We ended the day with a lovely reception at the Draper barn outside of Guymon. They have some really neat memorabilia there including a collection of canes, a collection of old cars, license plates, umbrellas, books, scales, dolls, cassette tapes and old record players.

Finally, today is Good Friday and I want to wish all of you a very Happy Easter. I’m looking forward to spending time with my family on Easter Sunday and I hope you are able to do the same.

The Working Across Oklahoma tour gets going again on Monday. I’m headed to eastern Oklahoma to work in a Love’s Country Store in Webbers Falls and to work at a nursery in Hulbert.

Okie from Muskogee! Day Four of Working Across Oklahoma tour

I spent the whole day as an “Okie in Muskogee” for day four of our Working Across Oklahoma tour.

Our day started off at the Muskogee Regional Medical Center where I worked as a nurse’s aide. I helped administer a health check up to one of the women who worked at the hospital. Turns out, we knew each other. I had hired her to work for me in Tulsa years ago when I was district manager for a national hotel chain. What a small world!

For the second day, I got the chance to speak with a group of doctors and medical staff. Obviously the hot topic was the Obama/Pelosi health care bill and its impact on Oklahoma. The so-called “ObamaCare” will cut $523 billion from Medicare, which will affect the health and well being of our seniors, and burdens our state with millions of dollars of unfunded mandates.

From Day One, I have opposed a big-government takeover of our health care system and as governor I will continue to fight policies like “ObamaCare” that will eliminate jobs and pass along mountains of debt to future generations of Americans.

After leaving the hospital, I was able to speak to the Muskogee Rotary Club. The club meets in the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame building which is very cool! I also had the chance to drop in on a few businesses downtown and visit with folks.

Finally, I wrapped up the day working as a hostess at Mayhlon’s BBQ restaurant. In between taking orders and serving food, I got the chance to visit with a few customers and one of the main concerns on their minds right now is the economy.

It’s a concern of many Oklahomans and will have to be the main focus of our next governor. And that’s why I’m out on the road for this jobs tour: I’m gaining valuable insight into our state while getting the chance to talk one-on-one with employers, employees and everyday working Oklahomans.

As governor, my main focus will be to create a business friendly environment that will bring more and better jobs to our state and lead to greater economic prosperity for our families!

Tomorrow, I’m headed to the opposite side of the state: the Oklahoma Panhandle. I’ll be making a few stops and working as a ranch hand in Guymon!

Working Across Oklahoma Day Three: Babies and Big Trucks

The third day of our Working Across Oklahoma tour took me to Lawton where I worked as a sonographer in a medical office and as a bus driver for the Lawton Area Transit System.

Before helping with a sonogram, I spoke with the medical staff at the Bhargava and Bhargava clinic. As you can imagine, they had many thoughts about the Obama/Pelosi big-government health care plan. Though the so-called ObamaCare bill has passed, I am hopeful it will be struck down in court and as governor I promise you I will lead the charge in fighting back against job-killing, reckless-spending programs like this.

After that, I went into an exam room to assist with the ultrasound of a young pregnant couple. It was very exciting and touching to be in the room as Chris and Natasha saw their beautiful baby. Seeing the baby on the ultrasound was a great reminder of how precious life is and that it truly is a blessing from God!

After a nice lunch with friends and supporters at the lovely home of Faith Ofori, I went to my second job of the day. The staff was a little nervous when they learned I’d be driving the bus with them on board! But I showed them, as I smoothly piloted our vehicle around town and even made a stop to pick up a passenger!

Finally, I stopped by the radio studio of KLAW to visit with David Crawford and his son Gabe. I was very pleased to learn Gabe has started a student Facebook group supporting our campaign (check it out)!

This day again gave me the opportunity to visit with Oklahomans in real-life, work-day situations. I’ve learned so much in our three days (there are 12 more to go) and have gained me invaluable insight.

Our next governor needs to be someone who understands the concerns of working Oklahomans, who knows what they are going through and who is committed to making this state and its people more prosperous. And that’s why I’m out on the road for the Working Across Oklahoma tour.

By the way, you can view some of the pictures so far from the tour in our online picture gallery.

Tomorrow, I’m headed to Muskogee!

Tulsa World: Fallin gets to work on campaign

Putting on protective goggles, latex gloves and a plastic apron, U.S. Rep. Mary Fallin went to work Tuesday morning at a NORDAM assembly line in north Tulsa.

Saying they expected her to do it just long enough to have a picture taken, plant managers deliberately assigned her one of the most labor-intensive jobs — using hand-held power tools to put the final polish on newly manufactured aircraft windows.


Then the Republican gubernatorial hopeful kept at it for nearly 45 minutes, even starting over on a Boeing 747 window after it failed inspection. All without a photographer in sight.

"I wanted to work," Fallin said. "And this is hard work."

So is running for governor.

With Congress in recess, Fallin embarked this week on a 15-day tour that will take her to 21 counties across the state to experience a variety of "ordinary" jobs.

Click here to read the rest of the story in the Tulsa World.

Manufacturers Say Decreasing Costs of Business Key for next governor

The second day of our “Working Across Oklahoma” tour started off bright and early as we drove to Tulsa. The work definitely would be hands as I was going to work as an aerospace technician at Nordam and as a machinist at Webco in Sand Springs.

The aerospace industry has been important to me for a long time. As lieutenant governor, I organized our state’s first aerospace summit, which has grown into one of the premier industry events across the country. At Nordam, we met with the company executives and then headed to the factory to get to work! My job for the day was helping make windows for Boeing 747s. We used, for lack of a better word, a huge sander along with water and a cleaning agent to achieve a perfectly clear airplane window. I even got to take home one of the windows I worked on.

The technical skill of the fabricators was amazing! It just goes to show that as a state we must ensure we have a skilled and educated workforce so that companies like Nordam have the workers they need to succeed and so that other companies will want to relocate here to hire our citizens. A better educated workforce will get us better jobs, and that’s exactly what we’ll get when I’m governor.

In Sand Springs, I went to work with the machinists. Webco manufactures specialty tubing and other metal products, some of which are used in offshore oil drilling. On the factory floor, we used the heavy-duty machines to straighten some metal piping.

I got a chance to speak with Webco’s vice chairman, Dana Weber, and she told me workers’ compensation costs are very expensive for their company. Obviously, companies like Webco want to take care of their workers should they get injured on the job, but I don’t think they should be taken to the cleaners with excessive costs.

Making Oklahoma a more pro-business environment will be my main focus as governor. And a key component of that will be to ensure we reduce the costs from predatory lawsuits and reform our outdated workers’ compensation system.

Finally, I gave an official campaign kick-off speech at the Tulsa Press Club. Make sure to watch the Tulsa news tonight to see our stories!

The jobs I did today were tough and the people I worked with equally diligent and up to the task. I’ve always said the strength of our state lies within our people and today shows just how true that is. With a governor like me focused on removing the impediments standing in the way of our businesses and the hard work and determination of our people, Oklahoma can move forward to a more prosperous future!

Working Across Oklahoma Tour off to great start

Our “Working Across Oklahoma” tour is off to a tremendous success! Working various jobs around the state will give me hands-on experience in different industries and highlight the focus of our campaign for governor: jobs.

The first day began early in my hometown, Tecumseh. I visited with many old friends who were there years ago in the same meeting room when I announced my campaign for the state House and then again for lieutenant governor.

At the Oklahoma History Center, nearly 200 friends and supporters showed up for a campaign kick-off rally! I was very encouraged and uplifted by their support of my vision for a more prosperous Oklahoma. You can read some of the news stories about the rally in the News section of our Web site or on our Facebook page.

Finally, we wrapped up the day in Stillwater where I taught a government class at Oklahoma State (my alma mater)! I visited with some great kids and I had a wonderful time talking with them about how Congress works.

Higher education is so important to the future of our state, and as governor I will work to make sure our college students get the best education possible. But a great education, like the ones those kids at OSU are getting, won’t be enough if there are no jobs when you graduate.

Our next governor must focus on creating a pro-business environment in our state so new companies will want to relocate to Oklahoma and those companies already here can thrive and expand.

And that’s why I’m traveling across the state and working alongside Oklahomans in their offices, on the assembly lines and out in the fields. I’ll be able to talk with both employers and workers about what the next governor can do to build the strongest economy possible. And that will provide me invaluable experience if I get the honor of serving as Oklahoma’s next governor.

I’m excited about our next tour stop: Tulsa. I’ll be giving another campaign speech, and will be working as an aerospace technician and machinist!

Campaign Kick-off: Fallin's "Working Across Oklahoma" Tour Begins on Monday

It’s been nearly a year since I announced my intention to run for governor of Oklahoma and in that time it’s become more apparent to me we need an experienced, conservative leader to clear the way for greater economic prosperity and to lead the charge in preserving our freedoms.

I am that leader.  For 20 years, I have dedicated myself to the service of our great state and no other candidate has the combination of legislative, executive and private sector experience that I do.

Next week, we’ll be officially kicking off our campaign for governor with a 15-day, 19-county “Working Across Oklahoma” jobs tour.  Our campaign has always focused like a laser on job creation and economic growth, and that's why I'm rolling up my sleeves, joining Oklahomans at their workplaces and actually doing their jobs with them each day while I'm on the road.  I'm looking forward to not only meeting workers and business leaders across the state, but to putting my nose to the grindstone with them on their assembly lines, in their offices and out in the field.

Click here to read the rest of this message.