Rinehart campaign hit with no confident vote

Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Oklahoma County Sheriff's Department's Fraternal Order of Police has given a no confidence vote in County Commissioner Brent Rinehart.

The vote comes after Rinehart lampooned Sheriff John Whetsel in a campaign comic book that also criticized Attorney General Drew Edmondson and gays.

FOP President Larry Grant said deputies have been frustrated with Rinehart for years and the comic book is "the straw that broke the camel's back."

Rinehart is also facing felony campaign corruption charges, a recent poll suggests his re-election campaign is in trouble and his fund-raising is slow.

The KWTV-9 poll of 440 likely voters found former county employee Brian Maughan with 35 percent support and Rinehart with about 20 percent. Former Bethany Mayor J.D. Johnston was just behind Rinehart and 28 percent were undecided.

The poll was conducted July 18th through 20th and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.7 percentage points.