Voters statewide will have a chance to select two members of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission Tuesday. Earlier this year, we endorsed Dana Murphy of Edmond for the short-term seat. We repeat that endorsement.

We believe Ms. Murphy is the most qualified to sit on the commission. She has seen the commission from three sides: As a private attorney representing oil and gas clients, as a geologist working in the state's oilpatch and as a Commission administrative law judge.

She understands the issues facing the three-member board. In an interview with The Transcript earlier this year, she stressed the role of the Commission in establishing an energy policy for Oklahoma.

Sadly, the race has turned South in the last few days with both candidates going negative. We would hope voters would look at the professional experience and policy stances rather than events that may or may not have happened years ago. He said, she said, should not be the basis for choosing a government leader.

For the longer, full-term, we endorse the Republican nominee, Jeff Cloud, the incumbent commissioner. First elected in 2002, Mr. Cloud has been a steady influence on the rate-making board. He understands the cost pressures on consumers and the needs of utilities to receive reasonable returns on their investments.

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