CLAREMORE — Republican nominee for the District 2 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives Charles Thompson said he has nothing personal against incumbent Dan Boren.

“It’s business,” he said. “It’s not personal. I just believe we’re headed in the wrong direction as a nation.”

Thompson is one of several on the statewide ballot at a time that seems ripe for change.

Eleven state questions will challenge voters this fall. Local races are showing a robust number of candidates who filed and most will have to face an opponent in November. If local politics are especially hot this election year due to the depressed economic climate, state politics seem almost frantic.

“We are now in a financial predicament we must deal with,” said Thompson.

He is a retired, career Army veteran turned veterinarian.

Thompson said while just a short time ago the District 2 seat was labeled “Democrat Safe” by analysts. That has shifted to “Democrat Leaning.”

Thompson believes the door is opening to the possibility he could be a real challenge to Boren despite the incumbent’s experience and family name in politics. Citizens are “more engaged” than in previous elections Thompson believes.

Thompson is a 47-year-old Army trained veterinarian who worked his way up through the ranks, at one time serving as a drill sergeant. He served 20 years and has done tours in Korea, Panama and Germany in addition to U.S. postings

His political message is simple and straight forward – cut spending, cut governmental agencies, reduce federal regulations and measure everything against the U.S. Constitution.

“The key is to look and see what got us here in the first place,” said Thompson. “We have to have the courage to say, ‘no.’”

Thompson said his support comes mostly from individuals and that his largest single contribution so far is $1,824.

He has received PAC money from a medical doctors group as well as support from the Oklahoma Veterinarians Medical Association.

As an Army veterinarian, his primary job involved food safety. He said if he is elected he will return to Oklahoma every weekend to stay in touch with his roots. He was born in Clinton, Okla. and attended Northeastern State University and Oklahoma State University veterinary school.

Thompson is far from carrying a cliché’ military message, despite his years of service. He said Congress did not declare war in either Iraq or Afghanistan and that we have no constitutional authority to be there.

“It’s an unconstitutional effort,” he said. “I think Israel is our ally, but I want to get out of the Middle East and stay out of the Middle East. I don’t know whether we should go into Iran.”

He said withdrawal from Afghanistan should be gradual.

When he took the oath as a drill sergeant, he swore, among other things, to “defend the constitution against all foes both foreign and domestic,” said Thompson.

That means questioning governmental regulations that operate as law. Edicts by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration, for example, are tantamount to laws we must live by, but only Congress has the authority to legislate, he said.

Thompson said he would eliminate federally operated “social programs” and would phase out social security while allowing those currently receiving benefits to continue.

“The federal government does not have constitutional authority to establish social security in the first place,” said Thompson.

Social programs are not needed in a society where people help each other and hold each other accountable.

Churches, synagogues and plain old neighborliness are enough to help those who are struggling he believes.

His primary message is one of returning control to the states including eliminating the U.S. Department of Education and letting states regulate and fund education.

Thompson is not naive about the amount of time it will take to make enough changes to make a difference in the current economy, but he does believe it is imperative to reduce spending immediately.

Though he is the underdog, he believes he can garner the grass roots support to win and to make a difference once he gets to Washington, D.C.

“The way I make a difference is I commit to not becoming watered down and Washingtonized,” he said.