Connie Johnson in 2018 OK Governor's race

On Drugs: Strong proponent of legalizing medical marijuana

Gov. Mary Fallin announced that State Question 788 will be on the June 26 statewide ballot, which also will include primary races for governor and many other offices.

Passage of the question would allow people with a state-issued medical license approved by a board-certified physician to possess certain amounts of marijuana. The question would also establish a regulatory regime for growing and selling marijuana. Medical marijuana is legal in 29 states and the District of Columbia; Oklahoma has never voted on the issue.

Former state Sen. Connie Johnson is a strong proponent of legalizing medical marijuana. She authored legalization bills that failed to clear the Legislature, and she helped with the petition that resulted in State Question 788.

On Drugs: Ending the war on drugs would improve criminal justice

Johnson: "We improve the criminal justice system by removing the situation that got us here: the war on drugs."

Johnson then went on to decry the amount of women locked up in Oklahoma, saying it then leads to children without mothers who go to schools where counselors aren't available. It perpetuates a cycle, she said, that is in part fueled by private prisons.

On Health Care: Get mental health department up to speed by 2020

Richardson: "I do believe the government has a role to play. And I believe as governor you have to have a heart to truly make a difference in these peoples' lives."

Johnson: "Oklahoma is a traumatized state. The trauma that's going on means we need a department that is up to speed by 2020, when mental health will outweigh physical health as the leading problem facing our society."

On Abortion: Advocate for women's reproductive freedom in State Senate

While in the state Senate, she was a strong advocate for women's reproductive freedom, debating against bills that put restrictions on abortion. She attempted to amend a bill that said life begins at conception with "any action in which a man ejaculates or otherwise deposits semen anywhere but in a woman's vagina shall be interpreted and construed as an action against an unborn child." The measure, called the personhood bill, and the amendment did not secure approval.

She supports the legalization of marijuana, wants to abolish the death penalty and worked toward criminal justice reform. She is past vice chairwoman of the Oklahoma Democratic Party and serves as chairwoman of the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.

On Drugs: Advocate for decriminalized and medical marijuana

Johnson ran for U.S. Senate in 2014 but got less than one-third of the vote. It was her first and, until now, only statewide candidacy after serving in the Oklahoma Senate. She has advocated for decriminalized and medical marijuana.