Ervin Yen

Ervin Yen earned a high school diploma from Putnam City High School. He earned a bachelor's degree and an M.D from the University of Oklahoma in 1977 and 1981, respectively. He finished his residency at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in 1984. His career experience includes working as a doctor.[2][3]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I’m the only candidate with more than 40 years of doing intensive research, prioritizing data and observation, leading a team of experts, and making critical decisions in high-pressure life and death situations. And that’s exactly how serious the challenges are for Oklahoman’s, for democracy, for our nation. There are currently four medical doctors in the US Senate. Oklahoma deserves that kind of expertise there. I’m the only candidate that counsel’s patients at the Bethesda Free clinic where I volunteer, on how to live healthier lives. Our state is 47th in the nation on most health metrics. I’m the only candidate that knows the ins and outs of healthcare as the former chairman of the health and human services committee in the state senate. As the president of one of the largest groups of anesthesiologists in the state, I’m the only candidate that knows about healthcare funding from Medicaid, Medicare, workers comp, Tricare, & insurance companies. Now I may not be the only candidate that knows more about healthcare than RFK Jr, but I am the only one with a diploma to prove it and the only candidate that’s served and worked closely with both elected Democrats and Republicans. I’ve been married 40 years, I’m the father of five, I work out every day and yes, I do Bicycle a couple times around like Lake Hefner four days a week. I have the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual stamina to take on the idiocy of what’s happening in Washington, D.C. and bring real change.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

The cost of living is way too high, because of what is happening in D.C. We have 5 adult children and I worry whether they will be able to afford home ownership, property insurance, healthcare, utilities, childcare, groceries, and gasoline to drive to work. My parents were middle class. D.C. is not looking out for folks like my parents, my children, and everyday Oklahomans and Americans. I promise I will go to the U.S. Senate to represent those people, not corporate fat cats, not lobbyists, not political action committees, not insurance companies, and certainly not billionaires. My parents came to America from Taiwan, because they feared the proximity of Communist China. They also came for the benefit of their four children.The overturning of Roe vs Wade was unconsionable. I am 100% in favor of a woman's right to choose in the first trimester. I will debate on the floor of the U.S. Senate chamber when life begins. The answer is not black and white. Why don't we look at when life begins as we do when life ends. As a cardiac anesthesiologist, I anesthetized many patients for heart translplants, lung transplants, as well as kidney transplants. When does a donor become a donor? When they have no brain activity or no consciousness. A fetus in the first trimester has no brain. It does have something called a neural tube that will later become the brain. There is certainly no electrical activity, no brain waves, and no consciousness at that time.Voting is a key part, if not the key part, of our democracy. What the U.S. Supreme Court has done to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is absolutely wrong. The part of the S.A.V.E. Act that requires a birth certificate when someone registers to vote is wrong. Many women, like my wife have an I.D. that differs from their birthcertificate. Thankfully, my wife does have a passport, but most women do not. What are they to do? My birth certificate from Taiwan is in Chinese and certainly differs from my I.D., but I also have a passport. This is all a ploy by folks in D.C. to disenfranchise folks who are not pro-Trump. It stinks. I will change these things when I am a U.S. Senator.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As a physician, I am passionate about healthcare public policy. Vaccination rates across the country have plummeted. In medicine, whether we are talking about a medication, a procedure, or a surgery, what is most important is looking at the benefits versus the risks. The benefits of vaccines far, far outweigh the risks, and let's look at their cost effectiveness. Incredibly inexpensive for the payoff. What our President has done to the CDC and the Health and Human Services Committee and withdrawing from the World Health Organization is terrifying, especially in the face of Hantavirus and Ebola, not to mention another pandemic like Covid-19 (which is not entirely gone) in our future. All Americans deserve access to healthcare.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a pro-choice, moderate, conservative Independent running for Governor in Oklahoma. As a former Republican state senator I believe the extremism of both the Republicans and Democrats has left most Oklahoman's without a voice. Voters are tired of the political fighting and electing candidates who are tied to the agendas of a political party.

With almost 410,000 registered Independents in Oklahoma, there are now enough Independents to win the Governor's seat. Oklahoman's are ready for a Governor who can work across political party lines,representing the will of the people and start fixing the problems facing our state.

It is ludicrous to believe that a candidate who has been ineffective in 4 years (Stitt) and 8 years (Hofmiester) will be able to get things done now.

Making healthcare more affordable and accessible for all Oklahomans is one of my priorities. That can be done in part by offering financial incentives to medical students who will in turn commit to working in some of our rural areas upon graduation. Working with the state attorney general's office we can lower the cost of many prescription drugs by criminalizing price gouging.

Our Education system needs immediate attention, and I propose using 1/4 of the state's surplus to raise teacher pay to be competitive with the rest of the nation, as well as ensure there is an equitable division of funds across state school districts.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

This is the first chance Oklahomans will have to elect our first Independent Governor. There are now over 410,000 registered Independents in Oklahoma. We have never had an election with this many Independents.We cannot continue to elect and depend on the same people who broke the system to fix it. We must be willing to do something different in order to get the results we are seeking.An Independent Candidate is the only one who can truly move our state forward.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Healthcare. Education. Jobs. Infrastructure.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I have looked up to many people. My mother and father both were incredible people. My mother was a research scientist for the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation for over 25 years. And my father was a structural design bridge engineer for the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Politically, however, I have always looked up to John F Kennedy. His capacity to inspire the American people was something that I'll never forget, as well as his ability to galvanize a nation to become everything we could be together.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

To lead the state with integrity and transparency.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am a problem solver by nature. After 40+ years in the OR I can assure you that my ability to solve complex problems will be one of the primary attributes that helps me lead this state in the right direction.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To lead the state with integrity and transparency.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I'd like to be the first Independent Governor ever elected in the state of Oklahoma who actually fixed the failing education and healthcare system in our state!

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The Kennedy Assassination. I was only 8 years old and I remember it like it happened yesterday.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

When I was 16 years old I started working at McDonalds and worked for minimum wage, which was $1.60 an hour in 1970.

What is your favorite book? Why?

300 Spartans

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Kato = The Green Hornet's Sidekick

OR 007 - James Bond

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Layla - by Derek and the Dominos

A governor is the top executive authority in his or her state. What does that mean do you?

Governor's are responsible for implementing state laws and overseeing the operation of the state executive branch

Governors have many responsibilities, which vary from state to state. Which of those do you personally consider the most important in your state?

The responsibility to lead the state with integrity and transparency is paramount to an effective administration. To not overreach authority and to ensure that the laws are adhered to while the executive branch is operating effectively.

Different states require governors to have different degrees of responsibility for the state budgeting process. If it were your choice, what do you believe is the appropriate degree of gubernatorial involvement with this process in your state?

It is the Governor's responsibility to ensure that there is a state budget that works for all departments of the state from which the people of Oklahoma ultimately benefit.

In most states, governors have the power to make line-item vetoes. If that is true in your state, what would be your philosophy for how and when to use this power?

Yes it's true for appropriation bills

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

That they work in harmony for the best interest of moving forward for the people of Oklahoma.

What do you love most about your state?

The people

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Fixing our failing education and healthcare system.

Tell us your favorite joke.

Governor Stitt was reelected.

HA!

Under what circumstances should the governor of your state be able to use emergency powers?

In an emergency

Yen's campaign website highlighted the following issues:[7]

Guns

Excerpt: "As a conservative gun owner with a concealed carry permit myself, I will vigorously fight any attempts to weaken the ability of law-abiding citizens to own firearms, to hunt or to defend themselves and their families."

Jobs and the Economy

Excerpt: "As your Senator, I will work to make Oklahoma a more attractive business environment to encourage more quality, high-paying private sector jobs to come to our state."

Pro-Life

Excerpt: "I am 100% committed to the pro-life movement and will do everything I can to help promote a culture of life in our state. As such, as your Senator, I will do everything in my power, not just to bring about an end to abortion, but to promote alternatives by making it easier for Oklahomans to adopt, increasing the services available to women who choose to carry their babies and improving the state foster care system."

Obamacare

Excerpt: "As your Senator, I will do everything I can to free us from the oppressive regulations of Obamacare and work toward a health care system that works for Oklahoma patients instead of left-wing government bureaucrats."

Education

Excerpt: "Providing the best quality education for our state's students should be our top priority. While funding is certainly a part of that, we already spend over half of the entire state budget on education. I think it is more important that we look at how those funds are spent and work to reduce administrative overhead and make sure that as many dollars as possible actually make their way into the classroom. We also need to be supporting our top teachers through merit pay."

Excerpt: "We MUST promote math, science, technology, and engineering in our schools. We need rigorous state educational standards to prepare our students and we need to hold our schools and state educational leaders accountable for preparing our students for the future in Oklahoma. And we should continue seeking creative avenues, including school vouchers, to provide the best opportunities for Oklahoma students."