Tom Boettcher has campaigned on the premise he and David Walters agree when issues are raised. The difference in his campaign, he said, is character.

"Bad behavior in politics has put our country at risk," Boettcher said in a letter to voters. "My opponent David Walters' term as governor was marred by criminal investigations of serious campaign finance allegations in his race for political office."

Throughout the campaign, Boettcher has mentioned to Oklahomans about Walters' 1990 campaign for governor. Walters pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for accepting money over the legal limit from Richard Bell, a Norman attorney, who also pleaded guilty for campaign wrongdoing. In return for the guilty plea, Walters had seven felony counts dropped. Bell has since contributed money to Boettcher's campaign this summer, all within the legal limit.

The character debate has not hindered Walters, who has apologized for his mistakes both in person and through television advertisements. Boettcher has said it is not enough, saying there is more to the story than Walters is letting on.

"He's really not acknowledging the wrongdoing," Boettcher said. "He's only apologized for what he pled guilty for."

Boettcher said Walters is not telling the truth when he says he did not know about the campaign violations when they were going on in 1990.

"He was the ringleader," Boettcher said.

Financial problems are not focused solely on Walters. Boettcher ran into financial hardship in the 1970s, while he was publisher of Oklahoma Monthly. Boettcher accrued more than $70,000 in unpaid bills to Rotary Offset Printers.

"The only thing I could do, I wanted to do, was sell my magazine," Boettcher said.

The unpaid bills resulted in a lawsuit, where Boettcher agreed to sign a guaranty to pay the debt, interest on the debt, and court costs.

"I could have filed bankruptcy," Boettcher said. "It would have been easier, but I didn't want my creditors to loose money."

He did pay off the debt with Rotary Offset Printers and the court costs when he sold the magazine, saying many other companies during the time were running into the same problems.

"It was a horrible time economically," Boettcher said. "Interest rates were at 22 percent, inflation was at 14 percent."

Boettcher now works at a law firm in Tulsa founded by his brother, Fred.
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