A blue wave missed most Oklahoma midterm races Tuesday night, as Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Mazzei and every other GOP statewide candidate cruised to victory.
The state’s congressional delegation will also remain entirely Republican, as U.S. Rep. Stephanie Bice fended off Democratic challenger Jena Nelson by just one point. Tulsa businessman and state representative Mark Tedford will replace Kevin Hern, who easily won election to the U.S. Senate, in Oklahoma’s 1st congressional district.
Democrats, who haven’t won a statewide election since 2006 and have seen their numbers in the state Legislature dwindle over the past decade, had one silver lining: Democratic candidates flipped five state House districts from red to blue, ousting five Republican incumbents.
Down the ballot, voters rejected two state questions that passed with broad Republican support in the Legislature and retained all judicial candidates. Statewide voter turnout was around 45% with 98% of precincts reporting, according to unofficial results from the Oklahoma State Election Board.
Here are five takeaways from election night in Oklahoma:
Rural Oklahoma Propels Mazzei
A wide swath of rural voters helped elect Mazzei governor, fending off a wall of support for Munson in Tulsa and Oklahoma City.
Mazzei, a financial planner and former state senator from Tulsa, campaigned on eliminating Oklahoma’s state income tax and maximizing efficiency within state government. He secured an endorsement from President Donald Trump in May, helping him survive a cutthroat Republican primary and runoff, but seldom referenced the endorsement in the home stretch of the gubernatorial campaign. He relied on nearly $13 million in personal loans to fund his campaign, which he may now repay with future campaign contributions.
Munson, a state representative from Oklahoma City, secured about 46% of the vote, the best showing for a Democratic gubernatorial candidate since Brad Henry in 2006. Campaigning on a promise to lower costs and improve the state’s abysmal public education rankings, she received strong support in Oklahoma and Tulsa counties. Rural Republican strongholds continued to back the GOP ticket, however, as Mazzei won at least 72 of 77 counties.
Republicans Take Statewide Offices
Beyond the gubernatorial race, Oklahomans closely watched two other statewide offices.
Coming off the heels of Ryan Walters’ tumultuous time as state superintendent of public instruction, voters across Oklahoma decisively supported Republican Robert Franklin as the new state superintendent. Franklin, who defeated his opponent, Jennettie Marshall, by nearly 40 points, boasts a lengthy career in education and ran on restoring order to Oklahoma’s education system.
Franklin, who saw strong support from teachers across the state, will succeed Lindel Fields, who was appointed by Gov. Kevin Stitt after Walters resigned midway through his term.
Another closely watched race was for Oklahoma’s insurance commissioner, where both candidates offered a similar promise: Elect me, and you’ll pay less for homeowners insurance.
That message carried Republican Bob Sullivan to the finish line as he took the victory over Democrat Craig MacIntyre. Homeowners insurance has been a hot-button topic in Oklahoma and was highlighted by several Oklahoma Watch investigations, which found that Oklahomans pay some of the highest insurance premiums in the country.
Sullivan ran on investigating price gouging and ensuring companies pay out claims on time. He notably did not rule out the possibility of jail time for insurance executives who break the law, and described himself as “the fighter big insurance doesn’t want.”
Other statewide races also saw a strong Republican turnout, with conservatives winning every ticket.
T.W. Shannon soundly defeated his Democratic opponent Kelly Forbes by 20 points in the lieutenant governor race. The Trump-endorsed former House speaker ran a staunch conservative campaign focused on economic development, including attracting new business and cutting regulations.
In a similar near 20-point defeat, Jon Echols beat Democrat Nick Coffey in the race for Oklahoma’s attorney general. Echols’ supporters targeted Coffey over a 2024 contribution to Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, calling him too liberal for Oklahoma. Coffey and his supporters, as well as outside groups, attacked Echols over his ties to TK Health, a troubled jail healthcare provider that faces numerous wrongful death lawsuits.
Cindy Byrd won a landslide victory over Libertarian Kiefer Perry. The former state auditor won by a margin of more than 50 points. Byrd ran on reducing administrative redundancy in state agencies.
Kevin West won the spot for labor commissioner, soundly defeating Democrat Kevin Dawson and Libertarian Mike Hall. West, a state representative, built a reputation as a staunch conservative, running to expand trade programs and guarantee fair bidding on public contracts.
Brad Boles won the seat for corporation commissioner, beating out Democrat Rhonda Eastman.
Oklahoma’s Congressional Delegates Remain Republican
No upsets occurred in Oklahoma’s congressional delegation races, with the closest bout between incumbent Stephanie Bice and challenger Jena Nelson.
Bice ultimately won by just one point.
In another close race, Mark Tedford beat out John Croisant by five points in Oklahoma’s 1st congressional district. Tom Cole, Frank Lucas and Josh Brecheen all took decisive victories in their districts.
Republican Kevin Hern beat self-described Democratic Socialist N’Kiyla Jasmine Thomas by 20 points. Hern ran on improving border security, reducing the national debt and loosening federal gun restrictions.
The race, which received little national attention compared to other Senate races, heated up after Thomas appeared on left-wing streamer and political commentator Hasan Piker’s Twitch stream, where viewers donated $32,000 to Thomas’ campaign.
More eyes were also on the race when Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond issued a binding opinion that the winner of the election will fill the remaining weeks of former U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s term.
The opinion said state law permits the midterm winner to take office after the State Election Board certifies the results, meaning Hern could take office within days, unlike many other winners.
Republican Lawmakers Ousted
Democrats flipped five state House seats from red to blue, though Republicans will still have a supermajority when the Legislature convenes in February.
The victories were concentrated in urban and suburban areas of Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Five incumbents, Republican Reps. Eric Roberts, Max Wolfley, Tammy West, Marilyn Stark and T.J. Marti were ousted and will vacate their seats this month.
Rep. Ron Stewart, who also serves as vice chair of the Oklahoma Democratic Party, said the results represent the largest shift of power in the House in over a decade.
“More balance means better debate, and better debate leads to better decisions for all Oklahomans,” he said in a written statement. “Oklahoma won tonight.”
State Questions Defeated
Voters soundly rejected the two legislatively referred state questions on the ballot.
State Question 845 proposed removing political party affiliation and occupational restrictions for members of the Judicial Nominating Commission, which vets judicial applicants and submits three candidates to the governor for a final decision. Critics argued the proposal would have eroded protections in a selection process that has been scandal-free for almost six decades.
State Question 847 proposed reducing how much a property’s assessed value can increase each year. Legislative leaders framed it as a solution to help homeowners facing inflationary pressures, especially seniors living on fixed incomes, but some county and municipal officials said reduced revenue could hurt public schools and roads.
Republished with permission from Oklahoma Voice.
