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Oklahoma's 1st Congressional District election (August 28, 2018 Republican primary runoff)
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 12
- Early voting: Nov. 1 - Nov. 3
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6
- Online registration: No
- Same-day registration: No
- Voter ID: Non-photo ID required
- Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
2020 →
← 2016
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Oklahoma's 1st Congressional District |
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Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
Election details |
Filing deadline: April 13, 2018 |
Primary: June 26, 2018 Primary runoff: August 28, 2018 (if needed) General: November 6, 2018 Pre-election incumbent: Vacant |
How to vote |
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting in Oklahoma |
Race ratings |
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican Inside Elections: Solid Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican |
Ballotpedia analysis |
U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018 |
See also |
1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th Oklahoma elections, 2018 U.S. Congress elections, 2018 U.S. Senate elections, 2018 U.S. House elections, 2018 |
Businessman Kevin Hern (R) defeated former Tulsa County District Attorney Tim Harris (R) in the August 28 primary runoff. Hern received 54.9 percent of the vote to Harris' 45.1 percent.
The two were the top finishers in the June 26 primary for Oklahoma's 1st Congressional District and advanced to a runoff since neither received a majority of votes.
Harris, who was a top fundraiser in the June 26 primary alongside Hern, self-funded $100,000. On the campaign trail, he emphasized his community ties and public service. He said he had a goal of sitting on the House Judiciary Committee, and his policy platform included reducing the incarceration rate and limiting the ability of federal agencies to issue regulations.
Hern, who was endorsed by the Republican Main Street Partnership, self-funded $700,000. The Club for Growth, which endorsed third-place finisher Andy Coleman (R) in the first round of the primary, had spent $345,000 opposing him but did not spend in support of Harris in the runoff.[1] Hern emphasized his support for President Donald Trump (R) and called for congressional term limits. In campaign materials, he portrayed Harris as a career politician.
This page covers the August 28 runoff election. Click here for Ballotpedia's coverage of the June 26 primary election. |
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Election results
Republican primary runoff election
Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Oklahoma District 1
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | Kevin Hern | 54.9 | 40,401 |
Tim Harris | 45.1 | 33,155 |
Total votes: 73,556 | ||||
![]() | ||||
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June 26 primary results
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Oklahoma District 1
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | Tim Harris | 27.5 | 28,431 | |
✔ | ![]() | Kevin Hern | 22.7 | 23,466 |
Andy Coleman | 21.8 | 22,608 | ||
![]() | Nathan Dahm | 20.2 | 20,868 | |
![]() | Danny Stockstill | 7.8 | 8,100 |
Total votes: 103,473 | ||||
![]() | ||||
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
Candidates
Party: Republican
Incumbent: No
Political office: Tulsa County District Attorney, 1998-2014
Biography: After graduating from Oral Roberts Law School, Harris joined the Tulsa County District Attorney's office and worked there before his election as district attorney. At the time of the 2018 election, he served as chairman of the Tulsa County Sheriff's Foundation, Inc., which he helped to found after leaving the district attorney's office. He also taught constitutional law at Oral Roberts University and graduate business studies at Oklahoma Wesleyan University.[2] In an interview with KFAQ's Pat Campbell, Harris stated that he would not commit to joining the House Freedom Caucus.[3]
Key endorsements: Former state Rep. Fred Perry (R)
- Harris emphasized his negotiating experience from serving as the district attorney of Tulsa County, which he said would allow him to be an effective member of Congress.[4][5]
- Harris cast himself as a fighter, citing his career as a prosecutor, and promised to fight on the district's behalf if elected.[6][7]
- Harris emphasized the fundraising gap between himself and Hern, claiming that he was unable to fund rebuttals to ads attacking him put out by the Hern campaign and pointing to Hern's use of self-funding.[8]
Party: Republican
Incumbent: No
Political office: None
Biography: After his military service, Hern began a career in business by purchasing two McDonald's franchises. From there, he expanded his business to include ten restaurants and has served in various leadership capacities among McDonald's franchisees, including five years as chairman of the Systems Economic Team. Between 2011 and 2015, Hern served as the chairman of the finance committee of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority.[9]
Key endorsements: Republican Main Street Partnership
- Hern emphasized his support for President Donald Trump (R), saying “When I launched my campaign last year, I said many of the things like building the wall, putting Americans back to work, bringing manufacturing back to America so we can have better-paying jobs. …Everything you’re seeing from President Trump is about making America better.”[4]
- Hern touted his economic success, saying that he stayed in the Tulsa area to provide jobs rather than pursuing more lucrative business opportunities elsewhere.[10][9]
- Hern referred to Harris as a career politician, running a campaign ad which included imagery of a pig alongside Harris while proclaiming his own support for term limits for members of Congress.[11]
Endorsements
Republican candidate endorsements | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Endorsement | Harris | Hern | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Individuals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Former state Rep. Fred Perry (R)[12] | ✔ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Broken Arrow Mayor Craig Thurmond[13] | ✔ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Broken Arrow City Councillor Debra Wimpee[13] | ✔ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pastor Rafael Cruz, father of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)[14] | ✔ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Organizations | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Republican Main Street Partnership[15] | ✔ |
Campaign strategies and tactics
Bridenstine involvement
On June 19, former incumbent Jim Bridenstine, who had not endorsed a candidate to replace him, released the following statement about Kevin Hern:[16]
“ |
"Kevin Hern has been using my name and image in his campaign ads for Oklahoma's First Congressional District. Voters should know that Kevin Hern initiated a run against me in 2016 and poll tested messages that included terrible lies about me. I learned of this when the pollster called my home. Now he uses my name and image in ads as if we are close. Kevin Hern's later support of me was opportunistic and based on self interest knowing I had limited my terms." [17] |
” |
Campaign advertisements
Kevin Hern
Oppose
The Club for Growth released the following TV ad and radio ad opposing Hern.
|
Click here to hear the radio ad.
Campaign finance
The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.
Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tim Harris | Republican Party | $487,812 | $477,645 | $10,167 | As of December 31, 2018 |
Kevin Hern | Republican Party | $2,940,362 | $2,874,702 | $65,660 | As of December 31, 2018 |
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2018. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
As of June 14, 2018, the candidates had loaned their campaigns the following amounts:
- Tim Harris: $108,000
- Kevin Hern: $700,000
Satellite spending
Spending prior to the June 26 primary
- The Club for Growth, which endorsed Andy Coleman (R) in the June 26 primary, spent about $345,000 opposing Kevin Hern.[1]
Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
Oklahoma's 1st Congressional District election, Republican primary runoff | |||||||||||||||||||
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Poll | Poll sponsor | Tim Harris | Kevin Hern | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | |||||||||||||
SoonerPoll.com July 24-29, 2018 | Newson6 | 38% | 26% | 31% | +/-3.43 | 811 | |||||||||||||
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. |
Campaign themes and policy stances
Tim Harris
Harris' campaign website stated the following:
“ |
Traditional Values Limited Government Second Amendment Veterans Spending Immigration Health Care Jobs and the Economy |
” |
—Tim Harris' campaign website (2018)[18] |
Kevin Hern
Hern’s campaign website stated the following:
“ |
STANDING UP FOR CONSERVATIVE VALUES Kevin also believes that marriage is a sacrament between one man and one woman. The sacrament of marriage has strengthened societies for many generations, and we must uphold the truth of marriage in order to better ourselves as a nation. HEALTHCARE REFORM He believes that health care decisions should be made between patients and their doctors, not by government bureaucrats. Health care policy must be focused on solutions that actually make care more affordable and accessible instead of expanding the size of the federal government. Kevin believes Obamacare will ultimately result in higher cost of care, less access to care, and he believes it reduces the choice of care. The best quality and choice of care is given through a free-market driven healthcare system. It is that type of free-market system Americans appreciate about our options in healthcare, not federal government over-regulation. Kevin has lived this out by creating self-insured programs in his company and he will take those innovative solutions to Congress. SHAKE UP WASHINGTON Kevin will use his experience and knowledge to focus on leading Congress by example, and put an end to the typical behaviors of career politicians. IMMIGRATION Kevin Hern strongly opposes the Obama Administration’s policy of taking unconstitutional, unilateral actions on immigration. He believes we must enforce our existing laws, secure our borders, and ensure the American people that we are keeping their families safe from dangerous criminals. We are a nation of immigrants, but we are also a nation of laws. Kevin believes we must follow these laws in order to protect our national security. SECOND AMENDMENT Kevin believes in the Second Amendment, that every American has the right to own, carry and use a firearm. The freedom to bear arms and the right for an individual to protect his or herself, family, and property is a fundamental principle upon which our nation was built. Kevin will carry this ideology with him into Washington. ECONOMY AND JOBS Kevin believes in a simplified tax system; that money earned should stay in the pockets of those who earned it. He is an advocate for reduced government regulation and spending. Kevin believes that the only route to repairing America’s economy is to cut spending. With increased economic growth, we will see the necessary decrease in unemployment rates. |
” |
—Kevin Hern’s campaign website (2018)[19] |
District analysis
- See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
- See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores
The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+17, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 17 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Oklahoma's 1st Congressional District the 63rd most Republican nationally.[20]
FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 0.91. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 0.91 points toward that party.[21]
State overview
State overview
Partisan control
This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Oklahoma heading into the 2018 elections.
Congressional delegation
- Following the 2016 elections, Republicans held both U.S. Senate seats in Oklahoma.
- Republicans held four of five U.S. House seats in Oklahoma, the remaining seat was vacated in April 2018 by Republican Jim Bridenstine.
State executives
- As of September 2018, Republicans held 11 of 12 state executive positions. The remaining position was officially nonpartisan.
- The governor of Oklahoma was Republican Mary Fallin. The state held elections for governor and lieutenant governor on November 6, 2018.
State legislature
- Republicans controlled both chambers of the Oklahoma State Legislature. They had a 72-27 majority in the state House and a 38-8 majority in the state Senate.
Trifecta status
- Oklahoma was a Republican trifecta, meaning that the Republican Party controlled the office of the governor, the state House, and the state Senate.
2018 elections
- See also: Oklahoma elections, 2018
Oklahoma held elections for the following positions in 2018:
- Four U.S. House seats
- Governor and lieutenant governor
- Seven lower state executive positions
- 18 of 35 state Senate seats
- 100 state House seats
- Municipal elections in Oklahoma
Demographics
Demographic data for Oklahoma | ||
---|---|---|
Oklahoma | U.S. | |
Total population: | 3,907,414 | 316,515,021 |
Land area (sq mi): | 68,595 | 3,531,905 |
Race and ethnicity** | ||
White: | 73.1% | 73.6% |
Black/African American: | 7.2% | 12.6% |
Asian: | 1.9% | 5.1% |
Native American: | 7.3% | 0.8% |
Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
Two or more: | 7.8% | 3% |
Hispanic/Latino: | 9.6% | 17.1% |
Education | ||
High school graduation rate: | 86.9% | 86.7% |
College graduation rate: | 24.1% | 29.8% |
Income | ||
Median household income: | $46,879 | $53,889 |
Persons below poverty level: | 19.7% | 11.3% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Oklahoma. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. |
As of July 2016, Oklahoma's three largest cities were Oklahoma City (pop. est. 643,648), Tulsa (pop. est. 401,800), and Norman (pop. est. 122,843).[22][23]
State election history
This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Oklahoma from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Oklahoma State Election Board.
Historical elections
Presidential elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Oklahoma every year from 2000 to 2016.
Election results (President of the United States), Oklahoma 2000-2016 | |||||
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Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
2016 | ![]() |
65.3% | ![]() |
28.9% | 36.4% |
2012 | ![]() |
66.8% | ![]() |
33.2% | 33.6% |
2008 | ![]() |
65.6% | ![]() |
34.3% | 31.3% |
2004 | ![]() |
65.6% | ![]() |
34.4% | 31.2% |
2000 | ![]() |
60.3% | ![]() |
38.4% | 21.9% |
U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Oklahoma from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.
Election results (U.S. Senator), Oklahoma 2000-2016 | |||||
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Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
2016 | ![]() |
67.7% | ![]() |
24.6% | 43.1% |
2014 | ![]() |
68.0% | ![]() |
28.5% | 39.5% |
2010 | ![]() |
70.6% | ![]() |
26.1% | 44.5% |
2008 | ![]() |
56.7% | ![]() |
39.2% | 17.5% |
2004 | ![]() |
52.8% | ![]() |
41.2% | 11.6% |
2002 | ![]() |
57.3% | ![]() |
36.3% | 21.0% |
Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Oklahoma.
Election results (Governor), Oklahoma 2000-2016 | |||||
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Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
2014 | ![]() |
55.8% | ![]() |
41.0% | 14.8% |
2010 | ![]() |
60.4% | ![]() |
39.6% | 20.8% |
2006 | ![]() |
66.5% | ![]() |
33.5% | 33.0% |
2002 | ![]() |
44.3% | ![]() |
42.6% | 1.7% |
Congressional delegation, 2000-2016
This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Oklahoma in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.
Trifectas, 1992-2017
A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.
Oklahoma Party Control: 1992-2024
Five years of Democratic trifectas • Fourteen years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Governor | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | S | S | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in Oklahoma, 2018
- United States House elections in Oklahoma (June 26, 2018 Republican primaries)
- Oklahoma's 1st Congressional District election (June 26, 2018 Democratic primary)
- Oklahoma's 1st Congressional District election (June 26, 2018 Republican primary)
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2018
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 ProPublica, "Oklahoma’s 1st District House Race - 2018 cycle," accessed June 14, 2018
- ↑ Vote Tim Harris, "Biography," accessed August 17, 2018
- ↑ 1170 Talk Radio, "7.2.18 Tim Harris-Candidate for 1st District Congressional Seat, -- see timestamp 6:50" July 2, 2018
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Tulsa World, "1st District Republicans look for space in crowded congressional primary," April 21, 2018
- ↑ Tim Harris for Congress, "Home," accessed June 14, 2018
- ↑ Vimeo, "Tim Harris - Is a Fighter," June 15, 2018
- ↑ Tim Harris for Congress, "Home," accessed August 17, 2018
- ↑ Tulsa World, "Congressional candidate Tim Harris doesn't have a lot of money, but he does have a lot of friends," August 7, 2018
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Kevin Hern for Congress, "Meet Kevin," accessed August 17, 2018
- ↑ Hern for Congress, "Standing Up for Conservative Values," accessed August 17, 2018
- ↑ KTUL, "Race for Congress heats up with latest round of campaign ads," August 2, 2018
- ↑ Tulsa World, "Letter to the Editor: Former lawmaker endorses Tim Harris for congress," August 19, 2018
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Tulsa World, "Congressional candidate Kevin Hern looks for campaign boost," August 2, 2018
- ↑ muskogeepolitico.com, "Kevin Hern holding rally with Rafael Cruz next week," June 15, 2018
- ↑ muskogeepolitico.com, "Hern endorsed by Republican Main Street Partnership," May 2, 2018
- ↑ Sooner Politics, "Bridenstine Calls Hern Deceptive," June 19, 2018
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Tim Harris for Congress, “Issues,” accessed June 14, 2018
- ↑ Kevin Hern for Congress, “Issues,” accessed June 14, 2018
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
- ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
- ↑ Oklahoma Demographics, "Oklahoma Cities by Population," accessed August 30, 2018
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "Quickfacts Oklahoma," accessed August 30, 2018