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Oklahoma's 1st Congressional District election (August 28, 2018 Republican primary runoff)

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2020
2016
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 Partisan Voter Index (2018): R+17
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
Oklahoma's 1st Congressional District
1st2nd3rd4th5th
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.



Election results

Republican primary runoff election

Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Oklahoma District 1

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Kevin Hern
Kevin Hern
 
54.9
 
40,401
Image of Tim Harris
Tim Harris
 
45.1
 
33,155

Total votes: 73,556
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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June 26 primary results

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Oklahoma District 1

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Tim Harris
Tim Harris
 
27.5
 
28,431
Image of Kevin Hern
Kevin Hern
 
22.7
 
23,466
Image of Andy Coleman
Andy Coleman
 
21.8
 
22,608
Image of Nathan Dahm
Nathan Dahm
 
20.2
 
20,868
Image of Danny Stockstill
Danny Stockstill
 
7.8
 
8,100

Total votes: 103,473
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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

Tim Harris, former Tulsa County district attorney
Tim Harris.PNG

Campaign website Facebook Twitter

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)

Campaign messaging
  • 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]
Kevin Hern, businessman
Kevin Hern.PNG

Campaign website Facebook Twitter

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

Campaign messaging
  • 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.

"Television," released June 11, 2018

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."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.

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

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
Oklahoma's 1st Congressional District election, Republican primary runoff
Poll Poll sponsor Tim Harris Kevin HernUndecidedMargin of errorSample size
SoonerPoll.com
July 24-29, 2018
Newson6 38%26%31%+/-3.43811
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
There is an ongoing struggle between what society and the liberal media says is acceptable and traditional values. Tim’s faith in God is his moral compass and guides every aspect of his life. He will always stand for conservative values such as religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and traditional marriage.

Limited Government
When drafting the Constitution, the Founding Fathers purposely created a limited government, but our nation has strayed far from those foundational ideals. Tim believes government should serve the people, not the other way around.

Second Amendment
From his 28 years of experience as a prosecutor, Tim knows that law-abiding citizens, hunters and collectors are not the problem with gun violence. That blame rests with criminals and those who respect neither laws nor life. Tim will always protect our constitutional right to keep and bear arms.

Veterans
Tim’s wife, Tiari, served as an Air Force captain stationed at Tinker Air Force Base. Tim has been in the same shoes as many military families whose loved ones protect our freedoms by serving at home and abroad. He understands and respects the sacrifices made by both service members and their loved ones. He will always be a voice for veterans and their families.

Spending
America cannot sustain its current path of spending. Future generations of Americans will have to pay the bills for the politicians’ inability to make tough choices. It will take hard work, but we must establish fiscal responsibility, security and stability for future generations.

Immigration
Immigration is a national security issue. Any reform effort must begin with true border security and adherence to the rule of law. For too long, Americans have been put at risk because the federal government refused to enforce existing immigration laws.

Health Care
Obamacare must be repealed. Reforms should provide better access to affordable health care and more insurance options. We need a system that is patient-centered and puts doctors and patients in charge of their care, not bureaucrats. Additionally, taxpayer dollars must not be used to fund abortions or abortion coverage.

Jobs and the Economy
Under the liberal Obama administration bureaucrats were allowed to force their overzealous and costly mandates on America’s entrepreneurs. This is jeopardizing productivity and costing jobs. Tim will roll up his sleeves and get to work on regulatory reform and repealing the red tape that is stifling job creation and economic growth in our country. He will also push to simplify the ridiculously complex tax code.

[17]

—Tim Harris' campaign website (2018)[18]

Kevin Hern

Hern’s campaign website stated the following:

STANDING UP FOR CONSERVATIVE VALUES
Kevin will always fight to defend and protect our conservative principles. With many unique business opportunities, Kevin could have moved his family nearly anywhere in the country but he is very passionate about Oklahoma. As a proud resident of Oklahoma, Kevin understands what it means to fight for conservative family values. Kevin believes that all life is sacred and begins at conception, and will lead the way in Washington on pro-life issues and give voice to the voiceless.

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
Kevin supports repealing Obamacare, and favors replacing it with a health care reform that lowers costs and improves services for patients.

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
When it comes to reforming the way Washington works, Congress must lead by example. Kevin Hern is a proven leader in business. His company provides funding and management advice to other companies that employ hundreds of people in jobs ranging from minimum wage to senior management.

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
The Obama Administration ignored the rule of law, failed to secure the border, and allowed illegal immigrants to cross into the United States undeterred. As a result, American families face a sluggish job market, ceaseless national security threats, and uncertainty regarding the American way of life.

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 prides himself on maintaining and fighting to maintain fundamental freedoms of the American citizen, which includes gun rights.

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 has seen the American Dream fulfilled through hard work in his own life. As a business owner and job creator, who persevered through unknown and difficult times, Kevin firmly believes in every American’s right to own, invest, and prosper through hard work. Regulations of business should not work against growth and should work to promote economic confidence and entrepreneurialism.

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.

[17]

—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

State executives

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:

Demographics

Demographic data for Oklahoma
 OklahomaU.S.
Total population:3,907,414316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):68,5953,531,905
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
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2016 Republican Party Donald Trump 65.3% Democratic Party Hillary Clinton 28.9% 36.4%
2012 Republican Party Mitt Romney 66.8% Democratic Party Barack Obama 33.2% 33.6%
2008 Republican Party John McCain 65.6% Democratic Party Barack Obama 34.3% 31.3%
2004 Republican Party George W. Bush 65.6% Democratic Party John Kerry 34.4% 31.2%
2000 Republican Party George W. Bush 60.3% Democratic Party Al Gore 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
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2016 Republican Party James Lankford 67.7% Democratic Party Mike Workman 24.6% 43.1%
2014 Republican Party Jim Inhofe 68.0% Democratic Party Matt Silverstein 28.5% 39.5%
2010 Republican Party Tom Coburn 70.6% Democratic Party Jim Rogers 26.1% 44.5%
2008 Republican Party Jim Inhofe 56.7% Democratic Party Andrew Rice 39.2% 17.5%
2004 Republican Party Tom Coburn 52.8% Democratic Party Brad Carson 41.2% 11.6%
2002 Republican Party Jim Inhofe 57.3% Democratic Party David Walters 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
Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
2014 Republican Party Mary Fallin 55.8% Democratic Party Joe Dorman 41.0% 14.8%
2010 Republican Party Mary Fallin 60.4% Democratic Party Jari Askins 39.6% 20.8%
2006 Democratic Party Brad Henry 66.5% Republican Party Ernest Istook 33.5% 33.0%
2002 Democratic Party Brad Henry 44.3% Republican Party Steve Largent 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.

Congressional delegation, Oklahoma 2000-2016
Year Republicans Republicans (%) Democrats Democrats (%) Balance of power
2016 Republican Party 5 100% Democratic Party 0 0% R+5
2014 Republican Party 5 100% Democratic Party 0 0% R+5
2012 Republican Party 5 100% Democratic Party 0 0% R+5
2010 Republican Party 4 80% Democratic Party 1 20% R+1
2008 Republican Party 4 80% Democratic Party 1 20% R+1
2006 Republican Party 4 80% Democratic Party 1 20% R+1
2004 Republican Party 4 80% Democratic Party 1 20% R+1
2002 Republican Party 4 80% Democratic Party 1 20% R+1
2000 Republican Party 5 83.3% Democratic Party 1 16.7% R+1

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

Footnotes

  1. 1.0 1.1 ProPublica, "Oklahoma’s 1st District House Race - 2018 cycle," accessed June 14, 2018
  2. Vote Tim Harris, "Biography," accessed August 17, 2018
  3. 1170 Talk Radio, "7.2.18 Tim Harris-Candidate for 1st District Congressional Seat, -- see timestamp 6:50" July 2, 2018
  4. 4.0 4.1 Tulsa World, "1st District Republicans look for space in crowded congressional primary," April 21, 2018
  5. Tim Harris for Congress, "Home," accessed June 14, 2018
  6. Vimeo, "Tim Harris - Is a Fighter," June 15, 2018
  7. Tim Harris for Congress, "Home," accessed August 17, 2018
  8. 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. 9.0 9.1 Kevin Hern for Congress, "Meet Kevin," accessed August 17, 2018
  10. Hern for Congress, "Standing Up for Conservative Values," accessed August 17, 2018
  11. KTUL, "Race for Congress heats up with latest round of campaign ads," August 2, 2018
  12. Tulsa World, "Letter to the Editor: Former lawmaker endorses Tim Harris for congress," August 19, 2018
  13. 13.0 13.1 Tulsa World, "Congressional candidate Kevin Hern looks for campaign boost," August 2, 2018
  14. muskogeepolitico.com, "Kevin Hern holding rally with Rafael Cruz next week," June 15, 2018
  15. muskogeepolitico.com, "Hern endorsed by Republican Main Street Partnership," May 2, 2018
  16. Sooner Politics, "Bridenstine Calls Hern Deceptive," June 19, 2018
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  18. Tim Harris for Congress, “Issues,” accessed June 14, 2018
  19. Kevin Hern for Congress, “Issues,” accessed June 14, 2018
  20. Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
  21. FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
  22. Oklahoma Demographics, "Oklahoma Cities by Population," accessed August 30, 2018
  23. U.S. Census Bureau, "Quickfacts Oklahoma," accessed August 30, 2018


Senators
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
Tom Cole (R)
District 5
Republican Party (7)