Notable Oklahoma races, 2016
| Notable Oklahoma Races | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Primary | June 28, 2016 |
| General | November 8, 2016 |
| 2016 Notable Races | |
|---|---|
| Choose a state below: | |
Ballotpedia identified five notable 2016 Oklahoma state legislative races.
Overview
- Main articles: Oklahoma House of Representatives elections, 2016 and Oklahoma State Senate elections, 2016
All 101 state House seats and a total of 25 seats out of the state Senate's 48 seats were up for election in 2016.
State legislature remained Republican
Heading into the general election, Oklahoma was one of 23 state government trifectas. Republicans held a 20-seat majority in the state House and a 15-seat majority in the state Senate. They remained in control after November 2016, as Democrats had to gain 21 seats to gain a majority in the House and 16 seats to gain a majority in the Senate.
| Partisan breakdown of the Oklahoma Legislature | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Republicans | Democrats | |
| Oklahoma House | 71 seats | 30 seats | |
| Oklahoma Senate | 39 seats | 9 seats | |
What makes a race notable?
Ballotpedia uses these criteria to identify notable races:
- Incumbents facing more conservative or liberal challengers
- Rematches between candidates
- Races that receive considerable media attention
- Races that could significantly affect the state's partisan balance
- Competitive races involving party leaders
- Open, competitive races with Republican and Democratic primaries
- Races that capture money and attention from outside groups, including key endorsements
Know of an interesting race we should include here? Email us!
Notable primary elections
State Senate District 25
- Four Republicans competed for an open seat left by the Republican incumbent.
Incumbent state Sen. Mike Mazzei (R) did not run for re-election due to term limits. Four Republicans competed for the open seat: Joe Newhouse (R), Bob Jack (R), Craig Murray (R), and Lisa Kramer (R). Newhouse and Kramer competed in the August 23, 2016, runoff election. Newhouse defeated Kramer in the primary runoff. Robert Founds (D) was unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Jack is a business owner who is a former senior vice president at Manhattan Construction.[1]
Newhouse is a realtor broker and business owner.[1]
Kramer is a certified public accountant (CPA) and school board member.[1]
Murray is a member of the Tulsa Police Department.[1]
State Senate District 33
- The Republican incumbent faced two primary challengers.
Incumbent state Sen. Nathan Dahm (R) ran for re-election. He defeated Patrick Pershing (R) and Larry Curtis (R) in the Republican primary contest. Randal E. Burris (D) was defeated by Kimberly Fobbs (D) in the Democratic primary contest.
Dahm made national news in 2016 when he introduced legislation that would make it a felony for doctors to perform an abortion. The bill passed the legislature but was vetoed by Gov. Mary Fallin (R). According to Tulsa World, the district is very conservative, and it was unclear whether Dahm's bill would help or hurt his re-election prospects. One of his challengers, Larry Curtis, stated that his legislative priorities were education, the state budget, and jobs.[2]
State House District 58
- Four Republicans competed for an open seat left by the Republican incumbent.
Incumbent state Rep. Jeff Hickman (R) did not run for re-election due to term limits. Four Republicans competed for the seat: Luke Ewing Doane (R), Carl Newton (R), Steve Day (R), and Rochelle Covington (R). Newton won the Republican nomination. No Democrat filed to run.
State House District 70
- The Republican incumbent faced a primary challenger.
Incumbent state Rep. Ken Walker (R) ran for re-election but was defeated by Carol Bush (R) in the Republican primary contest. Joe Jennings (D) was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Tamara Morton (Lib.) was the lone Libertarian Party candidate.
According to Tulsa World, Bush was likely to be "a strong challenge" for Walker. Bush is a former executive director at the Crime Prevention Network.[2]
State House District 73
- District 73 featured a candidate rematch.
Incumbent state Rep. Regina Goodwin (D) ran for a full term. She defeated Jonathan Townsend (D) in the Democratic primary contest. Leland Cole (R) was unopposed in the Republican primary.
In 2015, Goodwin defeated Townsend and five other candidates in a special election on July 14, 2015, to replace outgoing state Rep. Kevin Matthews (D). Goodwin received 35 percent of the vote while Townsend received 27 percent of the vote.
Freshman legislators
The following is a list of challengers who won election on November 8.
- Adam Pugh (Republican), .Oklahoma State Senate, District 41
- Avery Carl Frix (Republican), .Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 13
- Carl Newton (Republican), .Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 58
- Carol Bush (Oklahoma) (Republican), .Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 70
- Chris Kidd (Republican), .Oklahoma State Senate, District 31
- Collin Walke (Democratic), .Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 87
- Dale Derby (Republican), .Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 74
- Dave Rader (Republican), .Oklahoma State Senate, District 39
- Dell Kerbs (Republican), .Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 26
- Dewayne Pemberton (Republican), .Oklahoma State Senate, District 9
- Forrest Bennett (Democratic), .Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 92
- Greg Babinec (Republican), .Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 33
- Greg McCortney (Republican), .Oklahoma State Senate, District 13
- James Leewright (Republican), .Oklahoma State Senate, District 12
- Jason Lowe (Democratic), .Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 97
- Joe Newhouse (Republican), .Oklahoma State Senate, District 25
- Josh West (Republican), .Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 5
- Julie Daniels (Republican), .Oklahoma State Senate, District 29
- Justin JJ Humphrey (Republican), .Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 19
- Kevin McDugle (Republican), .Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 12
- Kevin West (Republican), .Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 54
- Kyle Hilbert (Republican), .Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 29
- Lonnie Paxton (Republican), .Oklahoma State Senate, District 23
- Marcus McEntire (Republican), .Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 50
- Mark Lawson (Oklahoma) (Republican), .Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 30
- Matt Meredith (Democratic), .Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 4
- Meloyde Blancett (Democratic), .Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 78
- Micheal Bergstrom (Republican), .Oklahoma State Senate, District 1
- Mickey Dollens (Democratic), .Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 93
- Mike Osburn (Republican), .Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 81
- Monroe Nichols (Democratic), .Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 72
- Paul Scott (Oklahoma) (Republican), .Oklahoma State Senate, District 43
- Rande Worthen (Republican), .Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 64
- Rhonda Baker (Republican), .Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 60
- Rick West (Oklahoma) (Republican), .Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 3
- Roger Ford (Oklahoma) (Republican), .Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 95
- Roland Pederson (Republican), .Oklahoma State Senate, District 19
- Ryan Martinez (Republican), .Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 39
- Scott Fetgatter (Republican), .Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 16
- Scott McEachin (Republican), .Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 67
- Tammy West (Republican), .Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 84
- Tess Teague (Republican), .Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 101
- Tim Downing (Republican), .Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 42
- Tom Gann (Republican), .Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 8
- Tom J. Dugger (Republican), .Oklahoma State Senate, District 21
Defeated incumbents
The following is a list of incumbents who were defeated on November 8.Results will be added as they are updated.
See also
External links
Footnotes
