Oklahoma state legislative Republican primaries, 2018/Runoffs

Elections in Oklahoma, 2018

• 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.

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2018 Oklahoma State Legislature elections
General	November 6, 2018
Primary	June 26, 2018
Primary Runoff	August 28, 2018

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Disputes over teacher pay and education contributed to an unusually high amount of incumbent turnover in Oklahoma's Republican state legislative primaries. Six Republican incumbents were defeated in the June 26 regular primaries—one in the state Senate and five in the state House. In the Republican primary runoffs on August 28, another six state House incumbents lost.

The June 26 Republican primaries were held in the aftermath of a teachers strike in April 2018. The threat of the strike led Gov. Mary Fallin (R) to sign HB 1010xx, which increased teacher pay and education funding. However, the strike commenced as the teachers union argued that the funding increases were inadequate.

Following the strikes, 112 teachers or persons otherwise associated with public education filed to run in the Democratic and Republican primaries and 71 either won or advanced to a runoff. Of these 71 candidates, 28 won their primaries, 21 advanced to runoffs, 21 ran unopposed, and one was unopposed in the primary and in the general election.

Of the 19 House Republicans who voted against HB 1010xx, eight were defeated.

When addressing the number of incumbents who were defeated or went to runoffs, University of Oklahoma political scientist Keith Gaddie said, "This is entirely a mobilization against anti-tax, anti-education lawmakers in the GOP primary."

After the primaries, the Associated Press reported that several Republican influencers, including state Rep. Chris Kannady (R) and The Conservative Alliance PAC, had been involved in efforts to oppose members of the Platform Caucus, which included several of the Republicans who voted against the education funding legislation and later lost their primaries. Read more below.

The number of Republican incumbent defeats and runoffs were up compared to 2014 and 2016. In 2014, there were eight Republican runoffs and no incumbent losses. In 2016, there were 11 Republican runoffs and three incumbent losses.

Heading into the primaries, Republicans held 72 of 101 state House seats and 39 of 49 state Senate seats. As of 2018, a three-fourths majority--76 seats in the House and 37 seats in the Senate--was required to increase taxes.

Oklahoma was one of 26 Republican trifectas heading into the 2018 elections. Click here to see the trifectas Ballotpedia considered as potentially vulnerable.

This page covers the August 28, 2018, Republican state legislative primary runoff elections in Oklahoma. Click here for coverage of the June 26, 2018, Republican state legislative primary elections.

House runoffs

The chart below outlines the 23 Republican primary runoffs for state House seats.

• It shows the first place finisher and runner-up in the June 26 primaries and the percentage of the vote each received.
• If an incumbent competed in the runoff, the column Incumbent position on HB 1010xx shows whether the member voted for or against HB 1010xx in March 2018.
• If an eductator competed in the runoff, the column Educator running? lists his or her name.

Oklahoma House Republican runoffs
Winner	District	First-place	Vote (%)	Runner-up	Vote (%)	Incumbent position on HB 1010xx	Educator running?
Judd Strom	10	Travis Dunlap (i)	46.1%	Judd Strom	41.9%	Oppose	No
Chris Sneed	14	George Faught (i)	44.6%	Chris Sneed	28.5%	Oppose	Chris Sneed
Jim Grego	17	Joshua Hass	34.9%	Jim Grego	29.0%	N/A	Jim Grego
Sherrie Conley	20	Bobby Cleveland (i)	43.0%	Sherrie Conley	16.6%	Oppose	Sherrie Conley
Danny Sterling	27	Danny Sterling	37.8%	Dave Spaulding	37.5%	N/A	Danny Sterling
Mark Lawson	30	Mark Lawson (i)	47.5%	Kent Glesener	22.5%	Support	No
Sean Roberts	36	Sean Roberts (i)	33.0%	Louise Redcorn	32.1%	Oppose	No
John Pfeiffer	38	John Pfeiffer (i)	45.6%	Brian Hobbs	31.3%	Support	No
Denise Hader	41	Roxanne Pollard	36.9%	Denise Hader	29.8%	N/A	No
Jay Steagall	43	Jay Steagall	33.7%	Crystal Duncan	30.1%	N/A	Crystal Duncan
Brian Hill	47	Brian Hill	40.2%	Beverly Adams	32.8%	N/A	Beverly Adams
Kenton Patzkowsky	61	Kenton Patzkowsky	42.1%	Brad Raven	31.7%	N/A	No
Hurchel T. Caldwell	63	Jeff Coody (i)	39.7%	Hurchel T. Caldwell	39.1%	Oppose	No
Jadine Nollan	66	Jadine Nollan (i)	45.7%	Brian Jackson	36.6%	Support	Brian Jackson
Lonnie Sims	68	Lonnie Sims	33.4%	Nicole Nixon	28.0%	N/A	No
Cheryl Baber	71	Cheryl Baber	43.4%	Beverly Atteberry	24.3%	N/A	No
Dan Hicks	79	Karen Gilbert	48.4%	Dan Hicks	44.9%	N/A	Karen Gilbert
Stan May	80	Stan May	39.5%	Mike Ritze (i)	36.6%	Oppose	No
Nicole Miller	82	Nicole Miller	33.9%	Brad Martin	17.4%	N/A	Brad Martin
Dean Davis	98	Laura Steele	29.3%	Dean Davis	27.4%	N/A	Laura Steele and Dean Davis
Marilyn Stark	100	Julie Roach	41.6%	Marilyn Stark	38.2%	N/A	Julie Roach
Robert Manger	101	Tess Teague (i)	38.0%	Robert Manger	26.6%	Oppose	No

Senate runoffs

The chart below outlines the three Republican primary runoffs for state Senate seats.

• It shows the first place finisher and runner-up in the June 26 primaries and the percentage of the vote each received.
• If an eductator competed in the runoff, the column Educator running? lists his or her name.

Oklahoma Senate Republican runoffs
Winner	District	First-place	Vote (%)	Runner-up	Vote (%)	Educator running?
Bill Coleman	10	Bill Coleman	48.5%	Amber Roberts	27.5%	Amber Roberts
John Symcox	30	Lori Callahan	20.1%	John Symcox	20.0%	No
John Haste	36	John Haste	34.7%	Bill Day	25.6%	No

Analysis

October 2018 Associated Press report

After the primaries, the Associated Press reported that state Reps. Chris Kannady (R) and Josh West (R), Republican consultants Fount Holland and Trebor Worthen, and The Conservative Alliance PAC had been involved in efforts to oppose the members of the Platform Caucus, which included several of the members who voted against the education funding legislation and later lost their primaries. Kannady said he did not coordinate with The Conservative Alliance PAC, which spent $750,000 opposing members of the Platform Caucus.

Kannady denied that House Republican leaders were involved with the efforts. He added, "You can name any sector in the community, and I can tell you every one was frustrated. That's indicative of the amount of money that was infused into the process."

Worthen said he did not know who funded the anti-Platform Caucus efforts. He said, "There's widespread dissatisfaction with that element of the Legislature. My guess is it was a whole bunch of people from the more mainstream, pro-business type of element that said: 'We need to get together and get rid of some of these people.'"

Oklahoma public school teachers strike

See also:

• Statewide public education strikes, 2018
• 2018 Oklahoma legislative session
• Public education in Oklahoma

Schools closed across the state as teachers went on strike—the first since 1990—on April 2, 2018, to protest a lack of education funding. The strike occurred four days after Republican Gov. Mary Fallin signed a tax increase bill that would raise teacher pay. It lasted for nine days, ending on April 12, 2018, when the Oklahoma Education Association declared the end of the strike after a week in which there was no legislative response to educator demands.

Visit this page to read more about the strike: Statewide public education strikes, 2018

Partisan control

The tables below show the partisan breakdowns of the Oklahoma House of Representatives and Oklahoma State Senate as of October 2025:

Oklahoma House of Representatives

Party		As of October 2025
	Democratic Party	20
	Republican Party	81
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		101

Oklahoma State Senate

Party		As of October 2025
	Democratic Party	8
	Republican Party	40
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		48

Voter information

How the primary works

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. In Oklahoma, the Republican Party conducts a closed primary, in which only registered party members may participate. The Democratic Party holds a semi-closed primary, in which unaffiliated voters may participate.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Poll times

In Oklahoma, all polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.

Registration requirements

Check your voter registration status here.

To vote in Oklahoma, one must be at least 18 years old, a United States citizen, and a resident of Oklahoma.

The deadline for registration is 25 days prior to the election.

“	You can fill out a Voter Registration Application using the OK Voter Portal "wizard." (Be sure to print, sign, and mail or hand-deliver the application to your County Election Board to complete the process.) Voter registration applications are also available at your County Election Board, most tag agencies, post offices, and libraries and can be downloaded from the State Election Board website..	”
—Oklahoma State Election Board

Once an applicant has been successfully registered, the county election board will mail him or her a voter identification card.

Automatic registration

Oklahoma does not practice automatic voter registration.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Oklahoma has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

Oklahoma does not allow same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

To register to vote in Oklahoma, you must be a resident of the state.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Oklahoma does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, a voter who submits false information commits a "felony punishable by not more than five years in prison, by a fine of not more than $50,000, or both."

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. One state, Ohio, requires proof of citizenship only when registering to vote at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles facility. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The Oklahoma State Election Board allows residents to check their voter registration status online by visiting this website.

Voter ID requirements

Oklahoma requires voters to present identification while voting. Generally, voters are required to present a photo ID, but there is an exception to this requirement.

Valid forms of identification include government-issued photo IDs and county election board voter identification cards (which do not include photographs).

Voters can present a document issued by the United States government, the State of Oklahoma, or a federally recognized tribal government. The document must include the following information:

• Name
• Photograph
• Expiration date that is after the date of the election

Early voting

Oklahoma permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.

Absentee voting

All voters are eligible to vote absentee in Oklahoma. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee.

Applications for absentee ballots must be received by 5 p.m. on the third Monday preceding an election. A returned absentee ballot must then be received by election officials before 7 p.m. on Election Day.

Although all Oklahoma voters are eligible to vote absentee, those who are physically incapacitated, living in a nursing home, or serving in the military or living overseas may request a special absentee ballot designed for their circumstances.

See also

• Oklahoma state legislative Democratic primaries, 2018
• Oklahoma state legislative Democratic primaries, 2018/Runoffs
• Oklahoma House of Representatives elections, 2018
• Oklahoma State Senate elections, 2018
• Oklahoma State Legislature
• Oklahoma elections, 2018