The November 5, 2024 was an historic election for the United States. Donald Trump was the second president to win a second nonsequential term as president. The other was Grover Cleveland in 1892. He defeated current Vice President Kamala Harris in both the popular vote and in the Electoral College. As of Tuesday, Nov. 12, Harris appears to have 227 electoral votes compared to Trump’s 312. In the popular vote Trump came up with 75,090,955 votes to Harris’s 71,794,945.
In Oklahoma statewide voting which is still being verified, had Trump winning with 1,036, 213 votes (66.16%) over Harris’ 499,599 votes (31.90%). Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. who bowed out of the race and endorsed Trump came in third with 16, 020 votes (1.02%). Chase Oliver (Lib) and Chris Garrity (Ind) both garnered less than one percent.
In Tulsa County Trump fared worse but still won the election. He garnered 56.53% with 145,241 votes while Harris earned 41.30% and 106,105 votes.
This presidential election was an unforgettable one. Two assassination attempts on Trump, the bowing out of incumbent President Joe Biden after a disasterous debate performance and the Democratic nomination of Harris who had not even run in the primaries.
Republicans in Oklahoma and the nation had a big night. They took back the Senate and appear to have retained the House on a national level. In Oklahoma the State Senate and House also remained Republican.
At the national level the Republicans in the Senate have at least 53 seats called in their favor while the Democrats have 47.
The House is tighter with 214 of the 218 seats needed having been called for Republicans, while the Democrats have 205.
No Oklahoma U.S. Senators were on the ballot this year.
Four U.S. House members were up for election this year in Oklahoma and all of them won their races. Rep. Kevin Hern from the 1st District won with 188,832 votes and 60.43 percent. Democrat Dennis Baker came in with 107,903 votes (34.53 percent). Independent David Mark Garcia Sanders had 15,766 votes (5.05 percent).
The other winning House members from Oklahoma were Josh Breechen with 71.18 percent, Tom Cole with 65.25 percent and Stephanie Bice with 60.69 percent of the vote.
In the state Senate and House no seats changed party. The Senate Republicans retained 40 seats while the Democrats kept their eight seats. In the Oklahoma House Republicans kept 81 seats and Democrats remained steady at 20 seats.
In the Tulsa County elections four of the five state senators elected were Republicans.
Republican Brian Guthrie defeated Democrat Karen Ann Gaddis 67.17 % to 32.83% in Senate District 25 with no incumbent running.
Republican Christi Gillespie defeated Democrat Bob Willis with 23,105 votes (67.25%) to Willis’ 11,254 votes (32.75%) in Senate District 33, Sen. Nathan Dahm’s seat (term limited).
Senate District 35 was the district where incumbent Democrat Jo Anna Dossett won over Republican Dean Martin, 59.18 % to 40.82%.
Republican Aaron Reinhardt won Senate District 37 handily with 69.61% of the vote versus Independent Andrew Nutter who garnered 30.39%. There was no incumbent in this race, Reinhardt beat the incumbent Republican in the primary.
In Senate District 39 Incumbent Republican Dave Rader beat Melissa Bryce 56.30% to 43.70% (20,326 to 15,774 votes)
In the four undecided local Oklahoma house races, the Republicans won 3 and the Democrats 1.
In House District 16 Republican Incumbent Scott Fetgatter won 2,329 votes or 75.67% and
Democrat Rosie Lynch earned 749 votes, 24.33%.
House District 70 had Democrat Suzanne E. Schreiber with 11,162 votes (56.45%) and Republican Bradley Banks earning 8,612 votes (43.55%).
Republican challenger Paul Hassink garnered 45.42 percent of the vote with 6,015 votes. While incumbent Democrat Melissa Provenzano came up with 7,227 votes or 54.58%.
In Broken Arrow Republican newcomer Gabe Woolley won with 4,344 votes (65.49%0 to Democrat Cathy Smythe’s 2,289 votes (34.51%).
On the State level there was only one election – an open seat on the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. There were three contenders for the position. Republican J. Brian Bingman won the position handily with 979,802 votes. The nearest contender was Democrat Harold Spradling with 444,736 votes and trailing them both was Libertarian Chad Williams with 114,257.
The other statewide vote was on the retention of Judges. In a surprise one Supreme Court judge was not retained, and the other two were narrowly retained.
Norma Gurich was retained with 50.27 percent of the vote, while the other female judge Yvonne Kauger was not retained with only 49.76 percent. No Supreme Court judge has ever been removed by a vote before in Oklahoma. The other Supreme Court judge James E. Edmondson was also barely retained with only 51.02% of the vote.
The Court of Criminal Appeals fared slightly better in the voting with no judges being removed.
William J. Musseman was retained with a good 64.30%, while Scott Rowland had about the same with 63.71% and David B. Lewis was lower with only 59.11%.
There were six judges retained in the Court of Civil Appeals. Four of the judges earned over 60% of the vote. James R. Huber, Timothy J. Downing, Thomas E. Prince and E. Bay Mitchell, while Robert Bobby Bell and Jack Goree received retention votes of 58% and 59% respectively.
There were two state questions on the Ballot and the vote was split. Question 833 which allowed another path to taxation was defeated by a 61.61% no vote, while Question 834 won with a whopping 80.73 percent approval of only allowing U.S. citizens to vote in elections in Oklahoma.
Tulsa County saw two votes with the incumbent Republican County Clerk Michael Brandon Willis winning 62.585 of the vote (157,235 votes) over his Democrat challenger Don Nuam with 37.42% (94,020 votes).
The other Tulsa County vote was for Tulsa County Commissioner District 2. The Republican Lonnie Sims won by a narrow margin over Democrat Sarah Elizabeth Gray. Sims a member of the state house won with 50.82 % of the vote versus Gray a political newcomer with 49.18%.
The City of Tulsa elected a new mayor as current Mayor G.T. Bynum not running for reelection. Two Democrats were running against each other in the non-partisan election. Oklahoma House Rep. Monroe Nichols won over Tulsa County Commissioner Karen Keith. Nichols won with 74,447 votes or 55.13%, while Keith registered 60,593 votes or 44.87%.
Three Tulsa City Council positions had not been decided in the primary: Districts 2, 7 and 9.
In District 2, a seat left vacant by Jeanie Cue, Anthony Archie beat Stephanie Reisdorph 6,424 votes to 5,363. Both were political newcomers.
Incumbent Lori Dector Wright of District 7 fended off Eddie Huff. Wright won with 7,757 votes to Huff’s 6,920.
Former Oklahoma House Representative Carol Bush defeated Incumbent Councilor Jayme Fowler in District 9. Bush won with 11,667 votes to Fowler’s 89,680.