WASHINGTON – Republicans won big in Oklahoma’s Congressional races and dominated the Presidential results as turnout dropped by almost 5% compared to the 2020 general election.
Presidential race: Donald Trump will become the 47th President of the United States after securing over 270 electoral college votes Tuesday night.
• Trump received 66.17% of the vote. Kamala Harris received 31.90%, according to unofficial results by the Oklahoma State Election Board.
• Trump increased his margin of victory compared to 2020. In 2020 he defeated President Joe Biden by 33.1%. He defeated Harris by 34.3%, according to unofficial results.
• For the sixth straight presidential election, all 77 counties in Oklahoma voted for the Republican candidate.
• Statewide turnout was 64.35% decreasing from 69.34% in 2020. In 2016, turnout was 68.11%
• Oklahoma County was the only county where less than 50% of the votes were for Trump. Trump received 49.9% of the 288,710 votes cast in the county. Trump won the county, by 1.68%. In 2020, Trump won Oklahoma County by 1.13%.
Historical context: Trump will be the second president in American history to serve two, non-consecutive terms. The other was Grover Cleveland who served as the 22nd and 24th president. Trump was the 45th president and will be inaugurated as the 47th president on Jan. 20, 2025.
For the sixth consecutive presidential election, all 77 counties voted for the Republican candidate. Trump received an average of 78.53% of the votes in each county. In the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, Oklahoma County was the closest county in the state with Trump winning in 2020 and 2024 by less than 2%.
Trump’s electoral dominance trickled down to down-ballot candidates: – In the First Congressional District, Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Tulsa) received 60.44% of the vote, defeating Democrat Dennis Baker who received 34.52%, and Independent Mark Sanders who received 5.04%.
– In the Second Congressional District Rep. Josh Brecheen (RAda) won by the largest margin compared to his Congressional colleagues. Breechen received 74.18% of the vote to defeat Democrat Brandon Wade who received 21.45% and Independent Ronnie Hopkins who received 4.38%.
– In the Third Congressional District, Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Cheyenne) ran unopposed in the general election.
– Rep. Tom Cole (RMoore) won the race for the Fourth Congressional District by receiving 65.25% of the vote to defeat Democrat Mary Brannon who received 28.27, for the fourth time, and Independent James Stacy who received 6.48%.
– Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-Oklahoma City) defeated Democrat Madison Horn to retain the Fifth Congressional District. Bice received 60.69% of the vote, Horn received 39.31%.
The average number of votes per district was 320,186. The average number of votes per district in 2022 was 237,134. In 2020 it was 310,551.
Kevin Eagleson is reporting from Gaylord News’ Washington bureau this fall as part of an OU Daily scholarship.
Gaylord News is a reporting project of the University of Oklahoma Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. For more stories by Gaylord News go to GaylordNews.net.