By Constitution Staff

Oklahoma’s Primary elections were held June 18, and many races for seats in the state legislature were filled because there are only candidates from a single party. For those seats in which no candidate in the party primary received more than 50 percent of the vote, a Runoff Primary Election will be held on August 27 between the top two candidates. The General Election will be on November 5 for the races with there are opponents from other parties and/or an independent candidate.

Three incumbent state senators and one representative were defeated the primary elections, and the fate of two other incumbents will be decided in the Runoff Primary.

Perhaps the most surprising loss by an incumbent legislator was the defeat of Sen. Greg McCortney (R-Ada) who is currently the majority floor leader in the Senate. McCortney had already been chosen by the Republican Caucus earlier this year to be the next Senate President Pro Tempore to succeed outgoing Senate leader Greg Treat who is term-limited.

McCortney lost to Jonathan Wingard of Ada who was elected to the Senate District 13 seat since no other candidates filed. Wingard, 42, spent 19 years with the Oklahoma National Guard, including being deployed in both Afghanistan and Kuwait. McCortney, was rightly attacked as being a RINO (Republican In Name Only). He has a cumulative average of just 55% on the Oklahoma Conservative Index published by the Oklahoma Constitution newspaper.

In Senate District 37, incumbent Sen. Cody Rogers (R-Tulsa) was defeated by Aaron Reinhardt, 42, who is a commercial insurance agent in Jenks and a guidance counselor at Metro Christian Academy. No Democrats filed for the seat, but Reinhardt will face an independent candidate in the General Election. Rogers has a cumulative average of 66% on the Oklahoma Conservative Index.

In Senate District 43, incumbent Sen. Jessica Garvin (R-Duncan) lost the GOP nomination to Kendal Sacchieri who will face a Democrat in the General Election. Sacchieri is the current McClain County Assessor and lives in Blanchard. Garvin has a cumulative average of 66% on the Oklahoma Conservative Index and was challenged for not being conservative enough.

In House District 33, Rep. John Talley (R-Stillwater) was defeated by former teacher Molly Jenkins who lives with her husband on a farm outside of Coyle. She was critical of Talley’s poor conservative record. Talley has a cumulative average of only 49% on the Oklahoma Conservative Index. Jenkins was elected to the seat since there is no opposition in the General Election.

In Senate District 3, Sen. Blake "Cowboy" Stephens (R-Tahlequah) was pushed into a runoff with Dr. Julie McIntosh of Porter. Stephens narrowly led the balloting with 38% following McIntosh with just over 37 percent. After the Oklahoma Legislature redistricted the district boundaries following the 2020 U.S. Census, the district much different from what it was when Stephens was elected four years ago. Stephens has a cumulative average of 65% on the Oklahoma Conservative Index. No Democrats filed for the seat, but the winner of the runoff will face an independent candidate in the General Election. In addition to this runoff, there are three other races for the Republican nomination facing runoff elections.

In House District 32, Budget Committee Chair Kevin Wallace (R-Wellston) was also forced into a runoff. Wallace finished second to challenger Jim Shaw of Chandler. Shaw had 46% of the vote and Wallace had 42%. Since there are no other candidates, the winner of the runoff will be elected to the seat. Rep. Wallace has a cumulative average of only 54% on the Oklahoma Conservative Index.

In addition to the seat currently held by Rep. Wallace, there are five other House districts having a runoff election to determine the party nominee – all Republican races. In four of those districts, the winner will win election since there are no other candidates for the General Election.

Oklahoma Legislative Seat Summary

The Oklahoma House of Representatives has 101 members, and the Oklahoma Senate has 48 members (only half of the senate seats are up for election this year). A number of legislators were not able to run for reelection this year due to Term Limits. Oklahoma voters overwhelmingly adopted a State Question in 1990 that placed limitations on the terms of lawmakers. It took effect in 1992, but did not affect previous years of service. Legislators are limited to a total combined service in the House and/or Senate of 12 years.

In 2024 there were eight legislators who could not run for reelection because of Term Limits, all but one was a Republican. That list includes four members of the House, and four members of the Senate.

All four members of the Oklahoma House ineligible to run this time are members of the House leadership: House Speaker Charles McCall (R-Atoka), Majority Floor Leader Jon Echols (R-OKC), Assistant Majority Floor Leader Mark McBride (R-Moore), and Majority Whip Terry O'Donnell (R-Catoosa).

Four members of the State Senate were unable to seek reelection in 2024, including Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat (R-OKC), the leader of the Senate. Others included Nathan Dahm (R-Broken Arrow) who was elected chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party last year, and Rob Standridge (R-Norman). One Democrat, Kevin Matthews (D-Tulsa) was also Term-Limited. In addition, Senate Minority (Democrat) Leader Kay Floyd (D-OKC) was not up for election this year, but reached the term-limit in the middle of her term due to the time she previously served in the Oklahoma House. The seat will be filled in a Special Election which will coincide with the other legislative elections.

A number of other legislators decided not to run, even though they were not Term-Limited, including ten members of the Oklahoma House, and two Senators. Representatives Jeff Boatman (R-Tulsa) and Regina Goodwin (D-Tulsa) did not seek reelection and instead ran for open seats in the Oklahoma Senate. Boatman lost in the primary, but Goodwin won election in the primary. Rep. Monroe Nichols (D-Tulsa) is running for mayor of Tulsa. Rep. Lonnie Sims (R-Jenks) filed for an open Tulsa County commissioner seat.

Representatives Rhonda Baker (R-Yukon), Sherrie Conley (R-Newcastle), Keven McDugle (R-Broken Arrow), Marcus McEntire (R-Duncan), Randy Randleman (R-Eufaula), and Mauree Turner (D-OKC) also did not seek another term. Turner, the first “nonbinary” person and the first Muslim elected to the Oklahoma Legislature, was censured last year for not cooperating with a law enforcement investigation concerning an incident at the Capitol. Turner was removed from committees pending an apology. Turner refused to apologize and has not served on committees this session.

Four members of the Senate did not seek reelection. Tom Dugger (R-Stillwater), Cris Kidd (R-Ringling), Joe Newhouse (R-Broken Arrow), and Dewayne Pemberton (R-Muskogee). In addition, Sen. George Young (D-OKC) is resigning his seat at the end of the current session. His seat was not scheduled for election this year, so it will be filled in a Special Election which will coincide with the other legislative elections.

Some former legislators filed for seats this year. With incumbent Sen. Dewayne Pemberton (R-Muskogee) not running for reelection, former Rep. Avery Frix (R-Muskogee) filed for the open seat and won the seat since no other candidates filed. Frix gave up his former seat in the Oklahoma House in 2022 to run for the open Second District U.S. House seat.

Former Senator Ron Sharp (R-Shawnee) challenged Sen. Shane Jett (R-Shawnee) in an attempt to reclaim his old seat. But, Sen. Jett was reelected in the primary over Sharp and several other challengers. With the resignation of Sen. George Young (R-OKC), former Senator Connie Johnson (R-OKC) ran for the seat, but lost to Nikki Nice who has served on the Oklahoma City Council since 2018. Former Rep. Wendi Stearman (R-Bartlesville) challenged Sen. Julie Daniels (R-Bartlesville), but Daniels was reelected.

Senators serve four-year terms, with half of the seats up for election each election cycle. The even numbered districts will not be on the ballot until 2026. The odd numbered seats are up for election this year. However, as previously noted, two of the even numbered seats are on the ballot this year due to Sen. Floyd being Term-Limited, and the resignation of Sen. Young. Republicans went into the election year with a 40-8 majority in the 48 member Senate. Republicans held 18 of the even numbered seats not on the ballot this year, with Democrats holding only four. So, the GOP only needed to hold 7 of the 26 seats on the ballot his year to maintain control.

Six senators were automatically elected because no other candidates filed. All six of those are Republicans. Therefore, Republicans were already guaranteed to have 24 seats, just one seat short of the 25 needed for continued control. Republicans picked up six more seats in the June 18 primary elections, since only Republicans were running for those seats. Democrats took just two. So, the GOP has 30 seats, compared to six for the Democrats. So, Republicans are already assured of continued control of the Senate. The remaining 12 seats will be filled in the November General Election. No Democrats filed for three of the remaining seats – with only independents challenging the GOP candidates.

All 101 Oklahoma House seats are up for election each election cycle. In the House there were 81 Republicans, 20 Democrats. Because no other candidates filed, or their opponents withdrew or were stricken from the ballot after filing, 44 members of the House were elected at filing. That number included 38 Republicans and just 6 Democrats. Nineteen Republicans and three Democrats were elected in the June 18 primary elections, since there was no opposition in the General Election. That number included 13 incumbents (12 Republicans and one Democrat). Another four Republicans will be elected in the August 27 Runoff Primary elections. Therefore, the GOP will go into the General Election guaranteed to have 61seats compared to 9 for the Democrats. So, Republicans are already guaranteed to keep control of the House.

There will be just 31 seats at stake in the General Election. In five of those races, no Democrats filed, and the Republican will only face a Libertarian or independent candidate. One seat does not have a Republican running, and the Democrat is only competing with an independent.

The following incumbents were reelected to the Senate because they had no opponents:

George Burns (R-Pollard)

Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle)

Roland Pederson (R-Burlington)

Adam Pugh (R-Edmond)

Paul Rosino (R-OKC)

One Senator, not an incumbent, was elected to the Senate because he had no opponent:

Avery Frix (R-Muskogee)

The following incumbents were reelected to the Senate in the June 18 Primary:

Micheal Bergstrom (R-Big Cabin)

Julie Daniels (R-Bartlesville)

Shane Jett (R-Shawnee)

Casey Murdock (R-Felt)

The following Senators, not incumbents, were elected to the Senate in the June 18 Primary:

Regina Goodwin (D-Tulsa)

Spencer Kern (R-Duncan)

Nikki Nice (D-OKC)

Jonathan Wingard (R-Ada)

The following incumbents were elected to the House because they had no opponents:

Nick Archer (R-Elk City)

Chris Banning (R-Bixby)

Steve Bashore (R-Miami)

Forrest Bennett (D-OKC)

Meloyde Blancett (D-Tulsa)

Brad Boles (R-Marlow)

Ty Burns (R-Pawnee)

Chad Caldwell (R-Enid)

Josh Cantrell (R-Kingston)

Rusty Cornwall (R-Vinita)

Jared Deck (D-Norman)

Mike Dobrinski (R-Okeene)

Mickey Dollens (D-OKC)

Collin Duel (R-Guthrie)

Ross Ford (R-Broken Arrow)

Tom Gann (R-Inola)

John George (R-Newalla)

Jim Grego (R-Wilburton)

Kyle Hilbert (R-Bristow)

Brian Hill (R-Mustang)

Justin Humphrey (R-Lane)

John Kane (R-Bartlesville)

Gerrid Kendrix (R-Altus)

Mark Lawson (R-Sapulpa)

Mark Lepak (R-Claremore)

Dick Lowe (R-Amber)

Jason Lowe: (D-OKC)

T.J. Marti (R-Broken Arrow)

Stan May (R-Broken Arrow)

Cody Maynard (R-Durant)

Nicole Miller (R-Edmond)

Anthony Moore (R-Clinton)

Mike Osburn (R-Edmond)

Kevin Patzkowsky (R-Balko)

David Smith (R-Arpelar)

Chris Sneed (R-Fort Gibson)

Danny Sterling (R-Tecumseh)

Amanda Swope (D-Tulsa)

Mark Tedford (R-Tulsa)

Arturo Alonso Sandoval (D-OKC)

John Waldron (D-Tulsa)

Josh West (R-Grove)

Kevin West (R-Moore)

Rick West (R-Heavener)

The following incumbents were reelected to the House in the June 18 Primary:

Toni Hasenbeck (R-Elgin)

Neil Hays (R-Checotah)

Ronny Johns (R-Ada)

Chris Kannady (R-OKC)

Robert Manger (R-Oklahoma City)

Carl Newton (R-Cherokee)

Jim Olsen (R-Roland)

Ajay Pittman (D-OKC)

Cindy Roe (R-Lindsay)

Preston Stinson (R-Edmond)

Judd Strom (R-Copan)

Tammy Townley (R-Ardmore)

Danny Williams (R-Seminole)

The following Representatives, not incumbents, were elected to the House in the June 18 Primary:

Ryan Eaves (R-Atoka)

Rob Hall (R-Tulsa)

Mike Lay (R-Jenks)

Derrick Hildebrant (R-Catoosa)

Molly Jenkins (R-Coyle)

Michelle McCane (D-Tulsa)

Ron Stewart (D-Tulsa)

Tim Turner (R-Kinta)