Law & Principles

GOP easily holds legislative majorities in Oklahoma

November 6, 2024

Ray Carter

Oklahoma Republicans easily held onto their supermajorities in the state legislature during this week’s elections, emerging unscathed.

Republicans went into the 2024 election cycle holding 81 seats in the Oklahoma House of Representatives to the 20 districts held by Democrats, while in the Senate the GOP held 40 seats to the eight held by Democrats.

After the Nov. 5 general election, the partisan margins in both chambers were unchanged (aside from a vacancy created by a Republican senator’s mid-term resignation, which will be filled during a future special election).

That’s not to say that no Republican lawmaker lost a reelection bid this year. But those who were defeated lost in Republican primaries, in several instances to challengers who ran to the right of the incumbent.

Several incumbent Republican senators lost reelection bids this year during either the primary or primary runoff, including state Sens. Blake Stephens, R-Tahlequah; Jessica Garvin, R-Duncan; and Greg McCortney, R-Ada.

Incumbent House members who lost reelection bids during the primary season included state Reps. John Talley, R-Stillwater; Dean Davis, R-Tulsa; and Kevin Wallace, R-Wellston.

While successful challengers often campaigned to the political right of incumbent Republicans, the opposite trend emerged in several districts where incumbent Republicans faced primary challengers who notably ran to their left.

In those instances, the incumbents usually prevailed, including state Reps. Neil Hays, R-Checotah; and Denise Crosswhite Hader, R-Piedmont; and state Sen. Shane Jett, R-Shawnee.

While some political observers suggested the shift to the right would create opportunities for Democrats to flip seats, that did not occur.

The closest any Democrat came to knocking off an incumbent Republican senator was in the Tulsa-based state Senate District 39, where incumbent Republican Dave Rader won reelection by a 12-point margin. In the Oklahoma House of Representatives, only one Republican incumbent was reelected by a margin of less than eight percentage points.

Oklahoma House of Representatives Speaker-Designate Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, said the election results were “strong for House Republicans.”

“Our candidates ran phenomenal campaigns and voters locally and nationally made it clear they support our conservative vision,” Hilbert said. “Our caucus is ready to work with President Trump, our Congressional delegation, the state Senate and the Governor to continue building on the great momentum we have behind us in Oklahoma.”

Senate Pro Tempore Designee Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, said that Oklahomans “spoke loud and clear last night when the election results came in.”

“They show a clear endorsement of our continued efforts to ensure safer communities, individual liberties, and a growing economy for hardworking Oklahomans,” Paxton said.

Democratic leaders framed in a favorable light the fact that their caucuses remain small and did not add to their overall numbers this year by instead focusing on new Democratic members who replaced outgoing Democratic lawmakers.

House Democratic Leader Cyndi Munson of Oklahoma City stated, “For the second election cycle in a row, House Democrats are welcoming back every Democratic member who ran for reelection and adding new members to our caucus.”

She said new Democratic lawmakers “bring a diverse range of experience and backgrounds in education, public service, and nonprofit leadership to our caucus.”

Incoming Senate Democratic Leader Julia Kirt of Oklahoma City issued a statement that also welcomed newly elected Democratic lawmakers.

“They each bring extraordinary talents, experiences, and qualifications to the Legislature and a shared vision of working within our caucus and with members across the aisle to find lasting, bipartisan policy solutions to ensure all Oklahomans have the opportunity to prosper,” Kirt said.