When the Legislature passed the Oklahoma Parental Choice Tax Credit Act, making school choice available to all families in Oklahoma, only two Senate Republicans opposed the bill.

One of those two Republican opponents—state Sen. Darcy Jech of Kingfisher—cannot run for re-election due to term limits.

Now voters have ousted the other Senate Republican opponent of school choice, state Sen. Blake Stephens of Tahlequah, by an overwhelming margin. In the Tuesday, August 27 runoff primary election, voters chose Julie McIntosh over Stephens by a margin of 61 percent to 39 percent.

Senate District 3 includes a mix of rural and suburban areas in Cherokee, Mayes, Rogers, and Wagoner counties.

During his one term in office, Stephens repeatedly voted against school-choice measures. In 2018, prior to his state Senate election, Stephens was a vocal supporter of major tax increases, participating in mass demonstrations at the state Capitol that were largely organized by the state’s largest teachers’ union, the Oklahoma Education Association.

Those stances became an issue in his re-election campaign.

McIntosh said families in the district want more educational opportunities for their children, including access to private schools, in addition to wanting lawmakers to improve the public school system.

“We did, especially with younger families, have a lot of people who want the freedom to choose what’s best for their child, and a lot of people who are really interested in us improving our public schools and preparing the children better to meet the demands of the job market and to be able to get out there and be successful and provide for their families when they get out of school,” McIntosh said.

McIntosh’s victory was touted as a warning sign for Oklahoma legislators.

“Tonight’s election result is clear: Julie McIntosh won the approval of voters as a staunch champion for families, while Blake Stephens’ opposition to school choice cost him his re-election,” said Ryan Cantrell, vice president of government affairs for the American Federation for Children. “As Stephen’s defeat shows, Oklahoma parents—in rural, suburban, and urban districts alike—will not tolerate candidates who refuse to stand with their families. Instead, McIntosh’s victory reveals a continuing demand for more education freedom and parent empowerment in the Sooner State.”

The Oklahoma Federation for Children Action Fund, a PAC affiliated with the American Federation for Children, supported McIntosh. 

Taxes were also an issue in the race.

During the 2024 legislative session, the governor and House lawmakers supported cutting the personal income tax and putting the tax on a gradual path to full repeal. However, Senate leadership refused to allow a vote on those proposals.

The Senate’s inaction on the income tax played a role in the Senate District 3 primary and runoff.

“A lot of people recognize that the Senate had been unwilling to address that,” McIntosh said. “And at the doors I heard a lot from people who were basically suffering with inflation and their budgets were very tight. I think it’s an area where we can give people some relief and let people keep more of their own money and make their lives better.”

McIntosh was not the only primary runoff victor who campaigned in support of cutting the income tax.

In the Oklahoma City-based Senate District 47, Kelly Hines received 60 percent of the vote over GOP runoff primary opponent Jenny Schmitt. All three Republicans running for that seat voiced support for putting the state’s personal income tax on the path to full repeal at a June forum.

“Income tax should have been lowered. The governor called for it. The legislators just didn’t produce or come forward and look at reducing it,” Hines said, according to NonDoc. “The grocery tax [cut] was a great move, but I would say that was a softball. That was fairly easy to hit and wasn’t going to make anybody mad. What we really need to do is attack the hard stuff like the income tax.”

Several incumbent lawmakers lost their re-election bids this year to opponents who typically campaigned to the right of the incumbent, although some races involved extremely local issues or were driven by individual circumstances. In addition to Stephens, the incumbent senators who have lost reelection bids this year include state Sens. Jessica Garvin, R-Duncan; Greg McCortney, R-Ada; and Cody Rogers, R-Tulsa.

The incumbent House members who lost re-election bids include state Reps. John Talley, R-Stillwater; Dean Davis, R-Tulsa; and Kevin Wallace, R-Wellston. Davis lost his bid after having been arrested twice in his six years in office for alcohol-related offenses. Wallace, the chairman of the House Appropriations and Budget Committee, lost his re-election bid in a race where local debate over the installation of a wind farm was a major factor.