2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Oklahoma explained

Election Name:	2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Oklahoma
Country:	Oklahoma
Type:	legislative
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Oklahoma
Previous Year:	2016
Next Election:	2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Oklahoma
Next Year:	2020
Seats For Election:	All 5 Oklahoma seats to the United States House of Representatives
Party1:	Republican Party (United States)
Last Election1:	5
Seats1:	4
Seat Change1:	1
Popular Vote1:	730,531
Percentage1:	61.97%
Swing1:	7.01%
Party2:	Democratic Party (United States)
Last Election2:	0
Seats2:	1
Seat Change2:	1
Popular Vote2:	428,452
Percentage2:	36.35%
Swing2:	9.42%

The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Oklahoma were held on November 6, 2018, to elect the five U.S. representatives from the state of Oklahoma, one from each of the state's five congressional districts. The elections coincided with other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. Primary elections were held on June 26 and runoff elections were held two months later on August 28.^[1] The state's U.S. House delegation Republican majority changed from 5–0 to 4–1. As of 2023 this is the only time since 2010 that Democrats won any house race in Oklahoma.

Results summary

District

Results of the 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Oklahoma by district:^[2]

scope=col rowspan=3	District	scope=col colspan=2	Republican	scope=col colspan=2	Democratic	scope=col colspan=2	Others	scope=col colspan=2	Total	scope=col rowspan=3	Result
scope=col colspan=2 style="background:"	!	scope=col colspan=2 style="background:"	!	scope=col colspan=2	!	scope=col colspan=2
scope=col data-sort-type="number"	Votes !	scope=col data-sort-type="number"	% !	scope=col data-sort-type="number"	Votes !	scope=col data-sort-type="number"	% !	scope=col data-sort-type="number"	Votes !	scope=col data-sort-type="number"	% !	scope=col data-sort-type="number"	Votes !	scope=col data-sort-type="number"	%
	150,129	59.30%	103,042	40.70%	0	0.00%	253,171	100.00%	Republican hold
	140,451	65.02%	65,021	30.10%	10,530	4.87%	216,002	100.00%	Republican hold
	172,913	73.87%	61,152	26.13%	0	0.00%	234,065	100.00%	Republican hold
	149,227	63.06%	78,088	33.00%	9,323	3.94%	236,638	100.00%	Republican hold
District 5	117,811	49.30%	121,149	50.70%	0	0.00%	238,960	100.00%	Democratic gain
Total	730,531	61.97%	428,452	36.35%	19,853	1.68%	1,178,836	100.00%

District 1

Election Name:	2018 Oklahoma's 1st congressional district election
Country:	Oklahoma
Type:	presidential
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Oklahoma#District 1
Previous Year:	2016
Next Election:	2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Oklahoma#District 1
Next Year:	2020
Image1:	File:Rep. Kevin Hern official photo, 116th congress (cropped).jpg
Nominee1:	Kevin Hern
Party1:	Republican Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:	150,129
Percentage1:	59.3%
Nominee2:	Tim Gilpin
Party2:	Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote2:	103,042
Percentage2:	40.7%
U.S. Representative
Before Election:	Vacant
After Election:	Kevin Hern
After Party:	Republican Party (United States)
Map Size:	225x225px

See also: Oklahoma's 1st congressional district. The 1st district is located in the Tulsa metropolitan area and includes Creek, Rogers, Tulsa, Wagoner and Washington counties. Incumbent Republican Jim Bridenstine, who had represented the district since 2013, resigned on April 23 to become NASA Administrator. He was re-elected unopposed in 2016. The district had a PVI of R+17.

Republican primary

During his initial election in 2012, Bridenstine self-imposed a three term limit. Bridenstine confirmed that he will honor his term-limit pledge.^[3]

Bridenstine became Administrator of NASA in the Donald Trump administration, and resigned on April 23.^[4]

Candidates

Nominee

• Kevin Hern, businessman

Eliminated in primary

• Andy Coleman, veteran
• Nathan Dahm, state senator
• Tim Harris, former Tulsa County District Attorney^[5]
• Danny Stockstill

Declined

• Dewey F. Bartlett Jr., former Mayor of Tulsa^[5]
• John D. Doak, Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner^[5]
• Dan Newberry, state senator^[5]
• Everett Piper, Oklahoma Wesleyan University President^[5]
• Scott Pruitt, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, former State Attorney General and candidate for this seat in 2002^{[5] [6]}
• T.W. Shannon, former Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives^[5]

Runoff

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Tim Gilpin, attorney, and former Oklahoma State Board of Education member^[8]

Eliminated in primary

• Amanda Douglas, business analyst, energy consultant and member of the Cherokee Nation^[9]
• Gwendolyn Fields
• Mark Keeter
• David Hullum

Declined

• Kathy Taylor, former Mayor of Tulsa^[5]

Runoff results

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
align=left	The Cook Political Report^[11]		November 5, 2018
align=left	Inside Elections^[12]		November 5, 2018
align=left	Sabato's Crystal Ball^[13]		November 5, 2018
RCP^[14]		November 5, 2018
Daily Kos^[15]		November 5, 2018
538^[16]		November 7, 2018
CNN^[17]		October 31, 2018
Politico^[18]		November 2, 2018

Results

District 2

Election Name:	2018 Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district election
Country:	Oklahoma
Type:	presidential
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Oklahoma#District 2
Previous Year:	2016
Next Election:	2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Oklahoma#District 2
Next Year:	2020
Image1:	File:Markwayne Mullin official photo (cropped).jpg
Nominee1:	Markwayne Mullin
Party1:	Republican Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:	140,451
Percentage1:	65.0%
Nominee2:	Jason Nichols
Party2:	Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote2:	65,021
Percentage2:	30.1%
U.S. Representative
Before Election:	Markwayne Mullin
Before Party:	Republican Party (United States)
After Election:	Markwayne Mullin
After Party:	Republican Party (United States)
Map Size:	225x225px

See also: Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district. The 2nd district is located in the regions of Green Country and Kiamichi Country and includes the city of Muskogee and numerous sparsely populated counties. The incumbent is Republican Markwayne Mullin, who has represented the district since 2013. He was re-elected with 71% of the vote in 2016.

Republican primary

Mullin had pledged to serve only three terms when he was first elected in 2012. During the 2016 campaign, Mullin stated he was reassessing his pledge, and refused to rule out running again in 2018.^[19]

Candidates

Nominee

• Markwayne Mullin, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

• Brian Jackson
• Jarrin Jackson, veteran, conservative activist and candidate for the seat in 2016^[20]
• John McCarthy

Declined

• Josh Brecheen, state senator^[5]
• George Faught, state representative^[5]
• Todd Hiett, Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner^[5]
• Charles McCall, state representative^[5]

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Jason Nichols, Mayor of Tahlequah

Eliminated in primary

• Elijah McIntosh
• Clay Padgett, retired army lieutenant colonel and public educator

Declined

• Bill John Baker, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation^[5]
• Sean Burrage, Southeastern Oklahoma State University President ^[5]
• Kalyn Free, former District Attorney for Haskell & Pittsburg counties and candidate for this seat in 2004^[5]

Runoff results

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
align=left	The Cook Political Report		November 5, 2018
align=left	Inside Elections		November 5, 2018
align=left	Sabato's Crystal Ball		November 5, 2018
RCP		November 5, 2018
Daily Kos		November 5, 2018
538		November 7, 2018
CNN		October 31, 2018
Politico		November 2, 2018

Results

District 3

Election Name:	2018 Oklahoma's 3rd congressional district election
Country:	Oklahoma
Type:	presidential
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Oklahoma#District 3
Previous Year:	2016
Next Election:	2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Oklahoma#District 3
Next Year:	2020
Image1:	File:Frank Lucas (cropped).jpg
Nominee1:	Frank Lucas
Party1:	Republican Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:	172,913
Percentage1:	73.9%
Nominee2:	Frankie Robbins
Party2:	Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote2:	61,152
Percentage2:	26.1%
U.S. Representative
Before Election:	Frank Lucas
Before Party:	Republican Party (United States)
After Election:	Frank Lucas
After Party:	Republican Party (United States)
Map Size:	225x225px

See also: Oklahoma's 3rd congressional district. The 3rd district is located in Western Oklahoma. The largest district in Oklahoma and one of the largest in the country, it includes the Oklahoma Panhandle, Ponca City and the city of Stillwater as well as the Osage Nation. Incumbent Republican Frank Lucas, who had represented the district since 2003 and previously represented the 6th district from 1994 to 2003, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 78% of the vote in 2016. The district had a PVI of R+27.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Frank Lucas, incumbent U.S. Representative

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Frankie Robbins, engineer

Eliminated in primary

• Murray Thibodeaux

Results

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
align=left	The Cook Political Report		November 5, 2018
align=left	Inside Elections		November 5, 2018
align=left	Sabato's Crystal Ball		November 5, 2018
RCP		November 5, 2018
Daily Kos		November 5, 2018
538		November 7, 2018
CNN		October 31, 2018
Politico		November 2, 2018

Results

District 4

Election Name:	2018 Oklahoma's 4th congressional district election
Country:	Oklahoma
Type:	presidential
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Oklahoma#District 4
Previous Year:	2016
Next Election:	2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Oklahoma#District 4
Next Year:	2020
Image1:	File:Tom Cole official congressional photo (cropped).jpg
Nominee1:	Tom Cole
Party1:	Republican Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:	149,227
Percentage1:	63.1%
Nominee2:	Mary Brannon
Party2:	Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote2:	78,088
Percentage2:	33.0%
U.S. Representative
Before Election:	Tom Cole
Before Party:	Republican Party (United States)
After Election:	Tom Cole
After Party:	Republican Party (United States)
Map Size:	225x225px

See also: Oklahoma's 4th congressional district. The 4th district is located in South Central Oklahoma and includes the suburbs of Oklahoma City, such as the counties of Canadian, Comanche and Cleveland and numerous other sparsely populated counties. Incumbent Republican Tom Cole, who had represented the district since 2003, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 70% of the vote in 20. The district had a PVI of R+20.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Tom Cole, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

• James Taylor

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Mary Brannon, teacher

Eliminated in primary

• Fred Gipson, former Chief Counsel to the University of Oklahoma
• Roxann Klutts
• Mallory Varner

Withdrawn

• John McKenna

Runoff results

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
align=left	The Cook Political Report		November 5, 2018
align=left	Inside Elections		November 5, 2018
align=left	Sabato's Crystal Ball		November 5, 2018
RCP		November 5, 2018
Daily Kos		November 5, 2018
538		November 7, 2018
CNN		October 31, 2018
Politico		November 2, 2018

Results

District 5

Election Name:	2018 Oklahoma's 5th congressional district election
Country:	Oklahoma
Type:	presidential
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Oklahoma#District 5
Previous Year:	2016
Next Election:	2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Oklahoma#District 5
Next Year:	2020
Image1:	File:Kendra Horn official portrait, 116th Congress (cropped).jpg
Nominee1:	Kendra Horn
Party1:	Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:	121,149
Percentage1:	50.7%
Nominee2:	Steve Russell
Party2:	Republican Party (United States)
Popular Vote2:	117,811
Percentage2:	49.3%
U.S. Representative
Before Election:	Steve Russell
Before Party:	Republican Party (United States)
After Election:	Kendra Horn
After Party:	Democratic Party (United States)
Map Size:	225x225px

See also: Oklahoma's 5th congressional district. The 5th district is located in Central Oklahoma and centered around the state capital, Oklahoma City, and the surrounding areas such as Edmond and Shawnee. Incumbent Republican Steve Russell, who had represented the district since 2015, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 57% of the vote in 2016. The district had a PVI of R+10. Democrat Kendra Horn won by a margin of under 1% in what was considered an upset.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Steve Russell, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

• Gregory Dunson
• DeJuan Edwards

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Kendra Horn, attorney and communication technology firm strategic consultant^[23]

Eliminated in primary

• Elysabeth Britt, human resources professional
• Tom Guild, former tenured professor at the University of Central Oklahoma, nominee for the seat in 2010 & 2012 and candidate for this seat in 2014 & 2016
• Leona Kelley-Leonard, chair of the Seminole County Democratic Party and candidate for this seat in 2014 & 2016
• Tyson Meade, singer and songwriter
• Eddie Porter, retired state planner for the Oklahoma Department of Human Services

Declined

• Al McAffrey, state senator and nominee for this seat in 2014 & 2016

Runoff results

General election

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Steve Russell (R)	Kendra Horn (D)	Undecided
SoonerPoll^[24]	October 29, 2018	440	± 4.66%	align=center	49%	37%	14%
VCreek/AMG (R-Russell)^[25]	October 14–15, 2018	974	± 3.14%	align=center	51%	35%	14%
VCreek/AMG (R-Russell)^[26]	September 24–25, 2018	1,407	± 2.61%	align=center	50%	37%	13%
SoonerPoll	September 15–25, 2018	303	± 5.63%	align=center	47%	37%	16%
VCreek/AMG (R-Russell)^[27]	September 4–6, 2018	1,182	± 2.85%	align=center	49%	35%	16%

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
align=left	The Cook Political Report		November 5, 2018
align=left	Inside Elections		November 5, 2018
align=left	Sabato's Crystal Ball		November 5, 2018
RCP		November 5, 2018
Daily Kos		November 5, 2018
538		November 7, 2018
CNN		October 31, 2018
Politico		November 2, 2018

Results

External links

• • • • Candidates at Vote Smart Candidates at Ballotpedia Campaign finance at FEC Campaign finance at OpenSecrets

Official campaign websites for first district candidates

• Tim Gilpin (D) for Congress
• Kevin Hern (R) for Congress

Official campaign websites for second district candidates

• Markwayne Mullin (R) for Congress
• Jason Nichols (D) for Congress

Official campaign websites for third district candidates

• Frank Lucas (R) for Congress
• Frankie Robbins (D) for Congress

Official campaign websites for fourth district candidates

• Mary Brannon (D) for Congress
• Tom Cole (R) for Congress

Official campaign websites for fifth district candidates

• Steve Russell (R) for Congress
• Kendra Horn (D) for Congress

Notes and References

1. Web site: Oklahoma Elections — 2018 . Oklahoma State Election Board . The State of Oklahoma . 20 August 2018.
2. Web site: Johnson. Cheryl L.. Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 6, 2018. Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. 2019-04-27. 2019-02-28. mdy-all.
3. Web site: Congressman Jim Bridenstine says third term would be his last. Tulsa World. Krehbiel. Randy. November 10, 2015. November 22, 2016.
4. News: GOP congressman being considered for NASA administrator in Trump administration. The Washington Post. Davenport. Christian. November 11, 2016. November 22, 2016.
5. Web site: After ho-hum year for state political contests, 2018 will be 'transformational'. The Oklahoman. Casteel. Chris. October 17, 2016. November 4, 2016.
6. Web site: Oklahoma AG Pruitt not considering run for Congress. Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise. Thompson. Nathan. October 18, 2016. November 4, 2016.
7. https://soonerpoll.com/wpcontent/uploads/2018/07/News9_CD1_Runoff.pdf SoonerPoll
8. Web site: TIM. 12 September 2018.
9. Web site: Amanda Douglas is the latest candidate for Native Vote18 in Oklahoma - IndianCountryToday.com. 12 September 2018.
10. https://soonerpoll.com/newcomer-kevin-hern-has-advantage-in-first-congressional-district-open-seat/ SoonerPoll
11. Web site: 2018 House Race Ratings . Cook Political Report . October 30, 2018.
12. Web site: 2018 House Ratings . The Rothenberg Political Report . November 5, 2018.
13. Web site: 2018 House . . November 5, 2018.
14. News: Battle for the House 2018 . RCP . November 5, 2018.
15. Web site: Daily Kos Elections 2018 race ratings . . November 5, 2018 .
16. Web site: Silver . Nate . 2018 House Forecast . . November 6, 2018 . August 16, 2018.
17. Web site: CNN's 2018 Race Ratings . cnn.com . Turner Broadcasting System . 30 July 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181031235918/https://www.cnn.com/election/2018/key-races . 31 October 2018.
18. News: Who wins 2018? Predictions for Every House & Senate Election. POLITICO. 2018-09-07.
19. Web site: Oklahoma Congressman Mullin may reassess term limits pledge. The Oklahoman. Casteel. Chris. March 30, 2016. November 22, 2016.
20. Web site: JACKSON, JARRIN DALE - Candidate overview - FEC.gov. FEC.gov. 12 September 2018.
21. https://soonerpoll.com/mullin-nears-50-percent-in-four-man-race-for-re-election-to-congress/ SoonerPoll
22. http://www.news9.com/story/39208380/exclusive-news9-poll-oklahomas-congressional-incumbents-drawing-strong-support SoonerPoll
23. Web site: McGuigan . Patrick B. . At Oklahoma City event, Kendra Horn launches campaign for Democratic nomination in the Fifth Congressional District . Capitol Beat OK . August 6, 2018 . April 8, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200408135631/https://capitolbeatok.worldsecuresystems.com/reports/at-oklahoma-city-event-kendra-horn-launches-campaign-for-democratic-nomination-in-the-fifth-congress . dead .
24. http://www.news9.com/story/39394781/exclusive-news-9-poll-shows-congressman-steve-russell-has-strong-lead SoonerPoll
25. https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/20181022_OK5.pdf VCreek/AMG (R-Russell)
26. http://www.steverussellforcongress.com/assets/VCreekAMG_Sept%202018-General-Brushfire-Sept%2024-25-Russell-Poll-Memo.pdf VCreek/AMG (R-Russell)
27. http://www.steverussellforcongress.com/assets/VCreekAMG_Sept2018-General-Benchmark-Russell-Poll.pdf VCreek/AMG (R-Russell)