| Election Name: | 1994 Oklahoma gubernatorial election |
| Country: | Oklahoma |
| Flag Year: | 1988 |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1990 Oklahoma gubernatorial election |
| Previous Year: | 1990 |
| Election Date: | November 8, 1994 |
| Next Election: | 1998 Oklahoma gubernatorial election |
| Next Year: | 1998 |
| Image1: | File:Frank Keating at a conference, Oct 20, 2001 - cropped.jpg |
| Nominee1: | Frank Keating |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 466,740 |
| Percentage1: | 46.9% |
| Nominee2: | Jack Mildren |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 294,936 |
| Percentage2: | 29.6% |
| Image3: | File:WesWatkins.jpg |
| Nominee3: | Wes Watkins |
| Party3: | Independent (United States) |
| Popular Vote3: | 233,336 |
| Percentage3: | 23.5% |
| Map Size: | 300px |
| Governor | |
| Before Election: | David Walters |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Frank Keating |
| After Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
The 1994 Oklahoma gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1994, and was a race for Governor of Oklahoma. Former United States Associate Attorney General Frank Keating pulled an upset in the three-way race to become only the third Republican governor in Oklahoma history.
The Democratic vote was split between Lieutenant Governor Jack Mildren, an Oklahoma Sooners star quarterback from 1969-71, and former Democratic congressman Wes Watkins, who ran as an independent. Watkins won 24% of the vote and carried numerous counties (by wide margins in some cases); his 233,000 votes far exceeded Keating's 171,000-vote winning margin over Mildren.
This was the first time since Oklahoma statehood that Jackson County, Stephens County, and Grady County voted Republican in a gubernatorial election, and the first time since 1914 that Comanche County voted Republican.
Lt. Governor Jack Mildren and Bernice Shedrick advanced to the runoff where both candidates received vote totals similar to the first primary, securing the win for Mildren.
Frank Keating, a former assistant attorney general and member of the Reagan and Bush administrations, defeated four other Republicans to win the GOP nomination.
| Source | Date | Keating (R) | Mildren (D) | Watkins (I) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KSWO-TV | Nov. 4, 1994 | 40% | 39% | 15% | |
| Tulsa World | Nov. 1, 1994 | 28% | 29% | 21% |