Three Republican Oklahoma state lawmakers will face runoff elections on Tuesday, after failing to win an outright majority in the primary. State Sen. Blake Stephens is challenged by physician Julie McIntosh in Senate District 3, while state Rep. Kevin Wallace faces energy executive Jim Shaw in House District 32. Another incumbent, state Rep. Dean Davis, seeks a fourth term in House District 98 but must first clear a primary challenge from Gabe Woolley.
In Senate District 15, Lisa Standridge is running to succeed her husband, outgoing state Sen. Rob Standridge. The winner of the Republican runoff will face Democrat Elizabeth Foreman. Oklahoma’s state legislative seats are up for election in 2024, with Republicans holding overwhelming supermajorities in both chambers. The runoff elections will be limited to registered Republicans, with Democrats and independents not eligible to participate.
The runoff races are expected to have lower turnout compared to the primary elections, with outcomes potentially resting on a small number of uncounted ballots. The Associated Press will provide vote results and declare winners in 10 Republican primary runoff elections, covering state Senate and House districts. Runoffs tend to determine winners in a handful of districts that may not have candidates from other parties on the ballot.
As of August 1, nearly 2.4 million voters were registered in Oklahoma, with a majority being Republicans. Voter turnout in the Republican primaries was around 20%, with pre-election day voting varying across districts. In the upcoming runoff elections, candidates may request and pay for a recount regardless of the vote margin, with costs refunded if the recount changes the outcome of the race. The AP does not make projections and declares winners only when trailing candidates cannot close the gap.
In the June primary, results were reported quickly after polls closed, with the final tabulation completed within a few hours. As of Thursday, more than 10,000 ballots had been cast before the runoff day for contests throughout the state. The election night tabulation ended with about 99.9% of total votes counted. The AP will continue to cover newsworthy developments in the runoff elections, including candidate concessions or declarations of victory, until winners are officially declared.
