The 2010 Oklahoma elections were held on November 2, 2010. The primary election was held on July 27. The runoff primary election was held August 24.
The Republican Party swept every statewide election and expanded its majorities in both state legislative chambers. An extremely socially conservative state, Oklahoma has not voted Democratic in a presidential election since 1964 but remained reliably Democratic at the state level well into the 2000s. This election marked a new and decisive alignment in the state's partisanship at all levels of government, with the GOP continuing to make gains in almost every election since.
Overview NOTES: Bob Anthony and Jeff Cloud were not on the 2010 ballot due to the staggered election terms of the Corporation Commission. With Todd Lamb's election to lieutenant governor, one Oklahoma Senate seat remains vacant, to be filled in a January 2011 special election.
Executive Branch Before Election Office Current Officer PartyGovernor of OklahomaBrad HenryDemocraticLieutenant GovernorJari AskinsDemocraticState Auditor and InspectorSteve BurrageDemocraticAttorney GeneralDrew EdmondsonDemocraticState TreasurerScott MeachamDemocraticState School SuperintendentSandy GarrettDemocraticLabor CommissionerLloyd FieldsDemocraticInsurance CommissionerKim HollandDemocraticCorporation CommissionerDana MurphyRepublicanCorporation CommissionerBob AnthonyRepublicanCorporation CommissionerJeff CloudRepublican
Legislature Before Election House Democrats RepublicansOklahoma Senate2226Oklahoma House of Representatives3962
Congressional Delegation Before Election Office Current Officer PartyUnited States SenatorTom CoburnRepublicanUS Representative - District 1John SullivanRepublicanUS Representative - District 2Dan BorenDemocratUS Representative - District 3Frank LucasRepublicanUS Representative - District 4Tom ColeRepublicanUS Representative - District 5Mary FallinRepublican
Executive Branch After Election Office Current Officer PartyGovernor of OklahomaMary FallinRepublicanLieutenant GovernorTodd LambRepublicanState Auditor and InspectorGary JonesRepublicanAttorney GeneralScott PruittRepublicanState TreasurerKen A. MillerRepublicanState School SuperintendentJanet BarresiRepublicanLabor CommissionerMark CostelloRepublicanInsurance CommissionerJohn DoakRepublicanCorporation CommissionerDana MurphyRepublicanCorporation CommissionerBob AnthonyRepublicanCorporation CommissionerJeff CloudRepublican
Legislature After Election House Democrats RepublicansOklahoma Senate1632Oklahoma House of Representatives3170
Congressional Delegation After Election Office Current Officer PartyUnited States SenatorTom CoburnRepublicanUS Representative - District 1John SullivanRepublicanUS Representative - District 2Dan BorenDemocratUS Representative - District 3Frank LucasRepublicanUS Representative - District 4Tom ColeRepublicanUS Representative - District 5James LankfordRepublican
Governor
The 2010 gubernatorial election determined the successor of incumbent Democratic governor Brad Henry, who, due to term limits placed on him by the Oklahoma Constitution, could not seek re-election.
Candidates Democrats Jari Askins - current lieutenant governor of Oklahoma Drew Edmondson - current attorney general of Oklahoma
Republicans Roger L. Jackson - retired businessman, former president of the Oklahoma Office Machine Dealers Association (OOMDA) Mary Fallin - former lieutenant governor and current congresswoman for Oklahoma's 5th Congressional Randy Brogdon - current state senator Robert Hubbard - business owner of Piedmont, Oklahoma's "Hubbard Ranch Supply"
Democratic primary
General election
Lieutenant governor
The 2010 lieutenant governor election determined the successor of incumbent Democratic lieutenant governor Jari Askins, who stepped down to run for governor.
Candidates Democrats Kenneth Corn - current state senator
Republicans Bernie Adler - Oklahoma City real estate investor Todd Lamb - current state senator John A. Wright - current state representative Bill Crozier - former Republican candidate for Superintendent of Public Instruction Paul F. Nosak - Oklahoma City resident
Independent Richard Prawdzienski - Edmond resident
Primary Corn ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Republican Candidate Votes PercentageBernie Adler10,5154.5%John A. Wright41,17717.6%Todd Lamb156,83466.9%Paul Nosak13,9416.0%Bill Crozier12,1775.2%
General
State auditor
The 2010 state auditor and inspector election was the first election for the office of state auditor and inspector since former Democratic state auditor Jeff McMahan was forced to resign in 2008 due to corruption charges.
Governor Brad Henry appointed fellow Democrat Steve Burrage to serve out the remainder of McMahan's unexpired term. Burrage then sought a full term in office but lost to Gary Jones, who was making his third run for the office. Despite losing by 11.8%, Burrage had the second best performance of any statewide Democrat and was only one of two to get over 40% of the vote (the other being Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland).
Article 6, Section 19 of the Oklahoma Constitution places one additional requirement upon the State Auditor and Inspector beyond the other constitutional requirements for those seeking statewide offices. The auditor must have at least 3 years of prior experience as an "expert accountant" before seeking office. (The term "expert accountant" is not defined but is generally understood to require that the officeholder must be a certified public accountant.)
Candidates Democrats Steve Burrage - incumbent State Auditor
Republican David Hanigar - Pocasset certified public accountant and United States Navy submariner during Vietnam War Gary Jones - Lawton certified public accountant, former Comanche County commissioner and current chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party
Primary Burrage ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Republican Candidate Votes PercentageGary Jones151,71269.6%David Hanigar66,36430.4%
General
Attorney general
The 2010 attorney general election determined the successor of incumbent Democratic attorney general Drew Edmondson, who stepped down to run for governor but lost in the Democratic Party primary.
Candidates Democrats Jim Priest - Oklahoma City defense attorney
Republicans Ryan Leonard - former state prosecutor in Canadian County and former senior aide to former U.S. senator Don Nickles Scott Pruitt - former state senator from Tulsa
Primary Priest ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Republican Candidate Votes PercentageRyan Leonard105,34344.0%Scott Pruitt134,33556.0%
General
State treasurer
The 2010 State Treasurer election determined the successor of incumbent Democratic State Treasurer Scott Meacham, who declined to seek a second full term in office.
Candidates Democrats Stephen E. Covert - Midwest City resident
Republicans Owen Laughlin - lawyer and businessman from Woodward, former state senator Ken Miller - current state representative, current chair of the House Appropriations and Budget Committee and economics professor at Oklahoma Christian University
Primary Covert ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Republican Candidate Votes PercentageKen Miller145,41563.0%Owen Laughlin85,24037.0%
General
Superintendent of public instruction
The 2010 Superintendent of Public Instruction election determined the successor of incumbent Democratic Superintendent Sandy Garrett, who declined to seek a sixth full term in office.
Candidates Democrats Jerry Combrink - former Boswell Public Schools superintendent Susan Paddack - current state senator from Ada
Republican Janet Barresi - charter school founder, dentist, and school speech pathologist from Edmond Brian S. Kelly - educator from Edmond
Independents Richard E. Cooper - former educator
Primary
Primary Republican Candidate Votes PercentageJanet Barresi145,43362.7%Brian S. Kelly86,43037.3%
General
Labor commissioner
Incumbent Democratic Labor Commissioner Lloyd Fields was defeated in an attempt to win a second full term in office.
Candidates Democrats Lloyd Fields - incumbent Labor Commissioner
Republican Mark Costello - businessman from Edmond Jason Reese - labor attorney from Oklahoma City
Primary Fields ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Republican Candidate Votes PercentageMark Costello127,41357.0%Jason Reese95,86943.0%
General
Insurance commissioner
Incumbent Democratic Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland was defeated in an attempt to win a second full term in office.
Candidates Democrats Kim Holland - incumbent Insurance Commissioner
Republicans John Doak - insurance agent from Tulsa Mark Croucher - insurance agent from Jenks John P. Crawford - former Insurance Commissioner (1995–1999)
Primary Incumbent Holland ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Republican Primary Candidate Votes PercentageJohn P. Crawford92,92441.7%John Doak87,27439.1%Mark Croucher42,77219.2%
Republican Runoff Primary Candidate Votes PercentageJohn P. Crawford 35,294 29.4%John Doak 84,570 70.6%
General
Corporation commissioner The 2010 Corporation Commissioner election was for the seat currently held by incumbent Republican commissioner Dana Murphy, who won her primary election. As the Democratic Party did not field a candidate, and no independent candidate sought office, Murphy was thus elected as commissioner.
Candidates Democrats none
Republicans Dana Murphy - incumbent Corporation Commissioner Tod Yeager - Del City resident
Primary Republican Candidate Votes PercentageTod Yeafer70,65130.8%Dana Murphy158,77969.2%
General Murphy did not have a Democratic or independent opponent; thus, she was elected unopposed.
U.S. senator
The 2010 US senatorial election gave incumbent Republican senator Tom Coburn a second full term in office.
Candidate Votes % Tom Coburn 718,482 70.64% Jim Rogers 265,814 26.13% Stephen Wallace 25,048 2.46% Ronald F. Dwyer 7,807 0.77%
U.S. representatives
All five Oklahoma seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election in 2010. However, incumbent Tom Cole in District 4 had no opposition in the general election.
Candidate Votes % District 1 John Sullivan 151,173 76.80% Angelia O'Dell 45,656 23.20% District 2 Dan Boren 108,203 56.52% Charles Thompson 83,226 43.48% District 3 Frank D. Lucas 161,927 77.99% Frankie Robbins 45,689 22.01% District 5 James Lankford 123,236 62.53% Billy Coyle 68,074 34.53% Clark Duffe 3,067 1.56% Dave White 2,728 1.38%
State senators 24 of the 48 seats in the Oklahoma Senate were up for election in 2010.
Candidate Votes % District 4 Mark Allen 9,974 51.35% Neil Brannon 9,451 48.65% District 6 Josh Brecheen 11,719 56.76% Jay Paul Gumm 8,925 43.24% District 8 Roger Ballenger 10,564 53.82% Jannica Edmonds 9,064 46.18% District 10 Eddie Fields 14,324 62.37% Dale Christenson, Jr. 8,641 37.63% District 14 Frank Simpson 13,408 62.67% Darryl Roberts 7,987 37.33% Candidate Votes % District 16 John Sparks 10,507 52.62% Sharon Parker 9,460 47.38% District 18 Kim David 13,334 65.89% Janice Aldridge 6,902 34.11% District 42 Cliff A Aldridge 14,954 68.33% Mike Kelly 6,934 31.67% District 44 Ralph Shortey 6,060 57.34% Randy Rose 4,509 42.66% District 46 Andrew Rice 7,548 68.28% Joshua Jantz 3,507 31.72%
State representatives All 101 seats in the Oklahoma House of Representatives were up for election in 2010.