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 took full control of Oklahoma government for the first time in the state's history, flipping every statewide executive office from Democratic to Republican control, as well as expanding its majorities in the
legislature
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its p ...
. An extremely
socially conservative
Social conservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional power structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social institution ...
state,
Oklahoma has not voted for a Democrat in a presidential election since
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...
, 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
Legislature Before Election
Congressional Delegation Before Election
Executive Branch After Election
Legislature After Election
Congressional Delegation After Election
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
Jari Askins (born April 27, 1953) is an American judge, lawyer and Democratic politician from the US state of Oklahoma. She was the 15th lieutenant governor of Oklahoma, being the second woman and the first female Democratic Party member to hol ...
- current
Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma
*
Drew Edmondson
William Andrew Edmondson (born October 12, 1946), known as Drew Edmondson, is an American lawyer and politician from the state of Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, Edmondson served as the 16th Attorney General of Oklahoma from 1995 t ...
- current
Attorney General of Oklahoma
The Attorney General of Oklahoma is the State Attorney General for the state of Oklahoma. The attorney general serves as the chief legal and law enforcement officer of the State of Oklahoma and head of the Office of the Oklahoma Attorney Genera ...
Republicans
* Roger L. Jackson - retired businessman, former President of the Oklahoma Office Machine Dealers Association (OOMDA)
*
Mary Fallin
Mary Fallin (; née Copeland; born December 9, 1954) is an American politician who served as the 27th governor of Oklahoma from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, she was elected in 2010 and reelected in 2014. She was the first and s ...
- former Lieutenant Governor and current Congresswoman for Oklahoma's 5th Congressional
*
Randy Brogdon
Randall C. Brogdon (born June 17, 1953) is an American businessman and politician from the state of Oklahoma. He was a state senator for Oklahoma's 34th senate district from 2002 until 2011. Brogdon ran for governor of Oklahoma in 2010 on a platf ...
- current state senator
* Robert Hubbard - business owner of Piedmont, Oklahoma's "Hubbard Ranch Supply"
Primary
Democrat
Republican
General
Lieutenant Governor
The 2010 lieutenant governor election determined the successor of incumbent
Democratic Lieutenant Governor
Jari Askins
Jari Askins (born April 27, 1953) is an American judge, lawyer and Democratic politician from the US state of Oklahoma. She was the 15th lieutenant governor of Oklahoma, being the second woman and the first female Democratic Party member to hol ...
, 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
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.
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: s/he must have at least 3 years 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
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
submariner during
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
*
Gary Jones -
Lawton certified public accountant, former
Comanche County Commissioner and current Chairman of the
Oklahoma Republican Party
The Oklahoma Republican Party is the Oklahoma state affiliate of the Republican Party (GOP). Along with the Oklahoma Democratic Party, it is one of the two major parties in the state.
It is currently the dominant party in the state, controlling ...
Primary
Burrage ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Republican
General
Attorney General
The 2010 Attorney General election determined the successor of incumbent
Democratic Attorney General
Drew Edmondson
William Andrew Edmondson (born October 12, 1946), known as Drew Edmondson, is an American lawyer and politician from the state of Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, Edmondson served as the 16th Attorney General of Oklahoma from 1995 t ...
, 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
Canadian County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 154,405, making it the fifth most populous county in Oklahoma. Its county seat is El Reno.
The county is named for the Canadian Ri ...
and former senior aide to former U.S. Senator
Don Nickles
Donald Lee Nickles (born December 6, 1948) is an American politician and lobbyist who was a Republican United States Senator from Oklahoma from 1981 to 2005. He was considered both a fiscal and social conservative. After retiring from the Senat ...
*
Scott Pruitt
Edward Scott Pruitt (born May 9, 1968) is an American lawyer, lobbyist and Republican politician from the state of Oklahoma. He served as the fourteenth Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from February 17, 2017, to Jul ...
- former State Senator from Tulsa
Primary
Priest ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Republican
General
State Treasurer
The 2010 State Treasurer election determined the successor of incumbent
Democratic State Treasurer
Scott Meacham
Scott Meacham (born 1963) served as the 17th State Treasurer of Oklahoma from June, 2005 to January, 2011, having been appointed to that post by then-Governor Brad Henry following the resignation of then-State Treasurer Robert Butkin. Meacham ...
, who declined to seek a second full term in office.
Candidates
Democrats
*Stephen E. Covert -
Midwest City
Midwest City is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 54,371, making it the eighth largest city in the state.
The city was developed in r ...
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
General
Superintendent of Public Instruction
The 2010 Superintendent of Public Instruction election determined the successor of incumbent
Democratic Superintendent
Sandy Garrett
Sandy Garrett is a retired American Democratic politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Garrett is the former Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction.
She was first elected to this office in 1990, and again in 1994, 1998, 2002, and 2 ...
, 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
Ada may refer to:
Places
Africa
* Ada Foah, a town in Ghana
* Ada (Ghana parliament constituency)
* Ada, Osun, a town in Nigeria
Asia
* Ada, Urmia, a village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran
* Ada, Karaman, a village in Karaman Province, ...
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
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
General
Insurance Commissioner
Incumbent
Democratic Insurance Commissioner
Kim Holland
Kim Holland (born August 6, 1955) is an American politician and insurance professional from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Holland served as the Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner until January 2011. She was appointed to that position by Governor Brad He ...
was defeated in an attempt to win a second full term in office.
Candidates
Democrats
*
Kim Holland
Kim Holland (born August 6, 1955) is an American politician and insurance professional from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Holland served as the Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner until January 2011. She was appointed to that position by Governor Brad He ...
- 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
Republican Runoff Primary
General
Corporation Commissioner
The 2010 Corporation Commissioner election was for the seat currently held by incumbent
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
Commissioner
Dana Murphy
Dana Murphy is an American politician who served as a member of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission from 2009 to 2023. Murphy was a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma in the 2018 election.
Career
Murphy defeated Democrat Jim Roth, w ...
, 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
Del City is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. The population was 21,822 at the United States Census, 2020.
Del City is located near two major interstate highways, both of wh ...
resident
Primary
Republican
General
Murphy did not have a Democratic or independent opponent; thus, she was elected unopposed.
US Senator
The 2010 US Senatorial election gave incumbent
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
Senator
Tom Coburn
Thomas Allen Coburn (March 14, 1948 – March 28, 2020) was an American politician and physician who served as a United States senator for Oklahoma from 2005, until his resignation in 2015. A Republican, he previously served as a United St ...
a second full term in office.
US Representatives
All five Oklahoma seats in the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
were up for election in 2010. However, incumbent Tom Cole in District 4 had no opposition in the general election.
State Senators
24 of the 48 seats in the
Oklahoma Senate were up for election in 2010.
State Representatives
All 101 seats in the
Oklahoma House of Representatives were up for election in 2010.
Judicial
These races were "retention" votes based on Oklahoma's use of the
Missouri Plan for electing judicial nominees.
Oklahoma Supreme Court
Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals
State Questions
SQ 744
State Question 744 would have amended the Oklahoma Constitution by adding a new article: Article 13-C - Amount of money the State provides to support common schools.
The proposed Constitutional amendment would have mandated that the
Oklahoma Legislature
The Legislature of the State of Oklahoma is the state legislative branch of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The Oklahoma House of Representatives and Oklahoma Senate are the two houses that make up the bicameral state legislature. There are 101 ...
spend no less than the average amount spent by "neighboring states" (those states which border Oklahoma: Missouri, Texas, Kansas, Arkansas, Colorado and New Mexico) on "common education" (defined as grades pre-kindergarten through high school) on an annual, per-student basis. If the surrounding-state average ever declined, the legislature would be required to spend the same amount as it did the year before. The measure required that increased spending begin in the first fiscal year after its passage and that the surrounding-state average be met in the third fiscal year after passage.
The proposed amendment did not provide a funding source for the new spending requirements and was therefore overwhelmingly defeated.
SQ 746
State Question 746 would amend various State laws relating to voting requirements. It requires that each person appearing to vote present a document proving their identity. The document must meet the following requirements:
*It must have the name and photograph of the voter.
*It must have been issued by the federal, state or tribal government.
*It must have an expiration date that is after the date of the election.
No expiration date would be required on certain identity cards issued to person 65 years of age or older. In lieu of such a document, voters could present voter identification cards issued by the County Election Board. A person who cannot or does not present the required identification may sign a sworn statement and cast a provisional ballot. Swearing to a false statement would be a felony.
If approved, the measure would become effective July 1, 2011.
SQ 747
State Question 747 would amend the Oklahoma Constitution by placing term limits on all Statewide elected officials. All officials would be allowed to serve no more two terms in office. Terms served need not be consecutive for the limits to apply.
SQ 748
State Question 748 would amend the Oklahoma Constitution by amending Article 5, Sections 11A and 11B. The measure would change how the districts of the
Oklahoma Legislature
The Legislature of the State of Oklahoma is the state legislative branch of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The Oklahoma House of Representatives and Oklahoma Senate are the two houses that make up the bicameral state legislature. There are 101 ...
are apportioned.
Currently, the Apportionment Commission is responsible for setting district boundaries every ten years if the Legislature itself fails to do so. The Apportionment Commission, as currently established, is composed of the Attorney General, the State Treasurer and the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. The measure would change the commission's name to the Bipartisan Commission on Legislative Apportionment and would increase the number of members from three to seven. The
President pro tempore of the Oklahoma Senate
The President ''pro tempore'' of the Oklahoma Senate is the second-highest-ranking official of the Oklahoma Senate and the highest-ranking state senator. The Oklahoma Constitution designates the Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma as the highest-r ...
would appoint one Democrat and one Republican, the
Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives
The Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the lower house of the Oklahoma Legislature, the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The speaker exercises administrative and procedural functions, but remains a ...
would appoint one Democrat and one Republican, and the
Governor of Oklahoma
The governor of Oklahoma is the head of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor serves as the head of the Oklahoma executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma. The governor is the '' ex of ...
would appoint one Democrat and one Republican.
The
Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma would chair the commission and would be a nonvoting member. It requires orders of apportionment to be signed by at least four members of the commission.
SQ 750
This measure would amend the
Oklahoma Constitution by altering the
initiative
In political science, an initiative (also known as a popular initiative or citizens' initiative) is a means by which a petition signed by a certain number of registered voters can force a government to choose either to enact a law or hold a ...
petitions and with
referendum
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
petitions process by changing the number of signatures required for such petitions.
The following voter signature requirements would apply:
*8% must sign to propose law
*15% must sign to propose to change the State Constitution.
*5% must sign to order a referendum.
These percentages are based upon the State office receiving the most total votes at the last General Election when the Governor is on the ballot. The measure's basis does not use General Elections with the President on the ballot. More votes are usually cast at Presidential General Elections. Thus, the measure would generally have a lowering effect on the number of required signatures.
SQ 751
This measure would amend the
Oklahoma Constitution by adding a new Article to the Constitution. That Article would deal with the State's official actions. It dictates the language to be used in taking official State actions must be the English language. However, it allows for Native American languages could also be used and, when Federal law so requires, other languages could also be used.
The term "official actions" is not defined. The
Oklahoma Legislature
The Legislature of the State of Oklahoma is the state legislative branch of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The Oklahoma House of Representatives and Oklahoma Senate are the two houses that make up the bicameral state legislature. There are 101 ...
could pass laws determining the application of the language requirements. No lawsuit based on State law could be brought on the basis of a State agency's failure to use a language other than English nor could such a lawsuit be brought against political subdivisions of the State.
SQ 752
This measure would amend Section 3 of Article 7-B of the
Oklahoma Constitution. The amendment adds two at-large members to the
Oklahoma Judicial Nominating Commission. At-large members can come from any Oklahoma congressional district. The
President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma Senate
The President ''pro tempore'' of the Oklahoma Senate is the second-highest-ranking official of the Oklahoma Senate and the highest-ranking state senator. The Oklahoma Constitution designates the Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma as the highest-r ...
would appoint one of the new at-large members and the
Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives
The Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the lower house of the Oklahoma Legislature, the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The speaker exercises administrative and procedural functions, but remains a ...
would appoint the other. At-large members cannot be lawyers, can not have a lawyer in their immediate family. Nor can more than two at-large members be from the same political party. This would raise the total membership on the commission from 13 to 15.
SQ 754
This measure would have added a new section, Section 55A of Article 5, to the
Oklahoma Constitution. Under the measure, the Constitution could not have required the
Oklahoma Legislature
The Legislature of the State of Oklahoma is the state legislative branch of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The Oklahoma House of Representatives and Oklahoma Senate are the two houses that make up the bicameral state legislature. There are 101 ...
to fund state functions based on:
*1. Predetermined constitutional formulas,
*2. How much other states spend on a function,
*3. How much any entity spends on a function.
Under the measure, these limits on the Constitution's power to control appropriations would have applied even if:
*1. A later constitutional amendment changed the Constitution, or
*2. A constitutional amendment to the contrary was passed at the same time as this measure.
The Question was in direct opposition toward State Question 744 which also appeared on the ballot.
SQ 755
This measure amended the
Constitution of Oklahoma
The Constitution of the State of Oklahoma is the governing document of the U.S. State of Oklahoma. Adopted in 1907, Oklahoma ratified the United States Constitution on November 16, 1907, as the 46th U.S. state. At its ratification, the Oklahom ...
. It requires courts to rely solely on federal and state law when deciding cases. It forbids courts from considering or using
international law
International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...
or using
Sharia.
The results of State Question 755 have not been officially certified by the Oklahoma Election Board due to an injunction filed in Federal Court by the
Council on American–Islamic Relations
The Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR) is a Muslim civil rights and advocacy group. It is headquartered on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., with regional offices nationwide. Through civil rights actions, media relations, civic enga ...
(CAIR). CAIR is challenging its constitutionality under the
Establishment Clause
In United States law, the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, together with that Amendment's Free Exercise Clause, form the constitutional right of freedom of religion. The relevant constitutional text ...
and
Free Exercise Clause
The Free Exercise Clause accompanies the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. The ''Establishment Clause'' and the ''Free Exercise Clause'' together read:
Free exercise is the liberty of persons to re ...
of the
Constitution of the United States
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the natio ...
. A Federal District Court in Oklahoma City temporarily blocked certification of the election results, calling the measure an unconstitutional violation of the First Amendment because the measure conveys a message that the state favors one religion or particular belief. The state election board appealed the ruling to the
Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (in case citations, 10th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:
* District of Colorado
* District of Kansas
* Distric ...
,
but that court unanimously upheld the ruling blocking the amendment:
SQ 756
This measure adds a new section, Section 37 to Article 2, of
Oklahoma Constitution. It defines "health care system." It prohibits making a person participate in a health care system, prohibits making an employer participate in a health care system, and prohibits making a health care provider provide treatment in a health care system. It would allow persons and employees to pay for treatment directly, it would allow health care provider to accept payment for treatment directly, it would allow the purchase of health care insurance in private health care systems and it would allow the sale of health insurance in private health care systems.
The Question was proposed as an opposition toward the
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
SQ 757
This measure amends Section 23 of Article 10 of the Oklahoma Constitution. It would increase the amount of surplus revenue which goes into the Constitutional Reserve Fund. The amount would go from 10% to 15% of the funds certified as going to the General Revenue fund for the preceding fiscal year.
See also
*
Government of Oklahoma
*
Oklahoma House of Representatives
*
Oklahoma Senate
*
Politics of Oklahoma
The politics of Oklahoma exists in a framework of a presidential republic modeled after the United States. The governor of Oklahoma is both head of state and head of government, and of a pluriform two-party system. Executive power is exercised ...
*
Oklahoma Congressional Districts
References
External links
Oklahoma Election Board homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oklahoma State Elections, 2010
Oklahoma