In Tuesday night’s Republican legislative runoffs, four more candidates won election to the Oklahoma Legislature after 28 races were decided in June. Six other candidates gained the Republican nomination to face opponents in the Nov. 5 general election, including one who won his race by just two votes.
The following article offers a roundup of Oklahoma legislative runoff results.
All results are unofficial until they are certified by the Oklahoma State Election Board. The following legislative runoff elections are presented in numerical order starting with the State Senate, although three races where incumbents lost are presented at the end.
(Editor’s note: For an article examining the defeats of those three incumbents, click here.)
SD 15: Lisa Standridge defeats Robert Keyes
With all precincts reporting, pharmacist Lisa Standridge beat Robert Keyes by 51 votes to gain the Republican nomination in Senate District 15. Nearly 5,000 people cast votes in the election.
Standridge will face Democrat Elizabeth Foreman in the November general election.
The race for the Republican nomination for the Norman-area seat came down to Standridge, the wife of term-limited Sen. Rob Standridge (R-Norman), and Keyes, an environmental services contractor CEO. Each attempted to out-flank the other from the ideological right during their campaigns.
SD 33: Christi Gillespie defeats Shelley Gwartney
Broken Arrow Vice Mayor Christi Gillespie topped actor and businesswoman Shelley Gwartney for the Republican nomination for Senate District 33 in Broken Arrow.
Gillespie will face Democrat Bob Willis in the Nov. 5 general election. The seat is open because Sen. Nathan Dahm (R-Broken Arrow) is term-limited.
Gillespie campaigned with Stitt’s endorsement, and Gwartney cast herself as the candidate for the anti-establishment side of the Senate Republican Caucus.
SD 47: Kelly Hines defeats Jenny Schmitt
Kelly Hines defeated Jenny Schmitt with 60 percent of the vote for the Republican nomination to face face Democrat Erin Brewer in the general election.
The Senate District 47 seat, which spans northwest Oklahoma City and southwest Edmond, is open because Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat (R-OKC) is term limited.
Hines, a veteran and Schmitt, a health care professional, had advanced June 18 from a field of three to the runoff. During their campaigns, both acknowledged their ideological similarities but said their priorities differ.
Hines has called for unity in the Republican Party, but he will join a fractured caucus in the Senate should he ultimately prevail over Brewer.
HD 20: Jonathan Wilk defeats Mike Whaley by two votes
Former first responder and fire investigator Jonathan Wilk topped retired teacher and coach Mike Whaley for the House District 20 Republican nomination by just two votes. With all precincts reporting, 3,334 votes were cast in the race.
Whaley has the option to challenge the results and ask for a recount.
If Wilk prevails in any potential challenge, he will face Democrat Mitchell Jacob in the general election.
The runoff for the Republican nomination to represent the open seat just south of the Oklahoma City metro area paired down to Whaley and Wilk from a field of five. During his campaign, Wilk advocated for lower taxes, better infrastructure and parental rights in education.
HD 50: Stacy Jo Adams defeats Andrew Aldridge
Insurance agent Stacy Jo Adams gained nearly 62 percent of the vote to beat state employee Andrew Aldridge and win election to the southwest Oklahoma seat outright.
House District 50 was open because Rep. Marcus McEntire (R-Duncan) chose not to seek a final term in office.
The runoff race between Adams and Aldridge proved contentious, with Adams accusing her opponent of using “smear tactics.”
HD 53: Jason Blair defeats Nick Pokorny
Insurance agent Jason Blair beat businessman Nick Pokorny with 62 percent of the vote to win the Moore-area seat outright.
Blair had won the endorsement of term-limited House District 53 Rep. Mark McBride (R-Moore), who was ineligible to run again owing to term limits.
Blair held a Moore City Council seat for 15 years before abruptly resigning during an Aug. 5 meeting.
HD 60: Mike Kelley defeats Ron Lynch
In House District 60, etired firefighter Mike Kelley won election to the Yukon-area seat with 65 percent of the vote.
The race for the open HD 60 had come down to Kelley and popcorn and candy shop owner Ron Lynch. During their campaigns, Lynch emphasized the need to cut taxes and Kelley advocated for infrastructure improvements and government efficiency. The seat was open because House Common Education Committee Chairwoman Rhonda Baker (R-Yukon) chose not to seek reelection.
SD 3: Julie McIntosh ousts Sen. Blake Stephens
Sen. Blake “Cowboy” Stephens (R-Tahlequah) lost his first reelection bid to physician and homeschool mom Dr. Julie McIntosh, who garnered nearly 61 percent of the vote.
McIntosh now faces independent candidate Margaret Cook in the Nov. 5 general election.
Two Republicans candidates initially filed to challenge incumbent Sen. Blake Stephens for the northeast Oklahoma seat, and McIntosh joined him in the runoff.
McIntosh achieved an endorsement from Gov. Kevin Stitt, and the race was contentious, with mudslinging from both sides. McIntosh hails from Porter in Wagoner County, which now makes up the bulk of Senate District 3 after the 2020 redistricting.
HD 32: Jim Shaw ousts Rep. Kevin Wallace
Longtime energy industry employee Jim Shaw garnered 54 percent of the vote and ousted Rep. Kevin Wallace (R-Wellston) in a development sure to send shockwaves through the Legislature. Wallace had been chairman of the powerful House Appropriations and Budget Committee longer than any other lawmaker in House history.
Shaw won the seat outright Tuesday since no candidate from another party filed to run for the seat.
Shaw challenged Wallace from the right, campaigning against green energy projects and painting Wallace as lobbyist-friendly lawmaker whose use of biosolids put him at odds with area landowners. Regulated in Oklahoma, biosolids constitute a nutrient-rich fertilizer derived from wastewater treatment plant sewage that has drawn criticism owing to its smell and chemical constructs.
HD 98: Gabe Woolley ousts Rep. Dean Davis
Educator Gabe Woolley ousted Rep. Dean Davis (R-Broken Arrow) to win the Republican nomination for the House District 98 seat. Woolley will face Democrat Cathy Smythe, an IT consultant, in November.
Woolley beat Davis by just 28 votes, and the results could be challenged by Davis.
Woolley, who says he is a former member of the LGBTQ community, ran on a conservative Christian platform opposed to LGBTQ rights. Davis, a former Broken Arrow teacher and coach, ran for his fourth term after being censured in 2023 and apologizing in 2024 owing to his conduct during a DUI arrest — his second since being elected to office.
