2006 Oklahoma gubernatorial election
The Oklahoma gubernatorial election of 2006 was held on November 7, 2006, and was a race for the Governor of Oklahoma. The incumbent Governor, Democrat Brad Henry, was re-elected with more than 60 percent of the vote, beating Republican Ernest Istook, a member of the United States House of Representatives (Congressional district 5).[1] As of 2021, this is the most recent election in which a Democrat has been elected Governor of Oklahoma, or won any statewide office.
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 County results Henry: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Istook: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Oklahoma |
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 Government |
Background
Though Democrats had dominated state politics for most of Oklahoma's history, the Oklahoma Republican Party had recently gained control of the Oklahoma House of Representatives and held five of the state's six Congressional seats.[2] Henry's opponent, Republican Ernest Istook, was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Oklahoma's 5th congressional district.
As in many Southern states, Oklahoma has favored conservative Democrats to the more liberal members of the party. In his first term, Henry had supported some tax cuts and took centrist positions on many political hot button issues.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Brad Henry, incumbent Governor of Oklahoma
- Andrew W. Marr, Jr.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Brad Henry (incumbent) | 226,957 | 85.82 | |
| Democratic | Andrew W. Marr, Jr. | 37,510 | 14.18 | |
| Total votes | 264,467 | 100.00 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Ernest Istook, U.S. Congressman
- Bob Sullivan, former Oklahoma Secretary of Energy
- James A. Williamson, Oklahoma State Senator
- Jim Evanoff
Campaign
Istook's strongest opponent in the primary was Sullivan, who positioned himself as the only "non-career politician" in the race.[4] He ran ads featuring Gailard Sartain that attacked his opponents' "career politician" background. The Sartain ads were seen as over the top and may have hurt his chances. Sullivan said education was a top priority and had led an effort to place an initiative petition on the November 2006 ballot that would have required 65 percent of money earmarked for education be spent in the classroom.[5]
Results
- Istook—70–80%
- Istook—60–70%
- Istook—50–60%
- Istook—40–50%
- Istook—30–40%
- Istook/Sullivan tie—30–40%
- Sullivan—30–40%
- Sullivan—40–50%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ernest Istook | 99,650 | 54.71 | |
| Republican | Bob Sullivan | 56,347 | 30.94 | |
| Republican | James A. Williamson | 17,769 | 9.76 | |
| Republican | Jim Evanoff | 8,370 | 4.60 | |
| Total votes | 182,136 | 100.00 | ||
General election
The incumbent Democratic Governor Brad Henry won the election with more than 60 percent of the vote, beating Republican U.S. Representative Ernest Istook.[1]
Native American voters reportedly helped elect Democrat Brad Henry in the general election.[6]
Polling
| Source | Date | Brad Henry (D) |
Ernest Istook (R) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survey USA | November 4, 2006 | 65% | 29% |
| Rasmussen | October 23, 2006 | 64% | 32% |
| Sooner Poll | October 7, 2006 | 60% | 33% |
| Rasmussen | September 29, 2006 | 59% | 34% |
| Survey USA | September 26, 2006 | 64% | 33% |
| Rasmussen | September 6, 2006 | 54% | 33% |
| Survey USA | August 28, 2006 | 60% | 34% |
| Sooner Poll | July 17, 2006 | 57% | 29% |
| Rasmussen | May 7, 2006 | 50% | 39% |
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[7] | Solid D | November 6, 2006 |
| Rothenberg Political Report[8] | Safe D | November 2, 2006 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[9] | Safe D | November 2, 2006 |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Brad Henry (incumbent) | 616,135[1] | 66.5 | +23.2 | |
| Republican | Ernest Istook | 310,327[1] | 33.5 | –9.1 | |
| Total votes | 926,462 | 100.0 | n/a | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
References
- 2006 election results for governor (accessed May 28, 2010).
- Gaddie, Ronald Keith, "Oklahoma Republican Party Archived 2011-09-03 at the Wayback Machine," Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture Archived May 31, 2010, at the Wayback Machine (accessed May 28, 2010).
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-02-25. Retrieved 2011-01-23.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Robert J. Sullivan, Jr.
- Allen, Cindy, "Governor, his challengers debate about leadership role," Enid News & Eagle, June 8, 2006 (accessed May 28, 2010).
- "Paying Attention to the Native American Vote". www.pbs.org. Retrieved 2016-01-02.
- "2006 Governor Race ratings | The Cook Political Report" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. November 6, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 12, 2008. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
- "Gubernatorial Ratings | Inside Elections". insideelections.com. November 2, 2006. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
- "Crystal Ball 2006: The Predictions". www.centerforpolitics.org. November 2, 2006. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
External links
- Official campaign websites (Archived)