Correction: This story originally contained incorrect information about Tim Gilpin, who served out his term on the Oklahoma State Board of Education and was not reappointed. It has been corrected.
Maybe it’s another sign of upheaval in state politics or maybe it’s just a coincidence, but Tuesday’s runoff elections in the 1st Congressional District are unlike any before.
Tuesday will be the first time that Republican and Democratic CD 1 runoffs have occurred in the same year.
Runoffs, in fact, have been quite rare in the 1st District, but then, 2018 has proved an unusual, and perhaps unprecedented, year for runoff elections in Oklahoma.
Republicans Tim Harris and Kevin Hern have held most of the spotlight since the June 26 primary, largely because of Hern’s media blitz in an attempt to overcome Harris’ 5-point lead coming out of that first round.
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Democrats Tim Gilpin and Amanda Douglas, without the financial backing of the two Republicans, have waged a more subdued contest for the Democratic Party’s place on the Nov. 6 general election ballot.
Harris and Hern have also gotten more attention because the survivor will be the general election favorite. The GOP hasn’t had much trouble holding the seat since winning it 30 years ago.
Hern, 56, has invested more than $1.5 million into his campaign, which emphasizes his success in business and aligns him as closely as possible with President Donald Trump.
Polls taken in early August showed Hern trailing by about 10 points, but his campaign says more recent internal polling indicates he’s turned that around and now leads.
Harris, 66, is a former four-term district attorney who has campaigned on his record of public service and his promise to be “the people’s representative.”
Harris’ personal wealth cannot match Hern’s and neither can his fundraising, although a late infusion of cash allowed him to go on television and radio to counter Hern’s claims that Harris is not enough in step with Trump and that his years at the DA’s office make Harris a “career politician.”
Harris took 27 percent of the vote in the five-way primary and Hern 22 percent.
The Democratic primary was even closer. With far more money and initial name recognition, Gilpin finished just 1,500 votes and 2 percentage points ahead of Douglas.
Gilpin thought the unexpectedly large turnout threw off his campaign’s calculations of how many votes it would need and may have helped keep the primary close.
Gilpin and Douglas seem fairly close on the issues, with health care, education and bread-and-butter issues at or near the forefront. Their similar outlooks are reflected in their slogans — “Enough is enough” for Douglas and “Something’s got to change” for Gilpin.
At 57, Gilpin is more than 20 years older than Douglas and emphasizes his experience as a lawyer and as a former member of the state board of education.
Douglas, 36, has run her campaign on just more than $10,000 but has found a receptive audience with her plain-spoken approach. She is a business analyst in the energy sector.
Democratic congressional runoffs are also on the ballot in the 2nd, 4th and 5th districts.
Matched in the 2nd District are Tahlequah Mayor Jason Nichols and teacher and retired Army colonel Clay Padgett of Soper. Nichols, first in the primary, has been more directly critical of Republican incumbent Markwayne Mullin, while Padgett has talked more generally about the need to provide opportunities for the people in the district.
CD 4 matches former teacher and school counselor Mary Brannon and former University of Oklahoma General Counsel Fred Gipson, and in CD 5, it’s political organizer and campaign manager Kendra Horn against retired college professor Tom Guild.
There are no other Republican congressional runoffs.
