2006 Oklahoma gubernatorial election
The 2006 Oklahoma gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Democratic Governor Brad Henry won re-election to a second term in a landslide, defeating Republican U.S. Representative Ernest Istook. Henry took 66.5% of the vote to Istook's 33.5% and swept all but three counties in the state.[1]
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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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As of 2022, this remains the last time that a Democrat has been elected Governor of Oklahoma, or, along with the concurrent elections, won any statewide office. The GOP would make enormous gains at the state level just four years later, flipping every single statewide executive office from the Democrats, and gaining unified control of state government for the first time in history.
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 Bob 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 66 percent of the vote, beating Republican U.S. Representative Ernest Istook.[1]
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[6] | Solid D | November 6, 2006 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[7] | Safe D | November 6, 2006 |
| Rothenberg Political Report[8] | Safe D | November 2, 2006 |
| Real Clear Politics[9] | Safe D | November 6, 2006 |
Polling
| Source | Date | Brad Henry (D) |
Ernest Istook (R) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survey USA | November 4, 2006 | 65% | 29% |
| 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% |
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 | |||||
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Roger Mills (Largest city: Cheyenne)
- Custer (Largest city: Weatherford)
- Dewey (Largest city: Seiling)
- Woodward (Largest city: Woodward)
- Alfalfa (Largest city: Helena)
- Cleveland (Largest city: Norman)
- Ellis (Largest city: Shattuck)
- Harper (Largest city: Laverne)
- Grant (Largest city: Medford)
- Canadian (Largest city: Yukon)
- Oklahoma (Largest city: Oklahoma City)
- McClain (Largest city: Newcastle)
- Major (Largest city: Fairview)
- Kay (Largest city: Ponca City)
- Tulsa (Largest city: Tulsa)
- Wagoner (Largest city: Coewta)
- Washington (Largest city: Bartlesville)
- Jackson (Largest city: Altus)
- Stephens (Largest city: Duncan)
- Comanche (Largest city: Lawton)
- Kingfisher (Largest city: Kingfisher)
- Logan (Largest city: Guthrie)
- Noble (Largest city: Perry)
- Garfield (Largest city: Enid)
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).
- "Unavailable". Archived from the original on February 25, 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2011.
- Robert J. Sullivan, Jr.
- Allen, Cindy, "Governor, his challengers debate about leadership role," Enid News & Eagle, June 8, 2006 (accessed May 28, 2010).
- "2006 Governor Race Ratings for November 6, 2006" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 5, 2008. Retrieved October 1, 2006.
- "Election Eve 2006: THE FINAL PREDICTIONS". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- "2006 Gubernatorial Ratings". Senate Ratings. The Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- "Election 2006". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
External links
- Official campaign websites (Archived)