Oklahoma Election Results: Numerous primary races up for grabs (2024)

COVERAGE STARTS RIGHT NOW. AND TONIGHT WE START WITH THE MOST CLOSELY WATCHED RACE FOR THE FOURTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT. IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO WATCH IT. WE KNOW THAT YOU HAVE SEEN THE ADS BETWEEN LONGTIME CONGRESSMAN TOM COLE AND CHALLENGER PAUL BONDER. SO LET’S TAKE A LOOK HERE TONIGHT. REPUBLICAN VOTERS IN SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA, CENTRAL OKLAHOMA MAKING IT CLEAR THEY WANT COLE BACK IN WASHINGTON, DC. TOM COLE FINISHING WITH NEARLY TWO THIRDS OF THE VOTE. PAUL BONDER GETTING ABOUT 25%. WE’LL HEAR FROM BONDER IN A MOMENT, BUT LET’S START WITH ZACH RAEL WITH CONGRESSMAN COLE. FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT. I THINK IT’S A VOTE OF CONFIDENCE IN THE JOB THAT I’VE DONE OVER THE YEARS BY MY FELLOW REPUBLICANS. TOM COLE, FEELING GOOD ABOUT HIS WIN AND IS ALREADY LOOKING FORWARD TO THE GENERAL ELECTION IN NOVEMBER. NOT FOR HIMSELF, BUT TO HELP GET FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP REELECTED AND NUMBER ONE TO HELP. I THINK IF PRESIDENT TRUMP, I THINK IS GOING TO WIN THIS ELECTION. SO, NUMBER ONE, TO HELP HIM BE A SUCCESSFUL PRESIDENT, HELP HIM ON THE BORDER, HELPING WITH INFLATION, HELPING IN A DANGEROUS WORLD, PROVIDE THE MILITARY THAT HE NEEDS. I ASKED COLE IF HE WILL ACCEPT THE RESULTS OF THE 2024 ELECTION, NO MATTER WHO THE WINNER IS. I DON’T HAVE ANY REASON TO BELIEVE THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP’S NOT GOING TO WIN. SO IF PRESIDENT BIDEN WINS, WILL YOU ACCEPT THAT? LOOK, I ACCEPTED THE ELECTION LAST TIME. I DIDN’T AGREE WITH A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT WERE DONE. HOPING TO KEEP CONTROL OF THE HOUSE, FLIP THE SENATE AND GET TRUMP BACK IN THE OVAL OFFICE, COLE SAYS THE COUNTRY NEEDS TO SECURE THE BORDER AND GET INFLATION UNDER CONTROL. WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO GET SERIOUS LONGER TERM ABOUT LOOKING AT SOCIAL SECURITY, MEDICARE AND MEDICAID, AND THAT DOESN’T MEAN CUT THEM, BUT YOU EITHER GOT TO GIVE THEM MORE INCOME, YOU GOT TO REFORM THEM. WE. COCO ZACH RAEL REPORTING THERE NOW, COLE STILL HAS TO GO. OF COURSE, THROUGH THE GENERAL ELECTION IN NOVEMBER. HE WILL FACE HIS DEMOCRATIC CHALLENGER. BUT IT’S A RACE HE HAS NOT LOST SINCE 2003. AND BEFORE THAT RACE WAS CALLED TONIGHT, KOCO JASON BERGER WAS AT PAUL BONNER’S WATCH PARTY. JASON JOINS US LIVE. JASON, I KNOW YOU’VE BEEN DOWN IN NORMAN ALL NIGHT. YOU CAUGHT UP WITH HIM LATER. EARLIER THIS EVENING. YEAH. GUYS. BOND OR BOND ARE RATHER FACED A BIG TASK TONIGHT. HE HAD TO UNSEAT A CONGRESSMAN WITH MORE THAN 20 YEARS EXPERIENCE. BUT HE SAYS HE JUST WANTS TO HELP OKLAHOMANS. WE’RE GOING TO BE BACK HERE IN THIS DISTRICT RUNNING AGAIN BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT WE MUST DO THINGS IN A PRO-AMERICAN WAY. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, CALLING THE RACE IN FAVOR OF TOM COLE. WITH UNDER 25% OF PRECINCTS REPORTING DESPITE THE POLLS, PAUL BONDER SAYS HE HEARD COMPELLING STORIES OUT ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL. ONE OF THOSE WAS FROM A WOMAN IN MOORE. THERE SELLING THINGS FROM THEIR HOMES TO PAY PROPERTY TAXES AND TO HELP PEOPLE AFFORD MEDICINE. AND PEOPLE ARE JUST THEY’RE JUST UNDERWATER IN SO MANY DIFFERENT PLACES. BONDAR HAS FUNDED THE MAJORITY OF HIS CAMPAIGN ON HIS OWN. ACCORDING TO THE FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION, BONDAR HAS JUST OVER $5.1 MILLION IN CAMPAIGN FUNDS, MOST OF WHICH HE PROVIDED HIMSELF. HE ONLY HAD ABOUT $44,000 IN TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS, BUT HE TAKES PRIDE IN TRYING TO BLAZE HIS OWN TRAIL. IT DOESN’T MEAN THAT WE’RE GOING TO GIVE UP BECAUSE I HAVE LOOKED PEOPLE IN THE EYE AND I HAVE TOLD THEM, THEY SAID, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU FOR COMING. DURING HIS CAMPAIGN, BONDAR FOCUSED ON FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT TO IMPROVE THE STATE’S ECONOMY, AND PREVIOUSLY, HE SAID HE WOULD PUSH TO STOP SENDING FINANCIAL AID TO UKRAINE AND HE INTENDS TO CONTINUE TO PURSUE POLITICAL ACTION. I’VE MADE PROMISES TO PEOPLE I INTEND TO KEEP THOSE PROMISES. WE WILL RETURN TO PROSPERITY. WE WILL RETURN TO AMERICAN FIRST AND OKLAHOMA BASED POLICIES AND NOT JUST SEND OUR MONEY OVERSEAS. NOW, AS OF 10:00, THE UNOFFICIAL POLL DATA SHOWS PAUL BONDAR WITH 26% OF THE VOTE, WHILE CONGRESSMAN COLE HAS ABOUT 65%. IN NORMAN. JASON BERGER, KOCO FIVE NEWS, JASON, THANK YOU. SO LET’S TAKE A LOOK HERE. JASON WAS MENTIONING THOSE NUMBERS. CONGRESSMAN COLE WILL FACE DEMOCRAT MARY BRANNON IN NOVEMBER. BRANNON WINNING ABOUT 61% OF THE VOTE THERE. WE’LL ALSO TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THE OTHER CONGRESSIONAL RACES TONIGHT FOR DISTRICT ONE. REPUBLICAN BALLOT. LOOK AT THIS NUMBER. INCUMBENT KEVIN HERN WINS WITH 87% OF THE VOTE. SO HE WILL REPRESENT THE GOP. HE’LL FACE DEMOCRAT DENNIS BAKER BAKER WON 59% OF THE VOTE. AND THEN DISTRICT THREE, 73% OF VOTERS CHOSE REPUBLICAN INCUMBENT FRANK LUCAS AND PRIMARY ELECTIONS CAUSING A SHAKEUP AT THE CAPITOL. SEVERAL KEY LAWMAKERS EITHER LOST TONIGHT OR THEY’LL GO ON TO RUNOFFS IN AUGUST. KOCO ANDY WEBER JOINS US LIVE. ANDY, A ROUGH NIGHT FOR THE MAN WHO HAD BEEN TAPPED TO LEAD THE SENATE. YEAH, THAT’S SENATOR GREG MCCOURTNEY, WHO IS CURRENTLY THE MAJORITY FLOOR LEADER HERE AT THE OKLAHOMA STATE SENATE. HE LOST HIS CHALLENGER, JONATHAN WINGARD, IN NARROW PRIMARY THIS EVENING, WINGARD BEATING MCCOURTNEY BY ONLY A FEW HUNDRED VOTES. MCCOURTNEY HAD BEEN SUPPORTED BY THE OUTGOING PRO TEM, GREG TREAT, TO BE THE NEXT PRO TEM HERE AT THE STATE SENATE. MCCOURTNEY NEEDED ANOTHER VOTE FROM SANDERS, BUT WITH HIM OUT, THINGS WITH HIM OUT, THINGS ARE GOING TO GET COMPLICATED AND IT’S UNCLEAR WHO WILL JUMP IN THAT RACE. THE FINAL BUT UNOFFICIAL VOTE TALLY WINGARD 3805 OVER MCCOURTNEY 3543. ANOTHER LEADER AT THE CAPITOL, HOUSE BUDGET CHAIR KEVIN WALSH, WILL GO INTO AN AUGUST RUNOFF, WALLS FINISHING SECOND TO CHALLENGER JIM SHAW. SHAW HAD 46% OF THE VOTE. WALLACE HAD 42%. OTHER INCUMBENTS OUSTED TONIGHT INCLUDE STILLWATER STATE REP JOHN TALLEY, LOSING TO HIS OPPONENT MOLLY JENKINS, SHAWNEE SANDERS, SHANE JETT NARROWLY ESCAPED A RUNOFF IN AUGUST, WALKING AWAY WITH JUST OVER 50% OF THE VOTE IN THAT RACE. ALSO HERE IN OKLAHOMA CITY, SOME DEMOCRATIC RESULTS. NIKKI NICE SECURING THE SEAT. THE SENATE SEAT LEFT VACANT BY GEORGE YOUNG. AND THEN MARK MANN WINNING THE SEAT, LEFT VACANT BY KAY FLOYD HERE IN OKLAHOMA CITY