3 incumbent lawmakers lose seats, school bonds and more

Tuesday was election day across Oklahoma, and voters in 53 counties across the state went to the polls to cast their ballots in a special election.

Major voting issues included a hotel tax increase in Oklahoma City, a school bond proposal in Guthrie, and another school bond proposal in Blanchard.

Three incumbent lawmakers also lost their seats in hotly contested elections across Oklahoma, marking a significant shift in the state House of Representatives and Senate.

House Budget Committee Chairman Kevin Wallace was defeated by challenger Jim Shaw in a high-stakes race that saw over $1 million spent on advertising. The seat, which represents Lincoln, Logan and Payne counties, was one of the most closely watched contests of the night. Wallace, who had held the office since 2014, lost by about 1,500 votes.

In Senate District 3, which includes Tahlequah, incumbent Senator Blake “Cowboy” Stephens was defeated by newcomer Julie McIntosh. The district had the highest voter turnout of the night, with more than 9,000 votes cast. McIntosh’s victory was fueled by a strong grassroots campaign and widespread dissatisfaction with Stephens’ legislative performance.

In Broken Arrow, incumbent state Rep. Dean Davis lost his seat to challenger Gabe Wooley by a narrow 28-vote margin. Davis, like the other incumbents, was criticized for not doing enough door-to-door campaigning during the legislative session.

The wave of defeats began with mail-in and early voting, which set the tone for the evening’s results, with many incumbents already behind before polls even opened on Election Day.

In Moore, the district with the lowest voter turnout, only 1,600 votes were cast, of which about 300 were by mail-in or early voting.

The losses reflect a broader frustration among voters who accused incumbents of not being present enough in their constituencies during the campaign. Observers pointed out that incumbents’ lack of door-to-door presence and lack of direct voter participation may have contributed to their defeats.

With Oklahoma’s political landscape changing, newly elected lawmakers face the challenge of addressing the concerns that led to this election night upheaval.

Here are some of those results:

To the complete results list Click here.

Hotel tax increase in Oklahoma City

Yes – 21472 votes in total, 66.4%✅

No – 10851 votes in total, 33.6%

State House District 32 Republicans

Kevin Wallace, Chairman of the House Budget Committee – 2,764 votes total, 45.6%

Jim Shaw – 23291 total votes, 54.4% ✅

State Senate, District 47, Republican

Kelley Hines – 3336 total votes, 60.3% ✅

Jenny Schmitt – 2195 votes in total, 39.7%

Republican, Sheriff of McCurtain County

Bruce W Shirey – 1498 votes in total, 80.4% ✅

Jason Ricketts – 366 total votes, 19.6%

Blanchard Public Schools $66 million construction bond

Yes – 1137 votes in total, 48.1%

No-1227 votes in total, 51.9%✅

According to Blanchard Public Schools, the $66 million school safety proposal up for vote, if passed, will create additional classrooms and new resources for technological and extracurricular needs, as well as a new security system at Blanchard High School.

Guthrie Schools $45 million construction bond

Yes – 2734 votes in total, 72.2% ✅

No – 1051 votes in total, 27.8%

In Guthrie, residents are voting on a $45 million school bond to address the overcrowding problem in Guthrie’s public schools.

RELATED: ‘Try to be proactive’: Guthrie’s $45 million school bond proposal addresses population growth and overpopulation

Bond proposals are also on the ballot in several other school districts across the state, including Purcell and Lindsay.

RELATED: Districts across Oklahoma are asking voters to approve multimillion-dollar school bonds