Tulsa will go in Democrats’ favor due to bipartisan mayoral election results; Republicans lose one of their few big-city mayors

After Tuesday’s mayoral election, Tulsa will soon have a Democrat in charge. The two candidates with the most votes in Tuesday’s nonpartisan election were Democratic candidates who will face off in a runoff election in the fall.

The result suggests dwindling support for Republicans in Tulsa and in urban areas across the country that are now predominantly governed by Democrats.

Democrats take the first two places and go into the runoff

According to The Oklahoman, unofficial results showed Monroe Nichols, a 40-year-old state representative, finished first in Tuesday’s Tulsa mayoral election with 33.1% of the vote, narrowly ahead of 70-year-old county commissioner Karen Keith, who received 32.6%, and Brent VanNorman, the president of an investment company, who received 31.8%. There were fewer than 500 votes between Nichols and Keith and between Keith and VanNorman. As the two candidates with the most votes, Nichols and Keith will go into a runoff in November, guaranteeing that a Democrat will become the city’s new mayor; although the mayoral election is bipartisan, Nichols and Keith are both Democrats, while VanNorman and outgoing Mayor GT Bynum are both Republicans.

Potential for the first black mayor

While Nichols did not receive enough votes to win on Tuesday, his first-place finish is still historic and gives him a chance to become Tulsa’s first Black mayor. That would be significant for a city known for one of the worst racial massacres in American history, as its Greenwood District, also known as “Black Wall Street,” was destroyed in a 1921 attack for which little justice has been served. In that election, the city’s Black Wall Street Times newspaper – which covers Black news and issues from the Greenwood District – endorsed Nichols earlier this month. In its endorsement, the paper highlighted Nichols’ advocacy for the massacre survivors and their descendants, as well as his work with the Native American and LGBTQ+ communities. The Times also told voters that “it is time for us to make history” by electing Nichols.

Democrats continue to dominate in urban areas

Regardless of whether Nichols or Keith win in November, the election will put Tulsa under Democratic control. After 56% of Tulsa County voters supported Donald Trump in 2020, it’s telling that nearly two-thirds of the city’s voters backed Democrats on Tuesday. The result also reflects dwindling support for Republicans in urban areas across the country. According to Ballotpedia, Republican mayors control only 11 of the nation’s 50 largest cities, including Tulsa. Although a Democratic victory in Tulsa is unlikely to affect the results of Oklahoma’s presidential election, the Democrats’ overall dominance in urban areas could affect outcomes in other states, as well as congressional elections, with control of the House and Senate at stake.

All of these issues will be decided on November 5, when Tulsa residents elect not only the next president, but also the next mayor of their city. In many ways, history could be made on that day.