In eastern Oklahoma's congressional district, 72% of voters picked a losing candidate

No clear winner emerged from the 2nd Congressional District GOP primary that advanced the campaigns of Avery Frix and Josh Brecheen.

It was a crowded field from the start — 14 candidates appeared on the ballot including well-known local politicians from eastern Oklahoma. Because no single candidate received more than 50% of the vote, the top two will face off Aug. 23 in the race to succeed U.S. Senate candidate Markwayne Mullin.

Frix, a state representative from Muskogee, and Brecheen, a former state senator from Coalgate in southeastern Oklahoma, will spend the next two months courting Republicans who didn't vote for them Tuesday night.

Out of 76,871 voters, 54,968 picked someone else.

County-level vote totals show the top candidates performed well in their hometowns. For example, state Sen. Marty Quinn, of Claremore, outperformed other candidates in Rogers County, picking up one of every four voters.

Guy Barker, a Quapaw Nation tribal official, won two counties in far northeastern Oklahoma where the tribe has its headquarters. Cherokee tribal councilor Wes Nofire received the most votes in Cherokee and Adair counties, where the Cherokee Nation has a significant presence.

The only candidate who saw significant support outside of his home area was John Bennett, who served as a state representative in Sequoyah County and later was chair of the Oklahoma Republican Party until he resigned to run for Congress. He received the most votes in four counties.

But it was Frix (14.7%) and Brecheen (13.8%) who outshined their opponents, albeit by a narrow margin. Three other candidates, Bennett, Barker and Muskogee Police Chief Johnny Teehee, each received more than 10% of the vote.

After the primary runoff on Aug. 23, the Republican nominee will appear in a three-way race for the 2nd District seat. Also on the November general election ballot will be Democrat Naomi Andrews, a marketing and development director for Kingsley-Kleimann Group, and independent candidate Bulldog Ben Robinson, who served as a Democratic state senator from 1989 to 2004.

Incumbents advance

Outside of the 2nd District, Oklahoma's primary election for U.S. Congress saw three Republican incumbents secure their nominations.

Tom Cole, Frank Lucas and Stephanie Bice will advance to the November election. Tulsa's Kevin Hern was the only Republican to file for Oklahoma's 1st Congressional District, so the sitting congressman faced no primary opponent and will automatically appear on the general election ballot.

There were no Democratic primaries for Oklahoma's five congressional seats.

Stephanie Bice, a former state lawmaker who is running for a second term as Oklahoma City's congressional representative, defeated Edmond real estate agent Subrina Banks with about 68% of the vote. Bice will face Democrat Joshua Harris-Till and independent candidate David K. Frosch in November.

Tom Cole, Norman's congressman for the past two decades, will advance to the general election. Cole, one of the state's most well-known politicians, easily brushed off challenges by Frank Blacke and James Taylor with nearly 70% of the vote.

Cole will face Democrat Mary Brannon in the general election.

Northwestern Oklahoma's representative to Congress, Frank Lucas, led two other Republican candidates for the 3rd Congressional District with over 61% of the vote.

In the primary, Lucas faced Enid pastor Wade Burleson and Stephen Butler. He will face Democrat Jeremiah Ross in the November general election.

Although Lucas has historically represented the far western side of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, the 2020 Census led to redistricting and a redrawn congressional map. Lucas now represents an area that includes a significant portion of Oklahoma City between NW 23 and Moore.

Staff writer Dale Denwalt covers Oklahoma's economy and business news for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Dale? He can be reached at ddenwalt@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @denwalt. Support Dale’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com. 

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Two Republican candidates for Congress advance in eastern Oklahoma