James Lankford wins another term in US Senate

Republican Sen. James Lankford won a second full term handily on Tuesday, dispatching Democrat Madison Horn and two other challengers, and will become the state’s senior senator in January just 12 years after going to Washington.

With 100% of the vote counted, Lankford won 64% of the vote and all 77 counties.

At a watch party in Oklahoma City on Tuesday night, Lankford said voters were tired of “the energy crisis, they’re tired of lawless borders. We know that there’s a better way, and it’s time to bring that better way. And America is speaking out right now about that and turning it around.”

Lankford, 54, declined to debate his primary and general election opponents and mostly skipped campaigning in the fall aside from events among fellow Republicans. Lankford’s campaign message echoed that of other GOP candidates and consisted almost entirely of criticizing President Joe Biden on the economy, crime and illegal immigration.

The Southern Baptist preacher and former youth camp director first won a Senate seat in 2014, after four years in the House, and served the last two years of Sen. Tom Coburn’s second term. He won a six-year term in 2016.

With the impending retirement of Sen. Jim Inhofe, in January, Lankford, a native Texan, will be Oklahoma’s senior senator.  Republican U.S. Rep. Markwayne Mullin won the election Tuesday to serve the remaining four years of Inhofe's term.

Horn, 32, a political newcomer and cybersecurity expert originally from Stilwell, hit Lankford on his votes against abortion rights and for a lack of legislative achievements, particularly on immigration.

More:Poll shows Mullin, Lankford with big leads in races for Oklahoma's US Senate seats

Lankford has spent more than $5.7 million in the last six years on his reelection campaign, with about $3 million of that spent this year. Horn reported spending about $267,000.

Lankford was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, who said, “Sometimes we didn’t exactly agree on everything, but we do now.”

That was an apparent reference to Lankford voting to affirm the Electoral College votes from Arizona and Pennsylvania after lodging an objection to the Arizona votes before the riot by Trump supporters on Jan. 6.

More:Election poll predicts urban-rural divide in Oklahoma governor's race, other contests

Trump praised Lankford in his speech immediately before the attack on the Capitol. After the attack, Lankford changed his mind about challenging the presidential results and voted to affirm the Electoral College votes.

Lankford serves on the Senate Finance Committee, the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the Indian Affairs Committee and the Ethics Committee.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Republican James Lankford wins new term in U.S. Senate