Incumbent Bice defeats Horn in race to represent Oklahoma in US House: See results

Voters decided four of Oklahoma’s five U.S. House seats Tuesday, including the one spot Democrats hoped to reclaim from the GOP.

The 5th District race between incumbent Republican Stephanie Bice and Democratic challenger Madison Horn was viewed as the state's closest congressional contest.

The seat has been in Republican hands for all but two years since the mid-1970s, but Bice told those attending a GOP watch party in Oklahoma City that Republicans weren't guaranteed an automatic win in the district, pointing to Democrat Kendra Horn’s upset of then-incumbent GOP Rep. Steve Russell in 2018.

Bice downed Horn in 2020, and on Tuesday, achieved a third term with a sizable lead of 60% of the vote over Democrat Madison Horn (no relation to Kendra Horn).

“I’d like to thank the voters of the Fifth District,” Bice said. “You can never take this seat for granted. We saw what happens when you do in 2018. Republicans really didn’t realize that there was a race, and we ended up losing the seat. I am proud to have fought hard to win this seat back, and my goal is to keep this seat Republican.”

Bice told The Oklahoman her team had been “really working hard over the last several months to connect with voters, and we’ve received incredibly positive feedback, so I feel really good about tonight.”

During her third term, Bice said she’d continue to advocate for military members and veterans and attempt to “address the inflationary pressures that families are seeing.”

Live election results: Get real-time Oklahoma 2024 election results for key OKC area and statewide races

The 5th District, which covers most of Oklahoma County, all of Lincoln, Pottawatomie and Seminole counties and portions of Logan and Canadian counties, is viewed as the most politically balanced of the state’s congressional districts. Still, registered Republicans outnumber Democrats 243,000 to 149,000.

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In results from other U.S. House races:

Cole leads Democratic challenger for 4th District seat

Cole, the chair of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, has easily won reelection to the 4th District seat, which covers all or part of 15 counties in southwest and south-central Oklahoma — Carter, Cleveland, Comanche, Cotton, Garvin, Grady, Jefferson, Love, McClain, Murray, Pontotoc, Stephens, Tillman, Oklahoma and Canadian.

Cole claimed 62% of the vote, according to unofficial results. Democrat Mary Brannon, in her fourth attempt to unseat Cole, received 31%, while independent candidate James Stacy received 5%.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday before results came in, Cole said it could be days before it’s known which party might control the House of Representatives, in which the GOP now holds a narrow 220-212 advantage. That’s made this election cycle unique for Cole, who first was elected to Congress in 2002.“This is the most unusual (election). This is the first time in my lifetime that nobody knows who will be the House majority," he said. "It will probably be a week before we know."

Cole, the chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, said that given his role, he has a “vested interest” in which party has a majority in the House. “I’d much rather be the chairman than the ranking member,” Cole said.

The smooth general election came after Cole endured a bruising GOP primary battle against insurance salesman Paul Bondar, who recently moved from Texas to Oklahoma. In one of the most expensive primary races in state history, Bondar outspent Cole, but Cole received 64.6% of the vote, compared to about 25.8% for Bondar.

Cole acknowledged the general election has been less stressful than the primary.

“We had a strong primary opponent who spent about $6 million in six weeks,” Cole said. “We take that seriously and had a good win. I’m happy to be here tonight, helping the rest of the team.”

Cole, a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, has served in Congress since 2003.

Hern wins race for Tulsa-area 1st District seat

In the 1st District, which covers most of the Tulsa metropolitan area, incumbent Republican Kevin Hern has cruised past Democratic rival Dennis Baker, with a majority of the vote.

Baker placed second, while independent candidate Mark Sanders came in third.

Hern has said he’s among the most conservative members of the House of Representatives and has said he wants to fight against federal overreach into the lives of Oklahomans. In a post on the social media site X, Hern thanked voters for sending him back to Congress.

Brecheen reelected to represent 2nd District

Republican incumbent Josh Brecheen has defeated his challengers in the 2nd District race, leading with 74% of the vote. Democrat Brandon Wade has gained 21% of the vote and independent candidate Ronnie Hopkins 4%.

Brecheen served from 2010 to 2018 in the Oklahoma Senate before being elected to Congress in 2022. He is a fourth-generation rancher from Coal County. The 2nd District covers all or parts of 26 counties in eastern Oklahoma.

In a statement issued after votes were counted, Brecheen thanked voters for reelecting him. "As a conservative, I will continue to stand for the foundational principles that secure the blessings of liberty," he said. "I am ready to keep my hand on the plow to continue our work to secure our borders, rein in deficit spending and put a stop to our currency devaluation driving inflation."

Facing no opponent, Lucas claims another term representing 3rd District

The only U.S. House race that wasn’t on the ballot was the 3rd District, which Republican Frank Lucas won by taking the GOP primary in June with about 73% of the vote. No Democratic, Libertarian or independent candidates filed to face Lucas, who’s served in Congress since 1994.

The 3rd District covers almost half of Oklahoma’s land territory, including the Panhandle, most of western Oklahoma and north-central Oklahoma, and extends into the western portions of both the Oklahoma City and Tulsa metropolitan areas.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma election results for US House: Who is heading to DC?