Oklahomans respond to Tuesday night's election outcomes

Oklahoman
·4 min read
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We asked Oklahomans for their perspectives on Tuesday's election outcomes. Here are some of their responses:

What is your reaction to the election results?

  • "I expected a closer race for the governor, but I also saw a landslide for the Senate and the House."

— John Scaggs, Fort Gibson

  • "I feel disappointed because I feel many chose party over policies. I feel Oklahoma has lost interest in genuinely improving the state regarding issues such as education, women's health care, and quality of rural living."

— Xiclali Villa, Edmond

  • "In Oklahoma, disappointed but expected. Across the U.S., better than expected, but still plenty of races too close to call."

— G. Cimino, Tulsa

  • "Very disappointed in OK voters. Seems like being dishonest is OK with voters, and failure to attract big businesses is also not important; schools continue to decline."

— L. D. Ogle, Norman

  • "Nationally, good. For Oklahoma, terrible."

— Dr. Bobby G, Oklahoma City

  • "Trump drug the Republican Party from what should have been a wonderful Tuesday celebration down to a 'what the heck happened?' disaster. I mean, look at me, a lifelong, very conservative Republican who voted straight Democratic Tuesday. What happened? Why would a hard-nosed, very conservative Republican since 1952 suddenly go straight Democrat? Because I’m a RINO — Republican in name only. I will remain a RINO until the Republican Party puts Trump behind them. RINOS are legion and will grow exponentially now."

— Jerry Hoyt, Caddo

  • "Extremely disappointing, to say the least. It’s mind-boggling knowing that so many people think that this is the right path for Oklahoma. I hope once things hit rock bottom, Oklahomans realize that there was never some 'liberal agenda' being pushed around and that many of these candidates never had the people's best interest in mind."

— Yenei Perez, Oklahoma City

  • "Angry."

— Alana Westfall, Oklahoma City

  • "I had to go with the lesser of two evils."

— Trent B., Yukon

  • "I am disappointed and scared for public school students."

— Megan Hawkins, Tulsa

  • "Sad and disappointed."

— Teacher Taylor, Yukon

Do you think Tuesday's elections set Oklahoma on the right path? If not, what are your concerns?

  • "Yes. Oklahoma is on the right path."

— John Scaggs, Fort Gibson

  • "As a minority, a woman, and a student who wanted to pursue a degree in education, I feel we are not on the right path. I feel failed by the state of Oklahoma. I hoped by this election, and the turnouts would help me feel confident in pursuing my teaching degree, feeling as if the state would provide the support the state education department desperately needs. I feel that Oklahoma children will feel overlooked after this election, especially those in rural areas. I also feel teachers no longer have a choice but to start looking for out-of-state options, which would make Oklahoma fall behind even more. It is a sad day to be an Oklahoman."

— Xiclali Villa, Edmond

  • "NO, Oklahoma isn’t on the right path! I’m concerned about a far-right radical Republican state party that will continue to hold the state back in many ways. Education is horrible in this state and will continue to be with the GOP in control. These state politicians say they want young Oklahomans and others to live in Oklahoma long-term, yet they make the state so unappealing."

— G. Cimino, Tulsa

  • "No. My concerns are improving schools from 48th in the nation, women's health care, health care for low-income residents, and private school vouchers."

— L. D. Ogle, Norman

  • "Too much right-wing extremism. Oklahoma will soon be below Mississippi."

— Dr. Bobby G, Oklahoma City

  • "My main concern is that the Republicans that were elected are going to invite even more extremism and radicalism into our state and society. I believe this is going to drive many Oklahomans away, making this state worse off than it is now in regard to education, women's rights, and poverty. This is a very scary time to be living in Oklahoma and it’s quite devastating."

— Yenei Perez, Oklahoma City

  • "Definitely not the right path. I am concerned about public education and individual freedoms."

— Alana Westfall, Oklahoma City

  • "It's the best path we had offered to us but there is still a lot of work to do."

— Trent B., Yukon

  • "No, separation of church and state is so important for our government. Placing conservative Christian values and evangelical bent onto our diverse culture will only move us backward toward lower education and fear-based decisions."

— Megan Hawkins, Tulsa

  • "No. Education is undervalued and it will continue to effect the economy. Corporations are not attracted to states that do not value education."

— Carolina Cunningham, Norman

  • "No, I do not. I’m concerned for our children’s future and my friends future. ... I am a teacher but more importantly a Christian and what Ryan Walters wants is Christian Nationalism and I am completely against that. That's indoctrination, the very thing he said teachers were trying to do. There is no indoctrinating in our public schools. We hardly have enough time to teach."

— Teacher Taylor, Yukon

The Public Square is a Viewpoints feature that seeks engagement from readers to questions on various issues of the day. Follow The Oklahoman on Facebook and on Twitter @TheOklahoman_ for weekly prompts for The Public Square.
The Public Square is a Viewpoints feature that seeks engagement from readers to questions on various issues of the day. Follow The Oklahoman on Facebook and on Twitter @TheOklahoman_ for weekly prompts for The Public Square.

The Public Square is a Viewpoints feature that seeks engagement from readers to questions on various issues of the day. Follow The Oklahoman on Facebook and on Twitter @TheOklahoman_ for weekly prompts for The Public Square.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahomans respond to Tuesday night's election outcomes