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1994 Oklahoma gubernatorial election

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1994 Oklahoma gubernatorial election

← 1990 November 8, 1994 1998 →
  Frank Keating at a conference, Oct 20, 2001 - cropped.jpg Jack Mildren.jpg WesWatkins.jpg
Nominee Frank Keating Jack Mildren Wes Watkins
Party Republican Democratic Independent
Popular vote 466,740 294,936 233,336
Percentage 46.9% 29.6% 23.5%

1994 Oklahoma gubernatorial election results map by county.svg
County results
Keating:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%
Mildren:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%
Watkins:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

Governor before election

David Walters
Democratic

Elected Governor

Frank Keating
Republican

The 1994 Oklahoma gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1994, and was a race for Governor of Oklahoma. Former United States Associate Attorney General Frank Keating pulled an upset in the three-way race to become only the third Republican governor in Oklahoma history.

The Democratic vote was split between Lieutenant Governor Jack Mildren and former Democratic congressman Wes Watkins, who ran as an independent. Watkins won 24% of the vote and carried numerous counties (by wide margins in some cases); his 233,000 votes far exceeded Keating's 171,000-vote winning margin over Mildren.

This was the first time since Oklahoma statehood that Jackson County, Stephens County, and Grady County voted Republican in a gubernatorial election, and the first time since 1914 that Comanche County voted Republican.

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Governor of Oklahoma

Governor of Oklahoma

The governor of Oklahoma is the head of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor serves as the head of the Oklahoma executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma. The governor is the ex officio commander-in-chief of the Oklahoma National Guard when not called into federal use. Despite being an executive branch official, the governor also holds legislative and judicial powers. The governor's responsibilities include making yearly "State of the State" addresses to the Oklahoma Legislature, submitting the annual state budget, ensuring that state laws are enforced, and that the peace is preserved. The governor's term is four years in length.

United States Associate Attorney General

United States Associate Attorney General

The associate attorney general of the United States is the third-highest-ranking official in the U.S. Department of Justice. The associate attorney general advises and assists the attorney general and the deputy attorney general in policies relating to civil justice, federal and local law enforcement, and public safety matters. The associate attorney general is appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

Frank Keating

Frank Keating

Francis Anthony Keating II is an American attorney and politician who served as the 25th governor of Oklahoma from 1995 to 2003.

Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma

Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma

The lieutenant governor of Oklahoma is the second-highest executive official of the state government of Oklahoma. As first in the gubernatorial line of succession, the lieutenant governor becomes the new governor of Oklahoma upon the death, resignation, or removal of the governor. The lieutenant governor also serves as the president of the Oklahoma Senate, and may cast a vote to break ties in that chamber.

Jack Mildren

Jack Mildren

Larry Jack Mildren, was an All-American quarterback at the University of Oklahoma, and professional football player with the Baltimore Colts and New England Patriots. A native Texan, he was later an oil company owner, elected as the 13th lieutenant governor of Oklahoma, and enjoyed a career as a successful bank executive in Oklahoma.

Wes Watkins

Wes Watkins

Wesley Wade Watkins is an American politician from the state of Oklahoma. Watkins is a retired member of the United States House of Representatives where he had represented Oklahoma's 3rd congressional district for 14 years as a Democrat and then for six years as a Republican.

Jackson County, Oklahoma

Jackson County, Oklahoma

Jackson County is a county located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 26,446. Its county seat is Altus. According to the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, the county was named for two historical figures: President Andrew Jackson and Confederate General Stonewall Jackson. One source states that the county was named only for the former President, while an earlier source states it was named only for General Stonewall Jackson.

Stephens County, Oklahoma

Stephens County, Oklahoma

Stephens County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 45,048. Its county seat is Duncan. The county was created at statehood, partly from the Chickasaw Nation in Indian Territory and partly from Comanche County in Oklahoma Territory. It was named for Texas politician John Hall Stephens.

Grady County, Oklahoma

Grady County, Oklahoma

Grady County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 52,431. Its county seat is Chickasha. It was named for Henry W. Grady, an editor of the Atlanta Constitution and southern orator.

Comanche County, Oklahoma

Comanche County, Oklahoma

Comanche County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 124,098, making it the fourth-most populous county in Oklahoma. Its county seat is Lawton. The county was created in 1901 as part of Oklahoma Territory. It was named for the Comanche tribal nation.

Candidates

Democrat

Republican

Independent

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Jack Mildren

Jack Mildren

Larry Jack Mildren, was an All-American quarterback at the University of Oklahoma, and professional football player with the Baltimore Colts and New England Patriots. A native Texan, he was later an oil company owner, elected as the 13th lieutenant governor of Oklahoma, and enjoyed a career as a successful bank executive in Oklahoma.

Bernice Shedrick

Bernice Shedrick

Mary Bernice Shedrick is a politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Shedrick represented Oklahoma State Senate District 21 from 1980 to 1996. In 1994 she was a candidate for Governor of Oklahoma. Shedrick is now a part-time Administrative Law Judge in Payne and Logan counties and is a member of the Oklahoma Ethics Commission.

Frank Keating

Frank Keating

Francis Anthony Keating II is an American attorney and politician who served as the 25th governor of Oklahoma from 1995 to 2003.

George H. W. Bush

George H. W. Bush

George Herbert Walker Bush was an American politician, diplomat, and businessman who served as the 41st president of the United States from 1989 to 1993. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 43rd vice president from 1981 to 1989 under President Ronald Reagan, in the U.S. House of Representatives, as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and as Director of Central Intelligence.

United States Associate Attorney General

United States Associate Attorney General

The associate attorney general of the United States is the third-highest-ranking official in the U.S. Department of Justice. The associate attorney general advises and assists the attorney general and the deputy attorney general in policies relating to civil justice, federal and local law enforcement, and public safety matters. The associate attorney general is appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan

Ronald Wilson Reagan was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He previously served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 to 1975 and as president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1947 to 1952 and from 1959 until 1960.

Wes Watkins

Wes Watkins

Wesley Wade Watkins is an American politician from the state of Oklahoma. Watkins is a retired member of the United States House of Representatives where he had represented Oklahoma's 3rd congressional district for 14 years as a Democrat and then for six years as a Republican.

Democratic primary

Lt. Governor Jack Mildren and Bernice Shedrick advanced to the runoff where both candidates received vote totals similar to the first primary, securing the win for Mildren.

Results

Democratic primary results[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jack Mildren 214,765 48.6
Democratic Bernice Shedrick 165,066 37.3
Democratic Danny Williams 46,571 10.6
Democratic Joe Vickers 15,821 3.6
Total votes 442,223 100.00
Democratic runoff primary results[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jack Mildren 223,861 58.8
Democratic Bernice Shedrick 156,749 41.2
Total votes 380,610 100.00

Republican primary

Frank Keating, a former assistant attorney general and member of the Reagan and Bush administrations, defeated four other Republicans to win the GOP nomination.

Results

Republican primary results [1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Frank Keating 117,265 56.9
Republican Jerry Pierce 60,280 29.3
Republican Virginia Hale 15,229 7.4
Republican Thomas H. Lay 7,744 3.8
Republican Jerry Kobyluk 5,429 2.6
Total votes 205,947 100.00

General election

Polling

Source Date Keating (R) Mildren (D) Watkins (I)
KSWO-TV Nov. 4, 1994 40% 39% 15%
Tulsa World Nov. 1, 1994 28% 29% 21%

Results

1994 gubernatorial election, Oklahoma [3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Frank Keating 466,740 46.9 +14.2%
Democratic Jack Mildren 294,936 29.6 -27.8%
Independent Wes Watkins 233,336 23.5 N/A
Majority
Turnout
Republican gain from Democratic Swing

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KSWO-TV

KSWO-TV

KSWO-TV is a television station licensed to Lawton, Oklahoma, United States, serving the western Texoma area as an affiliate of ABC and Telemundo. It is owned by Gray Television, which maintains a shared services agreement (SSA) with American Spirit Media, owner of Wichita Falls, Texas–licensed dual CBS/CW+ affiliate KAUZ-TV, for the provision of certain services. KSWO-TV's studios are located on 60th Street in southeastern Lawton, and its transmitter is located near East 1940 and North 2390 Roads in rural southwestern Tillman County, Oklahoma.

Tulsa World

Tulsa World

The Tulsa World is the daily newspaper for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma. Tulsa World Media Company is part of Lee Enterprises. The new owners announced in January 2020 that a corporate purchase was made of BH Media Group, a Berkshire Hathaway company controlled by Warren Buffett. The printed edition is the second-most circulated newspaper in the state, after The Oklahoman. It was founded in 1905 and locally owned by the Lorton family for almost 100 years until February 2013, when it was sold to BH Media Group. In the early 1900s, the World fought an editorial battle in favor of building a reservoir on Spavinaw Creek, in addition to opposing the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s. The paper was jointly operated with the Tulsa Tribune from 1941 to 1992.

Republican Party (United States)

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party, also referred to as the GOP, is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States. The GOP was founded in 1854 by anti-slavery activists who opposed the Kansas–Nebraska Act, which allowed for the potential expansion of chattel slavery into the western territories. It has been the main political rival of the Democratic Party since the mid-1850s. Like them, the Republican Party is a big tent of competing and often opposing ideologies. Presently, the Republican Party contains prominent conservative, centrist, populist, and right-libertarian factions.

Democratic Party (United States)

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States. Founded in 1828, it was predominantly built by Martin Van Buren, who assembled politicians in every state behind war hero Andrew Jackson, making it the world's oldest active political party. Its main political rival has been the Republican Party since the 1850s, with both parties being big tents of competing and often opposing viewpoints. Modern American liberalism — a variant of social liberalism — is the party's majority ideology. The party also has notable centrist, social democratic, and left-libertarian factions.

Independent politician

Independent politician

An independent or non-partisan politician is a politician not affiliated with any political party or bureaucratic association. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent.

Voter turnout

Voter turnout

In political science, voter turnout is the participation rate of a given election. This is typically either the percentage of registered voters, eligible voters, or all voting-age people. According to Stanford University political scientists Adam Bonica and Michael McFaul, there is a consensus among political scientists that "democracies perform better when more people vote."

Swing (politics)

Swing (politics)

An electoral swing analysis shows the extent of change in voter support, typically from one election to another, expressed as a positive or negative percentage. A multi-party swing is an indicator of a change in the electorate's preference between candidates or parties, often between major parties in a two-party system. A swing can be calculated for the electorate as a whole, for a given electoral district or for a particular demographic.

Source: "1994 Oklahoma gubernatorial election", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2022, December 21st), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_Oklahoma_gubernatorial_election.

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References
  1. ^ a b "Governor, Democratic Primary Election - August 23, 1994" (PDF). Oklahoma State Election Board.
  2. ^ "Governor - Democratic Runoff Primary Election - September 20, 1994" (PDF). Oklahoma State Election Board.
  3. ^ "Governor - General Election - November 8, 1994" (PDF). Oklahoma State Election Board.
  4. ^ "1994 Gubernatorial General Election Results - Oklahoma". uselectionatlas.org.


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