2018 Oklahoma gubernatorial election

The 2018 Oklahoma gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 2018, to elect the next governor of Oklahoma. Incumbent Republican Governor Mary Fallin was term-limited, and is prohibited by the Constitution of Oklahoma from seeking another gubernatorial term. Republican Businessman Kevin Stitt was elected elected with 54.3% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee and former Oklahoma attorney general Drew Edmondson.

Primary elections occurred on June 26, 2018. For the Democratic primary, Edmondson won outright. Stitt however faced a runoff election against former Oklahoma City mayor Mick Cornett. On August 28, 2018, Stitt won the Republican primary runoff and became the Republican nominee for the office. The Libertarian Party also held a primary, which advanced to a runoff, with Chris Powell, a former chair of the Libertarian Party of Oklahoma, winning the nomination.

This was also the first election in which the Libertarian Party has been on the ballot to participate in a gubernatorial election in Oklahoma, and the only time since 1986 that a candidate from the incumbent president's party was elected Governor of Oklahoma.

A member of the Cherokee Nation, Stitt became the first tribally enrolled Native American to serve as governor of a U.S. state.

Nominated

 * Kevin Stitt, businessman

Eliminated in the primary runoff

 * Mick Cornett, former mayor of Oklahoma City

Eliminated in the initial primary

 * Christopher Barnett, businessman
 * Dan Fisher, former state representative
 * Eric Foutch, veteran
 * Barry Gowdy, nurse
 * Gary Jones, Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector
 * Todd Lamb, Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma
 * Gary Richardson, former United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, nominee for OK-02 in 1978 and 1980, and independent candidate for governor in 2002
 * Blake "Cowboy" Stephens, rancher and educator

Results
[[File:2018 Oklahoma gubernatorial Republican primary.svg|thumb|Initial primary results by county: {{legend|#ff9955|Cornett}}

{{legend|#ffdac1|20–30%}}

{{legend|#ffcca9|30–40%}}

{{legend|#ffb580|40–50%}} {{legend|#e27f7f|Stitt}}

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{{legend|#FFC8CD|30–40%}} {{legend|#37c837|Lamb}}

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{{legend|#87de87|40–50%}} {{legend|#7996e2ff|Fisher}}

{{legend|#DFEEFF|20–30%}} ]]

Results
[[File:2018 OK gubernatorial Republican runoff.svg|thumb|Primary runoff results by county: {{legend|#E27F7F|Stitt}}

{{legend|#E27F7F|50–60%}}

{{legend|#D75D5D|60–70%}}

{{legend|#D72F30|70–80%}} {{legend|#FF9A50|Cornett}}

{{legend|#FF9A50|50–60%}} ]]

Nominated

 * Drew Edmondson, former attorney general of Oklahoma and candidate for Governor of Oklahoma in 2010

Eliminated in the primary

 * Connie Johnson, former state senator and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2014

Withdrew

 * Scott Inman, state representative
 * Norman Jay Brown, auto mechanic

Declined

 * Dan Boren, former U.S. Representative
 * Joe Dorman, former state representative and nominee for governor in 2014

Polling

 * with Norman Brown

Results
[[File:2018 Oklahoma gubernatorial Democratic primary.svg|thumb|Results by county: {{legend|#7996E2|Edmondson}}

{{legend|#7996E2|50–60%}}

{{legend|#6674DE|60–70%}}

{{legend|#584CDE|70–80%}} ]]

Nominated

 * Chris Powell, former chair of the Oklahoma Libertarian Party and candidate for Oklahoma County Clerk in 2016

Eliminated in the primary runoff

 * Rex L. Lawhorn, former chair of the Oklahoma Americans Elect Party and Oklahoma State Director for Our America Initiative

Eliminated in the initial primary

 * Joe Exotic, zoo operator

Results
[[File:2018 Oklahoma gubernatorial Libertarian primary.svg|thumb|Initial primary results by county: Powell

{{legend|#554400|100%}}

{{legend|#aa8800|80–90%}}

{{legend|#d4aa00|70–80%}}

{{legend|#ffcc00|60–70%}}

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{{legend|#ffdd55|40–50%}} Powell/Lawhorn tie

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{{legend|#b3b3b3|40–50%}}

{{legend|#999999|50%}} Lawhorn

{{legend|#55ddff|40–50%}}

{{legend|#2ad4ff|50–60%}}

{{legend|#00ccff|60–70%}}

{{legend|#00aad4|70–80%}}

{{legend|#004455|100%}} Exotic

{{legend|#55ff55|40–50%}}

{{legend|#00d400|70–80%}}

{{legend|#005500|100%}} No votes

{{legend|#000000|No Votes}} ]]

Results
[[File:2018 OK gubernatorial Libertarian runoff.svg|thumb|Primary runoff results by county: Powell

{{legend|#554400|100%}}

{{legend|#aa8800|80–90%}}

{{legend|#d4aa00|70–80%}}

{{legend|#ffcc00|60–70%}}

{{legend|#ffd42a|50–60%}} Powell/Lawhorn tie

{{legend|#999999|50%}} Lawhorn

{{legend|#2ad4ff|50–60%}}

{{legend|#00ccff|60–70%}}

{{legend|#00aad4|70–80%}}

{{legend|#004455|100%}} No votes

{{legend|#000000|No votes}} ]]

General election


Oklahoma determines ballot order by a random drawing which took place for this election cycle on July 12, resulting in the Libertarian Party being listed first, Republicans second, and Democrats third.

Debates

 * Complete video of debate, September 24, 2018

Predictions

 * Notes

Polling

 * Graphical summary


 * with Mick Cornett


 * with Todd Lamb

County results
Stitt won 73 counties, while Edmondson won four. Stitt won 56 counties with at least 60% of the popular vote, 14 counties with at least 70%, and three counties – Beaver, Cimarron, and Ellis – with upwards of 80%. Stitt had the largest margin of victory in Cimarron with 73.09% more votes than Edmondson's 12.27%, the latter's lowest county performance in the election. The largest county per vote count won by Stitt was Tulsa County, home of Tulsa. Oklahoma County, of which Oklahoma City is county seat, was the only county where Stitt failed to acquire three out of every seven votes.

Edmondson won Muskogee by a single vote, and had an 11.84% margin of victory – his only margin of victory above 10% – in Oklahoma County. Edmondson won his four counties with typically narrower margins than that of Stitt, having missed 50% of the popular vote in Muskogee. Powell never came close to winning any counties, but won his highest percentage of votes in Washita County, with 4.97%

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

 * Caddo (Largest city: Anadarko)
 * Coal (Largest city: Coalgate)
 * Latimer (Largest city: Wilburton)
 * Pontotoc (Largest city: Ada)

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

 * Cleveland (Largest city: Norman)
 * Oklahoma (Largest city: Oklahoma City)

By congressional district
Stitt won 4 of 5 congressional districts.