Ordinarily Oklahoma would be near 100% reporting to the state election board, but results have been excruciatingly slow to come in to the state election board from Tulsa and Oklahoma Counties — the two largest counties in the state and two Republican strongholds. Unofficial results collected by Republican legislative campaigns, combined with state election board results point to a 7 seat gain for Republicans, which would give the GOP a majority of 55-46 — the first Republican House majority in 82 years. A three-seat Republican gain in the State Senate will leave Democrats in control by a margin of 25-23.

House District 78, an open seat in midtown Tulsa, is very close. With all precincts collected by the Schaffer campaign, Republican attorney David Schaffer is leading Democrat city employee Jeannie McDaniel by 28 votes, but that total does not count absentee ballots or provisional ballots. The word is that absentee ballots may not be fully counted until Thursday. If the result holds, this would be a pickup for the Republicans in a district that is even in registration, but which has been represented by a Democrat for the last eight years.

In House District 13 (Muskogee County), it appears that incumbent Republican Stuart Ericson will be defeated by Democrat Jerry McPeak. Ericson won his first race in this heavily Democrat district in 2000. It appears that a massive turnout effort by Democrat Senate candidate Brad Carson swamped Ericson’s reelection effort.

Republicans appear to have won House 10 (Washington, Nowata and Osage counties), with Steve Martin defeating Judy Taylor, the wife of the incumbent who was forced into retirement by term limits; House 30 (Creek County), with former Sapulpa Mayor Brian Bingman defeating John Mark Young; House 59 in western Oklahoma; and House 71 (Tulsa County), with attorney Dan Sullivan defeating incumbent Roy McClain. McClain won traditionally Republican House 71 in 2002 in the wake of a scandal involving then-incumbent Chad Stites — a scandal that hit after the filing period had closed. Republicans expected to win this one back. Another 8 seats, currently held by Democrats, are still close with enough precincts still out to swing it either way.

In the State Senate, Republicans will pick up three seats, including Senate 31 and 32 in the Lawton area in southwest Oklahoma. This area has consistently returned Democrats to the legislature despite the strong presence of active and retired military connected with Fort Sill. The area elected its first Republican House member in many years in 2002, and now it appears that both local State Senators will be Republicans. Republicans are also holding Senate 15 (Cleveland County), and winning Senate 23 in Grady County. Republicans had hoped to take over the open Senate 33 seat in Tulsa County, but Dewey Bartlett Jr (son of the late U. S. Senator and former Tulsa City Councilor) appears to have lost narrowly to Tom Adelson, former Oklahoma Secretary of Health.