1964 United States Senate special election in Oklahoma
|
|
| | | Nominee | Fred R. Harris | Bud Wilkinson | | Party | Democratic | Republican | Popular vote | 466,782 | 445,392 | Percentage | 51.17% | 48.83% | |
County results Harris: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Wilkinson: 50–60% 60–70% |
U.S. senator before election J. Howard Edmondson Democratic | Elected U.S. Senator Fred R. Harris Democratic | |
Elections in Oklahoma |
---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Government |
|
The 1964 United States Senate special election in Oklahoma took place on November 3, 1964. Democratic senator Robert S. Kerr, who won re-election to his third term in 1960, died in office on January 1, 1963. Governor J. Howard Edmondson resigned from office so that his lieutenant governor, George Nigh, could appoint him to the U.S. Senate. Edmondson ran for election in the ensuing special election, and faced strong competition from former governor Raymond D. Gary and State Senator Fred R. Harris. Edmondson placed first in the primary, but failed to win a majority, with Harris narrowly beating out Gary for second place. In the runoff, Harris defeated Edmondson in a landslide. In the general election, Harris faced former Oklahoma Sooners football coach Bud Wilkinson, the Republican nominee. Even though President Lyndon B. Johnson won Oklahoma by a wide margin over Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater, the Senate race was much closer. Ultimately, Harris only narrowly defeated Wilkinson by just 2% of the vote.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Results
Democratic primary[1] Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Democratic | J. Howard Edmondson (inc.) | 215,455 | 36.44% |
| Democratic | Fred R. Harris | 190,868 | 32.28% |
| Democratic | Raymond Gary | 170,869 | 28.90% |
| Democratic | Willard R. Owens | 14,134 | 2.39% |
Total votes | 591,326 | 100.00% |
Runoff election results
Democratic primary runoff[1] Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Democratic | Fred R. Harris | 277,362 | 60.90% |
| Democratic | J. Howard Edmondson (inc.) | 178,051 | 39.10% |
Total votes | 455,413 | 100.00% |
Republican primary
Candidates
Runoff Election Results
Republican primary Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Bud Wilkinson | 100,544 | 79.22% |
| Republican | Thomas J. Harris | 19,170 | 15.10% |
| Republican | Forest W. Beall | 7,211 | 5.68% |
Total votes | 126,925 | 100.00% |
[3]
General election
Results
1964 United States Senate special election in Oklahoma[1] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Democratic | Fred R. Harris | 466,782 | 51.17% | −3.67% |
| Republican | Bud Wilkinson | 445,392 | 48.83% | +4.22% |
Majority | 21,390 | 2.34% | −7.89% |
Turnout | 912,174 | | |
| Democratic hold |
References
- ^ a b c "1958-1966 Election Results" (PDF). Oklahoma State Election Board. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Wilkinson Announcing Race for U. S. Senate Today". Daily Oklahoman. Oklahoma City, Okla. February 5, 1964. p. 1. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - OK US Senate - Special R Primary Race - May 05, 1964". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
|
---|
President | |
---|
U.S. Senate | |
---|
U.S. House | |
---|
State governors | |
---|
State legislature | |
---|
| This Oklahoma elections-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |