2004 United States Senate election in Oklahoma
![]() | |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
![]() County results Coburn: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Carson: 40–50% 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
Elections in Oklahoma |
---|
![]() |
![]() |
The 2004 United States Senate election in Oklahoma took place on November 2, 2004. The election was concurrent with elections to the United States House of Representatives and the presidential election. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Don Nickles decided to retire instead of seeking a fifth term. Republican nominee Tom Coburn won the open seat.
Democratic primary[]
Candidates[]
- Brad Carson, U.S. Representative
- Carroll Fisher, Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner
- Jim Rogers, perennial candidate
- Monte E. Johnson, attorney
- W. B. G. Woodson
Results[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Brad Carson | 280,026 | 79.37% | |
Democratic | Carroll Fisher | 28,385 | 8.05% | |
Democratic | Jim Rogers | 20,179 | 5.72% | |
Democratic | Monte E. Johnson | 17,274 | 4.90% | |
Democratic | W. B. G. Woodson | 6,932 | 1.96% | |
Total votes | 352,796 | 100.00% |
Republican primary[]
Candidates[]
- Tom Coburn, former U.S. Representative
- Kirk Humphreys, former Mayor of Oklahoma City
- Bob Anthony, Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner
- Jay Richard Hunt, activist
Campaign[]
Humphreys, the former Mayor of Oklahoma City, ran for the United States Senate with institutional conservative support, namely from Senators Don Nickles and Jim Inhofe, as well as former Congressman J. C. Watts. However, Coburn received support from the Club for Growth and conservative activists within Oklahoma. Humphreys noted, "[Coburn is] kind of a cult hero in the conservative portion of our party, not just in Oklahoma. You can't get right of the guy."[2] Much of Coburn's celebrity within the Republican Party came from his tenure in Congress, where he battled House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who he argued was moving the party to the center of the political spectrum due to their excessive federal spending.[3] Coburn's maverick nature culminated itself in 2000 when he backed conservative activist Alan Keyes for President rather than George W. Bush or John McCain.
Ultimately, Coburn triumphed over Humphreys, Anthony, and Hunt in the primary, winning every county in Oklahoma except for tiny Harmon County.
Results[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Tom Coburn | 145,974 | 61.23% | |
Republican | Kirk Humphreys | 59,877 | 25.12% | |
Republican | Bob Anthony | 29,596 | 12.41% | |
Republican | Jay Richard Hunt | 2,944 | 1.23% | |
Total votes | 238,391 | 100.00% |
General election[]
Candidates[]
- Sheila Bilyeu (I), perennial candidate[4]
- Brad Carson (D), United States Congressman from Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district
- Tom Coburn (R), former United States Congressman from Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district
Campaign[]
Carson and Coburn engaged each other head-on in one of the year's most brutal Senate contests. Coburn and the National Republican Senatorial Committee attacked Carson for being too liberal for Oklahoma and for being a vote in lockstep with John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, and Ted Kennedy. To drive the point home, one television advertisement aired by the Coburn campaign accused Carson of being "dangerously liberal" and not supporting the War on Terrorism.[5] Coburn was aided in this effort by the fact that the Kerry campaign did not contest the state of Oklahoma and that incumbent President George W. Bush was expected to win Oklahoma comfortably. This was compounded by the fact that Vice-President Dick Cheney campaigned for Coburn and appeared in several television advertisements for him.[6] Carson countered by emphasizing his Stilwell roots[7] and his moderation, specifically, bringing attention to the fact that he fought for greater governmental oversight of nursing home care for the elderly.[8] Carson responded to the attacks against him by countering that his opponent had committed Medicaid fraud years prior, in an event that reportedly left a woman sterilized without her consent.[9] Ultimately, however, Carson was not able to overcome Oklahoma's conservative nature and Senator Kerry's abysmal performance in Oklahoma, and he was defeated by Coburn by 11.5%. As of 2022, the result remains the closest the Democrats have come to winning a Senate election in Oklahoma since David Boren won a landslide reelection victory in 1990.
Predictions[]
Source | Ranking | As of |
---|---|---|
Sabato's Crystal Ball[10] | Lean R | November 1, 2004 |
Polling[]
Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Tom Coburn (R) |
Brad Carson (D) |
Sheila Bilyeu (I) |
Other / Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SurveyUSA | October 28–30, 2004 | 656 (LV) | ± 3.9% | 47% | 39% | 8% | 6% |
Results[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Tom Coburn | 763,433 | 52.77% | −13.62% | |
Democratic | Brad Carson | 596,750 | 41.24% | +9.97% | |
Independent | Sheila Bilyeu | 86,663 | 5.99% | ||
Majority | 166,683 | 11.52% | −23.58% | ||
Turnout | 1,446,846 | ||||
Republican hold | Swing |
See also[]
- 2004 United States Senate elections
Notes[]
- ^ Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear
References[]
- ^ a b http://www.ok.gov/elections/The_Archives/Election_Results/2004_Election_Results/Primary_Election_2004.html
- ^ Stolberg, Sheryl Gay (19 September 2004). "A Senate Race in Oklahoma Lifts the Right". The New York Times.
- ^ "Tom Coburn–The real maverick in the Senate | Political Realities". Archived from the original on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
- ^ Krehbiel, Randy "Former Oklahoma City TV journalist Abby Broyles files to take on Sen. Jim Inhofe" Tulsa World Apr. 9, 2020 Accessed Oct. 11, 2021.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Tom Coburn 2004 U.S. Senate "Dangerously Liberal"". YouTube.
- ^ http://www3.nationaljournal.com/members/adspotlight/2004/10/1007oksen1.htm[permanent dead link]
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Brad Carson U.S. Senate 2004 "Stilwell"". YouTube.
- ^ http://newsok.com/carsons-first-stand-should-feds-examine-nursing-homes/article/2738499
- ^ "Okla. Senate Candidate Is Accused of Fraud (washingtonpost.com)". The Washington Post.
- ^ "The Final Predictions". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- ^ http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/2004election.pdf[bare URL PDF]
- 2004 Oklahoma elections
- 2004 United States Senate elections
- United States Senate elections in Oklahoma