A Republican winning an Oklahoma special election on Tuesday night in a deep red area by just five points has sparked concerns about the GOP’s performance in November’s races.
Republican Erick Harris won House District 39’s special election by 261 votes, beating Democrat Regan Raff into second place (50 percent to 45 percent). The election was triggered following former state Representative Ryan Martinez’s resignation last September after pleading guilty to a felony offense of being in physical control of a vehicle while intoxicated.
While the result is not likely not an indication of the outcome of the 2024 presidential election in Oklahoma—where Donald Trump beat Joe Biden by 33 points in 2020—Harris’ marginal victory in the Edmond district which Trump won by 26 points in the last election has raised concerns.
The results arrived the same night as Democrat Tom Suozzi flipped the New York seat previously held by former Republican congressman George Santos. Suozzi’s win over Republican challenger Mazi Melesa Pilip means that the GOP’s already slim majority in the House has been reduced even further, as well as giving a boost to the Democratic Party and Biden heading into November’s general election.
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Sharing the results of the Oklahoma House District special election, Peter Kratofilow, former chair of the Western New Castle Region Republican Committee, posted on X, formerly Twitter: “Keep telling me Trump is going to win, while we keep losing every other election. Sure, it’s possible with an unpopular Biden on the ticket, but the fundamentals aren’t there.”
Blake Allen, a former campaign finance reporter, added: “If you squint hard enough there are some good signs for Oklahoma Democrats in the medium term. Not saying that they’re flipping the state but routes are starting to show up to potentially break the Republican super majority in the legislature one day.”
Conservative campaign group Tulsa Parents Voice posted: “All that normally Republican juggernaut CAMP money should have been a grand slam for Erick Harris. He will be on the ballot again in 2024.”
Harris’ office and the Oklahoma GOP have been contacted for comment via email.
In a statement following Tuesday’s election victory, Harris said: “I’m humbled to win this election and for the opportunity to serve the great citizens of Edmond in the state House.
“Our state and nation face serious issues and I will work tirelessly every day to find solutions. I’m extremely grateful to my wife and supporters who worked hard to help me win this election. I also want to congratulate all of my opponents who ran spirited and passionate campaigns.”
Harris, a former federal prosecutor whose father was a teacher, previously said that improving education would be a key policy for him if he enters office.
“We need to make sure that we pay teachers a good wage,” Harris said during a debate between him, Raff and Libertarian candidate Richard Prawdzienski, via NonDoc.
“Now, if our budget can support it, I always want to make sure we look at the numbers when we figure out exactly what that sweet spot will be.
“But, I, of course, would support number one, never cutting funding for public education, while also making sure that we have a good amount of funding to pay teachers a competitive salary to keep them here. I’m tired of them going to Texas and other states,” he said.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.