Bartlett defeats Taylor in Tulsa mayoral race

Mayor Dewey Bartlett, Jr.

As of 8:45pm CST, incumbent mayor Dewey Bartlett (R) appears to have solidly defeated his predecessor, Kathy Taylor (D), in Tulsa's mayoral election. KOTV reports Bartlett with 57% and Taylor with 43%, with 84% of precincts reporting.

Former Mayor Kathy Taylor

Although ostensibly non-partisan (Tulsa moved to non-partisan city elections following the 2012 election), this contest turned out to be extremely partisan. While non-partisan races may sound like a nice idea, in actuality, unless the city has a population under 50,000 or so, it doesn't matter -- municipal races will be partisan.

Coburn Unveils New Campaign Site

U.S. Senator Tom Coburn has given his campaign website a new look. You can check it out at CoburnForSenate.com.

The Muskogee resident and doctor announced on June 1st that he will seek a second, and final, term in the United States Senate. So far, he has drawn no open opponents, although speculation is that Tulsa mayor Kathy Taylor may make an attempt at the seat.

Kathy Taylor Won't Seek Re-Election as Tulsa Mayor

From Chris Medlock's blog:

KOTV the News On Six is reporting that Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor will not seek re-election. The station's website reports that Taylor will be making an official statement in a television spot to begin Friday. In it, she states that she is "a business person not a mayor."

Rumors have been circulating for weeks that Taylor was interviewed in Tulsa by representatives of the Obama administration for a position in the Commerce Department. Taylor had served as Oklahoma's Secretary of Commerce in the Brad Henry administration prior to running for mayor. In fact, it is something that I had publicly speculated upon as far back as two years ago, that she might be seeking such a post, should a Democrat win the seat.

Obviously, this takes what was considered to be a tight race with few GOP candidates eager to take on Taylor's money, to a race that could draw several Republicans seeking the nomination.

More on this as facts become known.

This is interesting. What has been viewed as an unwinnable race for Republicans is now suddenly wide open. Kathy Taylor had a formidable war chest, and has been raising money recently, if memory serves me correctly.

The only candidates to have announced so far are Republicans Clay Clark and Robert Gwin, Jr. Several city councilors are rumored to be looking at the office, and surely will now.

In recent weeks, Taylor has denied being wooed for a job in the Obama administration. Of course, this latest move has sparked lots of speculation, including rumors that she may be looking at running for Lt. Governor, some other state-wide office, or even challenging John Sullivan for the First Congressional District in 2010.

But then again, maybe she's moving back to her Florida home.