Election Results Maps: Trump mega-sweep, Biden loses one county

The presidential primary was on Tuesday, so it's time to update my long-running Election Results Maps series. Today, we look at how well - or how poorly - the presumptive major party nominees performed. 

First up, the Democratic primary:

As you can see, President Joe Biden cruised to 72.98% statewide, a lead of 45.96% over all challengers combined. However, he failed to carry all 77 counties, losing one (Cimarron) to Congressman Dean Phillips.

Biden clung to single-digit leads in three other counties - Coal (33.33%, a 2.2% lead over Phillips), Roger Mills (37.5%, a 1.4% lead over Phillips), and Washita (35.92%, a 4.9% lead over Phillips). He was held under 50% in 11 counties, and an even 50% in one more.

He did perform better than President Barack Obama did in his second-term primary; Obama received 57.1%, while losing 14 counties. On the other hand, President Trump set a record for incumbent presidents by scoring 92.6% in 2020 (including unanimous votes in 13.7% of all precints).

Speaking of Trump...

Former President Donald Trump, unsurprisingly, swept all 77 counties by commanding margins, with 81.83% statewide (a lead of 63.66% over all challengers combined). His worst showing was in Oklahoma County, where he led Nikki Haley by a 72.23% to 24.92% vote (a 47.3% lead for The Donald). He topped 90% in 23 counties, including two where he led by 90% (Coal with a 90.4% lead, and Choctaw with a 90.3% lead -- with 94.84% and 94.55% of the vote, respectively).

Granted, he's something of a semi-incumbent, at least within his own party, but I would surmise this to be the largest and most dominant primary performance by an individual who is not currently sitting in the White House.

State Election Board offers tips and reminders ahead of March 5th Presidential Primaries

It's something of a foregone conclusion as to who will overwhelmingly win their respective presidential primaries (well, except for the Libertarians), but Tuesday is Oklahoma's presidential primary.

State Election Board Offers Tips and Reminders Ahead of Presidential Primaries

(Oklahoma City, March 1st) – Voters head to the polls Tuesday for the Presidential Preferential Primary and several nonpartisan elections. The State Election Board offers these tips and reminders to Oklahoma voters ahead of the March 5 Election.

State Auditor Cindy Byrd endorses Trump

Just in from State Auditor Cindy Byrd:

STATE AUDITOR CINDY BYRD ENDORSES PRESIDENT TRUMP

(Dec. 4th) "I am supporting President Trump in 2024."

"As Oklahoma State Auditor, I have seen the erosion of the dollar under the Biden administration. Biden's poor fiscal policies coupled with the national debt is crippling our State."

Donald Trump defiant in sure-to-be iconic mugshot

In his first post on Twitter since being banned in 2021, former President Donald Trump posted an image of his defiant mugshot, taken today at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, Georgia, and released this evening by the Fulton County Sheriff's Office.

Trump's NASA head, former Congressman Jim Bridenstine endorses Ron DeSantis for President

The Ron DeSantis team is drip-dripping Oklahoma news ahead of the Florida governor's Tulsa event on Saturday. Today, it's an endorsement from former 1st District Congressman Jim Bridenstine, who was appointed by Pres. Trump to head up NASA. This is a good 'get', as Bridenstine was a very reliable conservative in Congress, and a member of the Freedom Caucus (some of the legislators announced the other day have less stellar conservative credentials).

Leading Oklahoma Conservative and Trump Appointee Jim Bridenstine Endorses Gov. Ron DeSantis for President

ATLANTA, Ga. (June 8, 2023) – Leading conservative, previous Trump-appointed NASA administrator, and former Oklahoma Congressman Jim Bridenstine has endorsed Gov. Ron DeSantis to be the next President of the United States. The announcement follows the endorsement of 20 Oklahoma state legislators backing Gov. Ron DeSantis’ bid for the White House.

20 Oklahoma legislators endorse Ron DeSantis for President

20 Oklahoma Legislators Endorse Gov. Ron DeSantis for President

ATLANTA, Ga. (June 7th) – 20 state senators and representatives in the Oklahoma legislature have endorsed Gov. Ron DeSantis to be the next President of the United States ahead of the governor’s trip to Tulsa on Saturday, June 10th.

Ron DeSantis to make campaign stop in Tulsa on Saturday

Florida Governor and 2024 GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis is coming to Tulsa this weekend for a campaign stop. The event was announced earlier today by Never Back Down, the super PAC campaigning for DeSantis.

Attendance is free but does require reserving a ticket.

Donald Trump coming to Tulsa this evening for NCAA Wrestling Championships

Former President Donald Trump will be in Tulsa this evening as a personal guest of U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin at the NCAA Wrestling Championships at the BOK Center.

Mullin endorsed Trump's 2024 presidential campaign early last month, becoming the fifth sitting Senator to do so.

The Tulsa County GOP is organizing a welcome party:

Jackson Lahmeyer launches 'Pastors for Trump' 2024 group

Remember Jackson Lahmeyer, the Tulsa pastor who got trounced running against Sen. James Lankford earlier this year? He's back in the news, having kicked off a new organization to promote Donald Trump's 2024 candidacy:

Pastors For Trump Launches, Backed by Faith Leaders With 200k Congregants

TULSA, Okla., Dec. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Counting a chapter in each state and the backing of dozens of Christian pastors with over 200,000 congregants, Pastors for Trump (PFT) is aiming to galvanize support in the evangelical community for President Trump as he seeks to return to the White House as Commander-in-Chief in 2024. 

Pastor Jackson Lahmeyer created the coalition to help recognize the efforts of millions of Christians across the United States in the political process and to provide a way to advocate for issues central to the faithful including the importance of life, marriage, freedom of speech, and personal responsibility. 

Pastor Lahmeyer is currently the Lead Pastor for Sheridan Church in Tulsa. Lahmeyer attended Oral Roberts University (ORU) and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. & M.A. in Theological & Historical Studies. Lahmeyer was Crusade Director for Christ for All Nations, which is the ministry of Reinhard Bonnke, a ministry that has helped lead 74 million people to Christ since 1974. Lahmeyer also served as the Oklahoma State Coordinator for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association leading more than 300 churches across Oklahoma to get engaged and fight for conservative values. In 2021-2022, Lahmeyer was a candidate for the United States Senate in Oklahoma and received endorsements from many America First Patriots including Roger Stone, Rudy Giuliani, John Paul Mac Isaac and Sebastian Gorka.

"President Trump made it clear during his 2016 campaign for President of the United States that he was committed to bringing Christian leaders into the fold. During his historic first term, he proved that he would deliver on the promises he made. Heading into 2024, it is more important now than ever to reaffirm the strength of the Christian faith and our willingness to support President Trump in his fight to return to the Oval Office," explained Lahmeyer. 

Lahmeyer is joined by Pastor Craig Hagan, who is co-Pastor of Rhema Bible Church and Chief Operating Officer For Keith Hagin Ministries and Pastor Mark Burns, Co-Founder & CEO of The NOW Television Network, a Christian television network based out of South Carolina reaches 11 Million Homes named by Time Magazine as "Trump Pastor."  Hagin and Burns will serve on the Board of Directors for Pastors for Trump. 

PFT has a monthly prayer call, daily prayer requests, and allows all Americans to voice the issues most important to their Christian faith that they want to see influence public policy in the coming months. Pastors looking to join PFT can visit pastors4trump.com to fill out an application and receive regular updates. 

Yuuuge night: 13.7% of Oklahoma precincts were unanimously Trump

Donald Trump had a yuuuuge night in Oklahoma's Republican presidential primary. Granted, this was not even remotely a primary that was contested, with five individuals (it's almost wrong to call them "challengers") on the ballot with either nonexistent or nearly-nonexistent campaigns.

Even so, Trump made history with his performance at the ballot box:

• Highest reelection percentage for any President in an Oklahoma primary
• 12 counties gave him over 98% of their vote

It gets even more amazing: an examination of the precinct-by-precinct results shows Trump received a 100% unanimous vote in 264 precincts across the state. 

That's...

• 13.7% of all voting precincts in Oklahoma
• 10,749 total votes cast in those precincts
• 3.9% of the total statewide GOP vote cast in those precincts
• An average of 40.7 votes per precincts

Getting unanimity on any issue or election is nigh impossible. Getting this many unanimous precincts, including a dozen with over 100 votes cast? Pretty amazing. 

Astounding map: Trump's percentage by county

We've had another election, so it's time for some new additions to my decade-old Election Results Maps series. Tonight, we're looking at the percentages President Trump received in each county. As I mentioned in a previous post, Trump set a new record for incumbent presidents in a reelection primary vote with 92.6%.

Trump's lowest percentages came, expectedly, in urban or university counties, but "lowest" is very relative, as his "worst" total was still 88.2%.

12 counties gave Trump over 98% of the vote, with about half of them confining the five challengers' votes to a cumulative single-digit total. Haskell and Harmon counties had just two people cast ballots for someone else.

Haven't dug through them yet, but I bet there will be a large amount of unanimously-Trump precincts.

OK Primary: Trump sets record vote for incumbent president

President Donald Trump has won the Oklahoma Republican presidential primary in historic fashion:

THANK YOU OKLAHOMA! #KAG2020 pic.twitter.com/V5DNRn6yNB

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2020

Presidential primaries featuring incumbents since Oklahoma moved from caucuses to primaries in 1988:

• Bill Clinton got 76.23% in his 1996 re-election campaign. 
• George W. Bush received an even 90% in 2004. 
• Barack Obama pulled 57.1% in 2012

Donald Trump? He beat them all:

Election results from the Oklahoma State Election Board

92.6%.

With this performance, Donald Trump has set a new record for incumbent presidents in Oklahoma primaries.

Election Day: Trump on the ballot, Bernie vs Biden vs Bloomberg on Dem side

Today is the Presidential Preferential Primary here in Oklahoma. Voters here will cast ballots, along with 14 other states, in a massive 'Super Tuesday' that may well decide the Democratic presidential primary.

President Trump will be on the primary ballot in 13 states, Oklahoma included, and the only question is will he break records for an incumbent president in a re-election primary.

Early voting turnout in Oklahoma was been high, with Democrats close to their 2016 levels and well above 2008.

Democrats and Independents can vote in the Democratic presidential primary, while Republicans have their own primary. 16 counties have nonpartisan issues on the ballot that all voters can weigh in on.

Republican Presidential Primary ballot:

• Donald J. Trump
• Joe Walsh
• Bob Ely
• Matthew John Matern
• Zoltan G. Istvan
• Roque Rocky De La Fuente

Democratic Presidential Primary ballot:

• Joseph R. Biden
• Bernie Sanders
• Michael R. Bloomberg
• Elizabeth Warren
• Tulsa Gabbard
• Deval Patrick
• Marianne Williamson
• Tom Steyer
• Amy Klobuchar
• Michael Bennett
• Julian Castro
• Andrew Yang
• Pete Buttigieg
• Cory Booker

Polling places are open until 7:00pm this evening. If you need assistance finding your voting location, use this tool from the Oklahoma State Election Board.

Three Democratic state legislators endorse different candidates

With the Oklahoma Presidential primary on Tuesday, several of the Democratic candidates have made some effort at reaching Oklahoma voters. Michael Bloomberg made another campaign stop in the OKC metro this week, and candidates like Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren have had their campaigns make swings through on the campaign trail.

Public endorsements by state legislators, however, seem to have been few and far between. Of the 33 Democrats in the legislature, I've only seen three of them endorse one of the fourteen Democrats on Oklahoma's presidential primary ballot:

Endorsements so far:

• Joe Biden: State Rep. Ajay Pittman
• Mike Bloomberg: State Sen. Kevin Matthews
• Bernie Sanders: State Rep. Jacob Rosecrants

TW Shannon to Dems: Stop promising me 40 acres and a mule

Former Oklahoma House Speaker T.W. Shannon had some strong reaction to the Democratic presidential debate last night:

This debate is embarrassing at best and disingenuous at worst. Every Time black voters are mentioned someone promises billions of dollars in free stuff. It’s offensive. Black communities like other communities need access to a quality education and job opportunities-not promises of free stuff the federal government can’t afford. The greater the freedom, the greater the prosperity. Stop promising me 40 acres and a mule. #woke

Candidate Filing Begins Monday for OK Presidential Primary

Candidate Filing Begins December 2 for Oklahoma Presidential Primary

(Oklahoma City) – The three day candidate filing period for Oklahoma's Presidential Preferential Primary begins Monday, December 2 at 8:00 a.m. Statements of Candidacy for the Presidential Primary should be submitted to the Secretary of the Oklahoma State Election Board between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on December 2, 3, or 4 at the State Election Board, located in room G28 of the Oklahoma State Capitol.

Those interested in filing for the election can download a candidate filing packet at: https://www.ok.gov/elections/Candidate_Info/Candidate_Filing/index.html.

Statements of Candidacy for the Presidential Primary must be notarized and accompanied by a filing fee. The filing fee is $5,000 and must be in the form of a cashier’s check or certified check payable to the Secretary of the State Election Board. A petition may be submitted in lieu of the filing fee. The official petition form and signature requirements can be found in the candidate filing packet.

The State Election Board will post a list of candidates who have filed for the Presidential Preferential Primary on its website at: elections.ok.gov.

December 2 - 4 is also the candidate filing period for school boards across the state. Declarations of Candidacy for the Board of Education should be filed with the candidate’s County Election Board.

Those interested in filing for the election can download a candidate filing packet at: https://www.ok.gov/elections/Candidate_Info/Candidate_Filing/index.html.

Trump/Pence officially becomes GOP ticket

Donald Trump is now the Republican nominee for President. Here's the official vote tally from earlier this evening at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland:

Donald Trump - 1,725
Ted Cruz - 475
John Kasich - 120
Marco Rubio - 114
Ben Carson - 7
Jeb Bush - 3
Rand Paul - 2

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence was nominated for Vice President by a voice vote.

Cruz announces Carly Fiorina as his VP pick

Cruz Chooses Carly Fiorina as Vice Presidential Running Mate

Presidential candidate Ted Cruz today announced that former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina would be his Vice Presidential running mate. As a groundbreaking executive and the first woman to lead a Fortune 50 company, Fiorina brings a record of innovation and tremendous leadership to the Cruz campaign. An outsider to politics, Fiorina adds a fresh perspective to the difficult challenges America faces and has a solutions-oriented approach that is desperately needed in the federal government.

“In choosing the person I believe would honorably and faithfully serve in the office of the Vice President – the person who under our Constitution could ascend either temporarily or permanently to the presidency – there must be a higher criteria, and that criteria must be this: will that person keep the faith and trust of the American people?” Ted Cruz said. “For all the enormously impressive qualities I saw in others whom I considered for the office of the Vice Presidency of the United States, I found a clear choice:

“One who has never been afraid to stand up to the insider status quo. Who knows the principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution because this leader has lived them – a life dedicated to the dignity of work, of our right to pursue our wildest aspirations – and to help others do the same. And a leader who understands that power never has and never will come from the government – here in the United States it comes from the people.

“Who respects the people, who has worked alongside them, and who will serve them with an unbreakable purpose of protecting every one of their rights – and making sure that the America we hand to our kids and grandkids is better than the one before us today.

“For the 13 months of this race, there has been a proven, consistent, courageous fighter. A fighter who terrifies Hillary. And who will do the same to our enemies. And that’s why I am proud to announce Carly Fiorina as my Vice Presidential running mate.”

“Ted Cruz is a constitutional conservative who has made enemies in both parties standing up to the bipartisan corruption in Washington,” said Carly Fiorina. “He has fought to change the system. He kept his word to the people of Texas, and I know, if elected, he will keep his word and bring back American jobs, defend our nation, and protect our constitutional freedoms.

“Make no mistake: this is a fight now. Ted and I can't do this without your help. And this is about all of us. It's about whether we want our kids to be able to get a good paying job when they get out of school. It's about whether we want to turn our backs on religious liberty and our second amendment. It's about whether we want to live in a nation that secures its borders and calls Islamic terrorism by its name. It is about whether we believe America must lead again in the world.

“This is why we fight. Join us. And let's elect Ted Cruz the next President of the United States.”

Election Results Maps: Dem/Ind Presidential Primary turnout

I finally got the information from the state election board for the March 1st presidential primary, so here are some more Election Results Maps. It was a bit of a challenge, as their software could break the Democratic primary results down by-party/by-precinct but not by-party/by-county, so it was a bit of a process on my end to get these results.

In this post, we'll examine the turnout on the Democratic side of things. This was the first election that the Oklahoma Democratic Party allowed Independent voters to participate in. What impact did that have?

Not much, it turns out.

This graphic shows the turnout percentage of registered Democrats, Statewide, Democrat turnout was about 36.53% (based off of the January 2016 voter registration numbers). Highest Democrat turnout was in Major County with 47.02%, and the lowest came in Choctaw County at 21.72%.

In contrast, the Republican turnout (no map yet) was about 52.26%.

Generally speaking, turnout was very low in the heavily-Democratic south and southeast, and higher northwest of the Oklahoma City and Tulsa metros.

Here we have the turnout for registered Independents. Statewide turnout was 13.36% of registered Independents. The highest turnout for Independent voters was in Cleveland County at 18.99%, and the lowest was in Harmon County with 4.46%.

Generally speaking, turnout was extremely light all across the state, except around Oklahoma City, Stillwater and Tulsa, where it was upgraded to very light.

This shows the percentage of primary votes cast in each county by Democrat voters. In all but four counties, registered Democrats cast over 85% of the vote. The lowest percentage came in Texas County, where it dipped to 79.92%. The highest percentage was in Harmon County, with 98.48% of the votes being made by Democrats. In all, 89.51% of votes cast were by Democrats.

This graphic shows the percentage of primary votes cast in each county by Independent voters. Independents cast 10.49% of all votes in the primary. Texas County had the highest percentage of Independent votes at 20.08%, and Harmon County had the lowest with 1.52%.

OK's Stuart Jolly resigns as Trump's nat'l field director

From Stuart Jolly:

It's true. I've stepped down from my position with the Trump campaign. I'm sure my resignation will be spun by the press, but I left on top and on my own terms. Corey Lewandowski gave me a wonderful opportunity and working with Corey and Michael Glassner was a dream come true. Winning NH, SC and 20 other races is something that can't be taken away from us, but it was time to leave. On to bigger and better things!

From Politico.com:

In a shakeup that’s roiling Donald Trump's presidential campaign, the GOP front-runner told senior staffers at a Saturday meeting that he wants his recent hires Paul Manafort and Rick Wiley to take the reins in upcoming states, giving them a $20-million budget for key contests in May and June, according to three sources with knowledge of the meeting.
[...]
But sources inside the Trump campaign said the moves are increasingly alienating staff loyal to the original team headed by campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, which had guided Trump from the political fringe to the precipice of the GOP presidential nomination with relatively little campaign infrastructure or spending.

One key Lewandowski loyalist, national field director Stuart Jolly, on Monday submitted a letter of resignation, according to the sources, who characterized Jolly as displeased with the reorganization. Under the new structure, Jolly would have reported to Wiley, who was hired last week by Manafort as political director. In turn, Wiley, who previously ran Scott Walker's disappointing presidential campaign, will report to Manafort, who was hired late last month and quickly boasted “I work directly for the boss.”

One operative who has worked with the campaign and was briefed on the changes said “Stuart will not work with Rick Wiley. It just wasn’t going to happen.” The operative added that the change had sparked particular concern among the campaign’s field staff, many of whom were hired by Jolly and maintained close contact with him — a rarity on a campaign with a reputation for top-down communication.

“Stuart is the only guy who has worked with the field staff, and they are loyal to him,” said the operative. “He is the only guy who understands how this works. It is going to be a huge shock when he leaves."
[...]
In Jolly’s resignation letter, which was addressed to "Mr. Trump" and was reviewed by POLITICO, the Oklahoma operative expressed his “deepest gratitude” to the candidate, declaring "I will never forget your encouragement and loyalty.” But he said he decided “it is time for me to leave the campaign and pursue education reform issues.” He praised Lewandowski, calling him “one of my best friends” and explaining he was “initially the reason I joined this campaign.”

A retired Army lieutenant colonel who served in Iraq, Jolly worked with Lewandowski at the Koch brothers-backed advocacy group Americans for Prosperity mostly on policy fights, and did not have any previous national campaign experience. Jolly was initially hired by Lewandowski to focus on Southern States that voted March 1. But he was shifted to New Hampshire ahead of that state’s critical first-in-the-nation primary after Trump’s disappointing loss to Ted Cruz in the Iowa caucuses.

Trump’s lopsided primary wins in New Hampshire on Feb. 9 and South Carolina 11 days later shocked the political establishment and put him on a trajectory to win the nomination. Those early victories “were magical and I will never forget them,” Jolly wrote to Trump.