Election Results Map: Libertarian Gubernatorial runoff

This Election Results Map post looks at the Libertarian Party's gubernatorial runoff . Previously, I posted the maps for the GOP State Auditor, Attorney General, Corporation Commission, Labor Commissioner, and Lieutenant Governor runoffs.

In the primary election, Chris Powell won 53 counties, while Rex Lawhorn won 16, with two counties tied between Powell/Lawhorn and one between Lawhorn/Exotic. Two counties had no votes cast.

In the runoff, Powell won 29 counties, Lawhorn won 26 counties, 9 were tied, and 13 had no votes cast. Despite the closer county tally, Powell did well where it mattered most, with large margins in the metros and counties where more than 20 Libertarians cast ballots.

32 counties had five or fewer votes cast; statewide, 926 Libertarians voted in their gubernatorial runoff.

Pre-Runoff Finance Reports: Governor's race

The final campaign finance reports (pre-runoff) before the August 28th primary have been submitted and posted on the Oklahoma Ethics Commission website. We'll look at the gubernatorial race in this post. All figures below are campaign-to-date, and may include in-kind contributions or expenditures.

The money in the GOP primary/runoff is mindblowing... far and away the most expensive race in Oklahoma history before the GOP nominee has even been decided.

REPUBLICANS

Total Raised: $15,226,168.48

Total Spent: $14,215,428.94

Total Cash-on-Hand: $727,082.99
Burn rate: 95.13%

Kevin Stitt

Total raised: $6,542,863.91 (includes $3,281,000 in loans)

Total spent: $6,018,662.13

Total cash-on-hand: $368,557.72
Burn rate: 94.23%

Mick Cornett
Total raised: $3,242,795.74
Total spent: $2,826,305.70
Total cash-on-hand: $336,691.50
Burn rate: 89.36%

Todd Lamb
Total raised: $3,715,470.61
Total spent: $3,669,760.27
Total cash-on-hand: $13,636.80

Gary Richardson
Total raised: $1,253,448.92 (includes $1,002,575.37 loan)
Total spent: $1,247,700.14
Total cash-on-hand: $0

Dan Fisher
Total raised: $341,220.81 (includes $20,000 loan)
Total spent: $325,561.73
Total cash-on-hand: $7,834.99

Gary Jones

Total raised: $113,080.48 (includes $16,000 loan)

Total spent: $111,331.07

Total cash-on-hand: $455.88

DEMOCRATS

Total Raised: $2,101,942.86

Total Spent: $1,386,655.37

Total Cash-on-Hand: $703,890.82
Burn rate: 66.33%

Drew Edmondson
Total raised: $2,032,248.62 (includes $60,000 loan)
Total spent: $1,318,163.77
Total cash-on-hand: $703,004.68
Burn rate: 65.22%

Connie Johnson

Total raised: $69,694.24

Total spent: $68,491.60

Total cash-on-hand: $886.14

LIBERTARIANS

Total Raised: $32,535.90 (~$9,600 in-kind)

Total Spent: $20,612.02

Total Cash-on-Hand: $2,280.64
Burn rate: 90.04

Chris Powell

Total raised: $10,142.88 (including $1,200 loan)

Total spent: $6,991.02

Total cash-on-hand: $3,017.51
Burn rate: 69.85%

Rex Lawhorn
Total raised: $4,575.00
Total spent: $5,286.87
Total cash-on-hand: $-736.87
Burn rate: 116.19%

Joseph Maldonado

Total raised: $17,818.02 (~$9,500 in-kind)

Total spent: $8,334.13

Total cash-on-hand: $0

Election Results Map: Libertarian Gubernatorial Primary

For the latest installment in my Election Results Maps series, we now take a look at the GOP primary for Corporation Commission. As is my custom, I try to match primary results map colors to campaign logos when possible.

In the only Libertarian primary this year, three candidates split the vote enough to bring Libertarian voters back to the polls in August for a runoff election.

Chris Powell took in 48.9% of the vote, falling just shy out clinching the nomination for Oklahoma's newest political party. He garnered a majority in 34 counties, and plurality wins in another 19 counties.

Rex Lawhorn came in second with 32.43% of the vote. He won 12 counties outright, and had plurality victories in four more counties.

Third-place candidate Joe Exotic received the majority vote in two counties, and a plurality in one county. He took 18.66% of the vote statewide.

Two counties ended in a tie between Powell and Lawhorn, while one was a tie between Lawhorn and Exotic. Two counties on the western border with Texas had no votes cast in the Libertarian primary.

With only 3,558 votes statewide, some counties had very few Libertarian ballots cast. In Beaver, Cimarron, Coal, Ellis, Grant, Harper, and Major counties only one Libertarian voted, while in Tillman County two Libertarian votes were cast.

Gubernatorial candidates respond to bill lowering SQ640 threshold

Following the House passage of HJR 1050 yesterday, I reached out to all of the Republican, Democratic, and Libertarian gubernatorial candidates for their comments on the topic of SQ 640 and changing the legislative vote threshold for raising taxes.

Here are their responses, in order of when I received them.

1) What is your position on Article 5, Section 33 of the Oklahoma Constitution (aka SQ640)? 

(200 words or less)

Dan Fisher (R): I am a strong supporter of SQ640 and I will work to defeat any attempt to change it. I intend to make my voice loud and clear on this. SQ640 made it clear, the people want there to be a high threshold for their taxes to be raised. I stand with the people.
Todd Lamb (R): I support SQ 640.
Chris Powell (L): The people of Oklahoma passed SQ 640 because of their experience with state government and their desire to keep that state government in check.  Considering that our current state government is viewed even more negatively than it was at the time SQ 640 was passed, it seems counterintuitive to consider increasing it's power.  Further, it is a guarantee that if revenue is increased it will remove any incentive to reform spending and reduce waste, corruption, and crony capitalism.
Rex Lawhorn (L): SQ 640 was a result of the legislature doing just as the current legislature is attempting, and that's governing against the will of the people. It was a stern message passed by the citizens of Oklahoma to take back control over the legislative process in regards to law that most affects every Oklahoman, and that is their right to keep the fruits of their labor. If we are going to permit legislators to have any control over our lives, it should be with great restraint and complete transparency, and SQ 640 returned that control. It should never be easy to take away the rights from our citizens.
Connie Johnson (D): I support changing the threshold required to raise taxes and encourage the Legislature to give consideration to requiring the same threshold to lower taxes. In both instances, Oklahomans are ready to address the reality of and need for solutions to our state operating at a budget that is 15% of what it was in 2007, with 165,000 more people. Sending SQ 640 back to a vote of the people is one of several potential existing revenue streams. I challenge the Legislature to have the courage to immediately begin to factor in the fiscal impact of cannabis, wind and solar as new, renewable and sustainable revenue streams.
Gary Jones (R): I have said before I would not change the 3/4 requirement.
Gary Richardson (R): The people voted for SQ 640 in 1992 to essentially force any new tax increase to the vote of the people and it is working exactly as the voters intended. Without SQ 640, we probably never would’ve uncovered all the waste and corruption that has come to light at the Health, Tourism and Ag departments.
Kevin Stitt (R): [emailed saying they would respond, did not get back with me by publishing time] Stitt responded late with this: I’m not interested in changing the constitution. It should be hard to raise taxes; it shouldn’t be this hard to govern. I am running for governor because state government is fundamentally broken, and the answer to our crisis is new leadership and fresh vision.
Mick Cornett (R): NO RESPONSE
Drew Edmondson (D): NO RESPONSE
Joseph Maldonado (L):  NO RESPONSE

2) Do you support changing the threshold, and if so to what level? 

(100 words or less)

Dan Fisher (R): Emphatically NO!
Todd Lamb (R): I do not support lowering the threshold for SQ 640.
Chris Powell (L): I do not support reducing the 3/4ths threshold for the Legislature to raise taxes and if the issue is put on the ballot I will vote against it and campaign against it.
Rex Lawhorn (L): No, I do not support any change in the threshold. The government rules by the consent of the governed, and if the people want that threshold changed, they will propose and pass another State Question. Until that time arrives, the government should act within the constraints placed upon it by the people.
Connie Johnson (D): [no response to this question, but in #1 indicated she would change the threshold]
Gary Jones (R): [no specific response to this question, but in #1 said he would not change it]
Gary Richardson (R): No.
Kevin Stitt (R): [emailed saying they would respond, did not get back with me by publishing time]
Mick Cornett (R): NO RESPONSE
Drew Edmondson (D): NO RESPONSE
Joseph Maldonado (L):  NO RESPONSE

3) If HJR1050 makes it onto the ballot as written, will you vote for it, or against it? 

(10 words or less)

Dan Fisher (R): Against it.
Todd Lamb (R): I would vote against it in its present form.
Chris Powell (L): Against it.
Rex Lawhorn (L): Against. I will actively campaign against it, as well.
Connie Johnson (D): [no response to this question, but in #1 indicated she would change the threshold]
Gary Jones (R): [no specific response to this question, but in #1 said he would not change it]
Gary Richardson (R): I will vote against it.
Kevin Stitt (R): [emailed saying they would respond, did not get back with me by publishing time]
Mick Cornett (R): NO RESPONSE
Drew Edmondson (D): NO RESPONSE
Joseph Maldonado (L):  NO RESPONSE

3Q Gubernatorial Campaign Finance Reports

The 3rd Quarter campaign finance reports have been submitted and posted on the Oklahoma Ethics Commission website. We'll look at the gubernatorial race in this post. All figures below are campaign-to-date.

REPUBLICANS

Total Raised: $6,359,611.03

Total Spent: $1,029,119.36

Total Cash-on-Hand: $5,255,146.63

Mick Cornett
Total raised: $801,128.61
Total spent: $150,902.36
Total cash-on-hand: $623,294.77

Dan Fisher
Total raised: $94,582.71 (includes $20,000 loan)
Total spent: $27,633.99
Total cash-on-hand: $63,026.46

Gary Jones

Total raised: $54,785.28

Total spent: $11,241.00

Total cash-on-hand: $43,544.28

Todd Lamb
Total raised: $2,720,112.28
Total spent: $293,312.44
Total cash-on-hand: $2,413,830.65

Gary Richardson
Total raised: $1,047,436.77 (includes $1,000,000 loan)
Total spent: $282,909.88
Total cash-on-hand: $763,422.89

Kevin Stitt

Total raised: $1,641,565.38 (includes $800,000 loan)

Total spent: $263,119.69

Total cash-on-hand: $1,348,027.58

DEMOCRATS

Total Raised: $752,497.39

Total Spent: $368,341.79

Total Cash-on-Hand: $374,723.60

Drew Edmondson
Total raised: $545,163.65 (includes $50,000 loan)
Total spent: $242,741.72
Total cash-on-hand: $293,306.43

Scott Inman (withdrawn)
Total raised: $169,195.14
Total spent: $93,409.35
Total cash-on-hand: $75,785.79

Connie Johnson

Total raised: $38,138.60

Total spent: $32,190.72

Total cash-on-hand: $5,631.38

LIBERTARIANS

Total Raised: $8,347.64

Total Spent: $2,676.37

Total Cash-on-Hand: $1,435.48

Rex Lawhorn:
Total raised: $530
Total spent: $377.77 (in-kind)
Total cash-on-hand: $505

Joseph Maldonado

Total raised: $6,593.79 (mostly in-kind)

Total spent: $1,861.25

Total cash-on-hand: $278.33

Chris Powell

Total raised: $1,223.85

Total spent: $437.35

Total cash-on-hand: $652.15

Exclusive: Conflict and Confusion - Will Gary Johnson be on Oklahoma's ballot?

Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, erstwhile GOP-candidate-turned-Libertarian-Party-nominee, missed out on making the ballot in Oklahoma when the Oklahoma Libertarian Party failed to submit enough validated signatures to receive a ballot access. However, the story may not be over yet for Johnson and his Oklahoma Libertarian Party supporters.

Americans Elect successfully waged a ballot access campaign in Oklahoma earlier this year, with the intention of nominating a presidential candidate through their unconventional online voting process. The venture ultimately failed, as no candidate met their stated criteria, and thus the group did not nominate a candidate, after getting on the ballot in over 30 states.

All political parties had until August 8th to submit their nominees for president and vice-president (technically, they submit electors pledged to their party nominees).

On August 7th, Rex Lawhorn (Oklahoma state chairman of Americans Elect) submitted electors to the State Election Board for ballot certification. These electors were pledged to Gary Johnson for President and James Gray for Vice-President, the Libertarian Party candidates.

Americans Elect - State

But in a letter dated August 6th, the national Americans Elect organization wrote to the State Election Board intending to dissolve their status as a political party in Oklahoma.

Americans Elect - National

I contacted the State Election Board to ask some questions about the situation, and received a response from State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax.

"Attached are PDF scans of conflicting correspondence to the State Election Board from the national Americans Elect organization and an in-state group that says it is the Oklahoma chapter of Americans Elect. This is a very unusual situation, so we are seeking legal advice from our counsel at the Attorney General’s office about how to proceed," Ziriax told me in an email.

When there is an update to this story, I will post it.