Polls Close For Primary Election, Votes Being Tallied

NewsOn6.com

UNDATED -- Election officials are expecting a good voter turnout Tuesday. Voters are heading to the polls to decide a number of key statewide races in Tuesday's primary election.

Polls closed at 7 p.m. across the state.

At the top of the ticket is the race for Governor to replace outgoing Governor Brad Henry. He is limited to two terms under the state's constitution.

Republicans have four candidates on the ballot. State Senator Randy Brogdon of Owasso, Congresswoman Mary Fallin, Oklahoma businessman Robert Hubbard and Roger L. Jackson are all vying for the GOP nomination.

Fallin has been leading in the polls by a large margin since the very beginning. Her closest Republican challenger, Senator Randy Brogdon, cast his vote early Tuesday morning in Owasso. He spent the day trying to gather some last-minute support all over the state. Brogdon has been a state senator since 2002 and has recently aligned himself with the Tea Party movement, receiving their endorsement in this election.

Mary Fallin did not vote Tuesday. She flew back to Washington, D.C. to vote on an emergency funding measure concerning Afghanistan. She was not expected to return to the state until after the polls close Tuesday evening, where she's expected to reiterate her top priority, which is to create better jobs and more jobs for Oklahoma and help bring the state out of recession.

It is also Primary Election day for the First and Second District Congressional seats.

Current congressmen John Sullivan and Dan Boren are facing challengers.

Sullivan faces five challengers from his own party. Nathan Dahm, Kenneth Rice, Fran Moghaddam, Patrick Haworth and Craig Allen are all vying for the Republican nomination. Many of the challengers claim TEA party roots and criticize the current Congressman for his vote for the $700 billion bank bailout.

Dahm has drummed up quite a following with his oath to Oklahoma promising to limit himself to three terms, fight to repeal the income tax, and vote against any tax increases.

Like Congresswoman Mary Fallin, Sullivan's office says the congressman also flew back to DC to vote on the Afghanistan measure. There is no word if he voted before he left.

One of Congressman Dan Boren's opponents is Jim Wilson.  Wilson has been in the Oklahoma legislature for at least a decade, spending the last six years as state senator. 

Boren first served in the Oklahoma House in 2002.  He elected to Congress in 2004.  He's known in Washington as a "Blue Dog Democrat" for his fiscally conservative philosophy.

And U.S. Senator Tom Coburn is facing a pair of Republican challengers.

Five GOP candidates are vying for Lt. Governor.

The State Auditor, Attorney General, State Treasurer and Labor Commissioner have two Republicans each seeking the nomination.

The race for the State School Superintendent has three Democrats and two Republicans vying for the office.

The GOP has two candidates seeking the nomination for Corporation Commissioner and three candidates for State Insurance Commissioner.

To find out more about the candidates and their positions, check out our special election page.