Mayoral Candidates Take Quick Breath Before Race To November

As the polls began to close Tuesday evening, the three top candidates for Tulsa mayor gathered with their families and supporters to watch the results pour in.

Tulsa's former Mayor Kathy Taylor decided there is more work to be done, and she wanted her old job back. Taylor ran on her record, and promised progress if elected. That message resonated with enough voters to put her in a runoff with Mayor Dewey Bartlett.

Complete Election Results

At her watch party at the Hyatt Regency hotel downtown, Taylor said, "We're excited that we got 42 percent of the vote, and we are ready to move on to November 12."

Taylor said Tulsa's progress has slowed in recent years and she plans to jumpstart the city, if elected.

6/11/2013 Related Story: Kathy Taylor, Dewey Bartlett Will Face Each Other In November Runoff

For the first time in Tulsa history, the election for mayor was non-partisan, which meant no one on the ballot had a party label behind their name.

Asked whether that played a part in her getting 42 percent of the vote, Taylor said, "I think that may have been a factor, but I had great bipartisan support when I ran for mayor before, and I continue to enjoy that."

Taylor said she plans to make the rest of her campaign about issues like infrastructure, public safety, and education.

Current Mayor Dewey Bartlett stressed the importance of continuity during his campaign. Throughout the campaign, he promised to make Tulsa more business-friendly and touted his financial record.

Was the message strong enough to win re-election? Looks like we'll find out in November.

At his watch party at the Aloft Hotel in downtown Tulsa, Bartlett said he's confident he can close the gap with Taylor by November.

"We understand that even though we have a relatively self-funded opponent, that's okay, because citizens of Tulsa understand that success and a good track record is a good gauge to look to the future," Bartlett said.

Bartlett said he plans to take some time off before working toward November.

Businessman and former City Councilor Bill Christiansen promised an end to business as usual at City Hall.

But Tuesday night, he ended his campaign before his supporters at the Southern Hills Marriott.

"When I was a city councilor, I really enjoyed my days on the city council and enjoyed meeting the people, and I really have enjoyed this whole process immensely, except until about 30 minutes ago," Christensen said during his concession speech.

Christensen said he felt he was outspent in the campaign. He said another run for office is not out of the question for his future, but he said now it's possibly time to get back to retirement.

Christensen endorsed Bartlett Tuesday night.

Bartlett and Taylor will face each other in a runoff election on November 12. The winner of that election will take office in December.