Oklahoma Republicans Sweep Major State Offices

Ashli Sims, News On 6

UNDATED -- Oklahoma Governor-elect Mary Fallin is leading a Republican revolution in the Sooner state.

11/2/2010 Related Story: Republican Mary Fallin Elected Oklahoma's First Female Governor

For the first seven decades of Oklahoma's existence, Democrats controlled an average of 80 percent of seats in the state legislature. After Tuesday night, it seems like that kind of Democratic stronghold is now over.

Oklahoma's Grand Old Party had a lot of reasons to celebrate Tuesday night. From the top of the ticket to the bottom of the ballot, all major statewide offices went to Republicans.

Almost makes it hard to believe that just 20 years ago, only one in three Oklahomans were registered Republicans.

Oklahoma didn't even elect its first Republican Governor until Henry Bellmon in 1963. Even then, Democrats filled all of the other administrative and judicial offices and the state legislature was a Democratic stronghold.

Lieutenant Governor Elect Todd Lamb is only the second Republican to hold that office.

11/2/2010 Related Story: Oklahoma's Lt. Governor, Attorney General Goes To Republicans

The first, of course, was Mary Fallin, back in 1994. That year Oklahoma Republicans rode the red tide spearheaded nationally by Newt Gingrich, capturing five of Oklahoma's six Congressional seats, half the statewide elected offices, and both the Governor and Lieutenant Governor posts.

But in the 90 years before Tuesday's election, there had only been one Republican Attorney General, one Republican State Treasurer, and one Republican State Auditor.

Now all of those posts are held by newly elected members of the GOP.

And while Republicans have been appointed as state school superintendent, Oklahoma has never elected a Republican to that office, until Janet Barresi won the office Tuesday night.

To cap it all off, Republicans stretched their margins in both the State House and State Senate.

"That means its incumbent upon the Republicans to govern and to govern well," outgoing Governor Brad Henry said. "And I think the people of this state will be watching to see that they do that. And will expect that."

Republicans control 70 percent of the State House and two-thirds of the State Senate seats.