(Stillwater) – District 33 State Representative Lee Denney picked up a landslide win for her third term in Oklahoma City, while Republican Jim Halligan won the State Senate District 21 seat for the GOP for the first time ever.
Payne County Sheriff Noel Bagwell was knocked out of office by R.B. Hauf, both of whom were running their first ever campaigns. Bagwell was appointed just over a year ago by Payne County Commissioners to fill the unexpired term of Carl Hiner, who retired. Hiner served as one of Bagwells campaign co-chairs.
Denney defeated first time candidate Mike Pierson of Perkins, who at age 22 was one of the youngest candidates on the ballot in the state. Denney received more than two-thirds of the vote.
Halligan, the former President of Oklahoma State University, defeated former Associate District Judge Robert M. Murphy, Jr. to take the Senate seat being vacated by Mike Morgan due to term limits. No Republican has ever been elected to the seat. Murphy’s father held the seat until 1980, when he was defeated in the Democratic Primary by Bernice Shedrick. State Republicans had targeted the seat which has been closely contested in past elections by GOP candidates.
Democrats avoided a sweep of the races in Payne County with Cory Williams defeating Aaron Carlson for the District 34 State Representative seat being vacated by Terry Ingmire due to term limits.
Gloria Hesser was re-elected to a fourth term as Payne County Commissioner for District 2. Hesser Defeated Rondal Gamble.
VOTE TOTALS
For Payne County Sheriff
R.B. Hauf(R)
15,033 (53.10%)
Noel Bagwell(D)
13,276 (46.90%)
For Payne County Commissioner District 2
Gloria Hesser
4,465 (56.12%)
Rondal Gamble
3,491 (43.88%)
For District 33 State Representative
Lee Denney (R)
9,494 (67.00%)
Mike Pierson (D)
4,676 (33.00%)
For State Representative District 34
Cory Williams (D)
7,242 (50.22%)
Aaron Carlson (R)
7,179 (49.78%)
For State Senate District 21
James Halligan (R)
17,710 (58.15%)
Bob Murphy (D)
12,748 (41.85%)
