2006 Oklahoma lieutenant gubernatorial election
November 7, 2006
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Results by county Askins: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Hiett: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Oklahoma |
|---|
| Government |
The 2006 Oklahoma lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2006, to elect the Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma, concurrently with elections to the United States House of Representatives, governor, and other state and local elections. Primary elections were held on July 25, 2006, with runoff elections held on August 22 in races where no single candidate cleared at least 50% of the vote.[1]
Incumbent Republican lieutenant governor Mary Fallin was eligible to seek re-election to a fourth term in office, but instead decided to run for Oklahoma's 5th congressional district in 2006. State house minority leader Jari Askins and state house speaker Todd Hiett won their respective primaries in a runoff election, the only statewide 2006 race where either major party faced a runoff election.[2] Askins narrowly defeated Hiett in the general election.[3] As of 2026, this election, along with several other concurrent statewide races, was the last time a Democrat was elected statewide in Oklahoma.[a]
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Todd Hiett, speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives (2005–present) and state representative from the 29th district (1995–present)[5]
Eliminated in primary runoff
- Scott Pruitt, state senator from the 36th district (2003–present) and 54th district (1999–2003)[5]
Eliminated in primary
- Nancy Riley, state senator from the 37th district (2000–present)[6]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Todd Hiett | 103,515 | 42.82 | |
| Republican | Scott Pruitt | 60,367 | 33.73 | |
| Republican | Nancy Riley | 41,984 | 23.45 | |
| Total votes | 178,985 | 100.0 | ||
| Runoff election | ||||
| Republican | Todd Hiett | 66,220 | 50.92 | |
| Republican | Scott Pruitt | 63,817 | 49.08 | |
| Total votes | 130,037 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Jari Askins, minority leader of the Oklahoma House of Representatives (2005–present) and state representative from the 50th district (1995–present)[9]
Eliminated in primary runoff
Eliminated in primary
- Cal Hobson, state senator from the 16th district (1990–present)[11]
- Jim Rogers, perennial candidate[12]
Endorsements
Jari Askins
Statewide officials
- Robert S. Kerr III, former lieutenant governor of Oklahoma (1987–1991) and state representative from the 86th district (1978–1980)[13]
- Jack Mildren, former lieutenant governor of Oklahoma (1991–1995)[13]
Labor unions
- Oklahoma Education Association[14]
Pete Regan
Statewide officials
- George Nigh, former governor of Oklahoma (1979–1987, 1963) and former lieutenant governor of Oklahoma (1967–1979, 1959–1963)[15]
State legislators
- Gilmer Capps, state senator from the 26th district (1971–present)[13]
- Johnnie Crutchfield, state senator from the 14th district (1998–present)[13]
- Ted Fisher, state senator from the 12th district (1986–present)[13]
- J. Berry Harrison, state senator from the 10th district (1990–present)[13]
- Mike Morgan, president pro tempore of the Oklahoma Senate (2005–present) and state senator from the 21st district (1997–present)[13]
- Jeff Rabon, state senator from the 5th district (1996–present)[13]
- Stratton Taylor, state senator from the 12th district (1982–present)[13]
- Charles Wyrick, state senator from the 1st district (2004–present)[13]
Individuals
- Barry Switzer, former head football coach of the University of Oklahoma (1973–1988) and head coach of the Dallas Cowboys (1994–1997)[14]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jari Askins | 103,515 | 40.22 | |
| Democratic | Pete Regan | 74,784 | 29.05 | |
| Democratic | Cal Hobson | 46,768 | 18.17 | |
| Democratic | Jim Rogers | 32,336 | 12.56 | |
| Total votes | 257,403 | 100.0 | ||
| Runoff election | ||||
| Democratic | Jari Askins | 95,096 | 53.81 | |
| Democratic | Pete Regan | 81,626 | 46.19 | |
| Total votes | 176,722 | 100.0 | ||
General election
Post-primary endorsements
Todd Hiett (R)
U.S. senators
- Jim Inhofe, incumbent U.S. senator from Oklahoma (1994–present) and former U.S. representative from Oklahoma's 1st congressional district (1987–1994)[16]
U.S. representatives
- Frank Lucas, U.S. representative from Oklahoma's 3rd congressional district (2003–present) and 6th district (1994–2003)[16]
Newspapers and other media
Jari Askins (D)
Statewide officials
- Brad Henry, incumbent governor of Oklahoma (2003–present)[3]
Labor unions
- Oklahoma Public Employees Association[16]
Newspapers and other media
Organizations
- Oklahoma Fraternal Order of Police[16]
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[b] |
Margin of error |
Todd Hiett (R) |
Jari Askins (D) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA/KFOR-TV[18] | November 1–3, 2006 | 488 (LV) | ± 4.5% | 44% | 48% | 3%[c] | 5% |
| SurveyUSA/KFOR-TV[19] | October 21–23, 2006 | 472 (LV) | ± 4.6% | 42% | 52% | 2%[d] | 3% |
| SurveyUSA/KFOR-TV[20] | September 21–25, 2006 | 494 (LV) | ± 4.5% | 43% | 50% | 3%[c] | 3% |
| SurveyUSA/KFOR-TV[21] | August 25–27, 2006 | 519 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 42% | 48% | 2% | 8% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jari Askins | 463,753 | 50.14 | ||
| Republican | Todd Hiett | 439,418 | 47.51 | ||
| Independent | E.Z. Million | 21,684 | 2.35 | ||
| Total votes | 924,855 | 100.0 | |||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
Notes
- ^ Joy Hofmeister, who served as the Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction from 2015 to 2023, was elected as a Republican in both 2014 and 2018 before switching to the Democratic Party in 2021.[4]
- ^ Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear - ^ a b Million (I) with 3%
- ^ Million (I) with 2%
References
- ^ "Elections Results and Statistics 2006". Oklahoma State Election Board. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
- ^ McNutt, Michael (August 21, 2006). "Candidates make push to get voters to polls". The Oklahoman. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
- ^ a b McNutt, Michael (August 2, 2010). "Oklahoma's governor's race poised to be a 'classic'". The Oklahoman. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
Askins beat the favorite in the 2006 lieutenant governor general election, partly by loaning her campaign $880,000 and getting the endorsement of Gov. Brad Henry, so popular in the state that year he won 67 percent of the vote in his re-election bid.
- ^ Millman, Andrew (October 9, 2021). "Oklahoma State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister switches parties, enters 2022 gubernatorial race". CNN. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
- ^ a b Greiner, John (July 26, 2006). "2 run-offs set for lieutenant governor". The Oklahoman. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
- ^ "Early Voting Begins In Oklahoma". CBS News. July 24, 2006. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
- ^ a b "Primary Election Results -- July 25, 2006". Oklahoma State Election Board. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
- ^ a b "Runoff Primary Election Results -- August 22, 2006". Oklahoma State Election Board. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
- ^ Greiner, John (August 22, 2006). "Democratic lieutenant governor seat: Askins wins". The Oklahoman. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
- ^ "Lt. Gov. candidate Pete Regan tours Cherokee County". Tahlequah Daily Press. April 20, 2006. Archived from the original on February 26, 2026. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
- ^ "Hobson running for lieutenant governor: Senator answers tough questions related to his alcoholism". The Journal Record. June 2, 2006. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
- ^ Lee Brewer, Graham (July 3, 2014). "Reclusive, perennial Oklahoma candidate faces longtime state senator in U.S. Senate primary". The Oklahoman. Archived from the original on November 9, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "State Senate leader endorses Regan". The Journal Record. August 11, 2006. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
- ^ a b Pitts, William (August 21, 2006). "Pitts: Are lieutenant governor candidates looking to the future?". The Journal Record. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
- ^ Carter, M. Scott (September 1, 2006). "Former governors have little success in electing friends, family". The Norman Transcript. Archived from the original on February 26, 2026. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
- ^ a b c d e "Lt. governor candidates debate stem cells, Bedlam at UCO". The O'Colly. October 26, 2006. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
- ^ "Our choices: Five incumbents deserve new terms". The Oklahoman. October 22, 2006. Archived from the original on February 26, 2026. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
Lieutenant Governor: We back Republican Todd Hiett over Democrat Jari Askins in a race between term-limited legislators.
- ^ "SurveyUSA Election Poll #10632". SurveyUSA. November 4, 2006. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
- ^ "SurveyUSA Election Poll #10439". SurveyUSA. October 24, 2006. Archived from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
- ^ "SurveyUSA Election Poll #10316". SurveyUSA. September 26, 2006. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "SurveyUSA Election Poll #10101". SurveyUSA. August 28, 2006. Archived from the original on March 14, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
- ^ "LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR" (PDF). Oklahoma State Election Board. Retrieved February 26, 2026.