According to a press release from Oklahoma Speaker of the House Charles McCall, R-Atoka, after Oklahoma’s Tuesday, June 28 primary election:

• 58 House Republicans have been elected, either by primary victories or going unchallenged
• 3 House Republican runoffs will decide the election
• 4 House Republican runoffs will be followed by a general election
• 9 House Democrats have been elected unchallenged
• 27 general elections are already set

In a Tulsa-area primary for District 24, Chris Banning (2,224 votes, or 54.56 %) defeated state Rep. Logan Phillips, R-Mounds, with 1,185 votes (29.07 %). The district was transformed by the redistricting process, and Banning got a major boost when Governor Kevin Stitt supported him over the incumbent, who is finishing his second term in the House. A third candidate, Bobby Schulz, had 636 votes, 16.36 percent of the total.

In the District 11 primary, incumbent state Representative Wendi Stearman, R-Collinsville, was defeated in her re-election contest. Stearman wrote Oklahoma’s pro-life “trigger law,” providing protection for unborn children in the event the controversial Roe v. Wade decision from five decades ago was overturned. When the U.S. Supreme Court restored regulation of abortion policy to state governments, Rep. Stearman’s law went into effect.

Defeating Stearman was John B. Kane of Bartlesville, who garnered 3,248 votes (55.89 percent), to Rep. Stearman’s 2,563 votes (44.11%). Kane, the father of five children and grandfather of seven, Kane also campaigned as a passionate pro-lifer.

In her re-election bid, state Rep. Rhonda Baker, R-Yukon, was narrowly re-elected over Ron Lynch in District 60. Baker managed 2,140 votes (50.86 percent of the total) to Lynch’s 2,068 votes (49.14 percent).

The chairman of the House Common Education Committee, impeded school choice legislation that passed in the state Senate, drawing both independent expenditure advertising critical of her performance and in-district criticism.

The constitutionally-required process of redistricting will lead to some changes at the Capitol when legislators convene for the 2023 regular session.

House District 89, formerly based in eastern Oklahoma, is now an Oklahoma City district.

A total of five Republicans filed for the seat, new to the metropolitan area. The top two vote-getters were John George, with 40.87 % (1,985 votes) to Anita Raglin’s 33.40 % (1,622 votes). They will meet in the August 23 primary.

Note: CapitolBeatOK.com is an independent, non-partisan and locally-managed online news service based in Oklahoma City.