2020 United States Senate election in Oklahoma

See also: 2020 United States Senate elections

The 2020 United States Senate election in Oklahoma was held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Oklahoma, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Republican Senator Jim Inhofe won reelection to a fifth full term, defeating Democratic challenger Abby Broyles.^[1]

2020 United States Senate election in Oklahoma

← 2014 November 3, 2020 2022 (special) →

Nominee Jim Inhofe Abby Broyles Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 979,140 509,763 Percentage 62.91% 32.75%

County results Congressional district results Inhofe:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%

U.S. senator before election Jim Inhofe Republican Elected U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe Republican

This proved to be the fifth U.S. Senate election in Oklahoma in a row in which the Democratic nominee failed to carry any of Oklahoma's counties, but Broyles came very close to breaking this drought, losing Oklahoma County by less than one percentage point.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Jim Inhofe, incumbent U.S. Senator^{[citation needed]}

Eliminated in primary

• Neil Mavis, Wi-Fi engineer and Libertarian nominee for Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district in 2000^[2]
• J.J. Stitt, farmer and gun shop owner^[3]
• John Tompkins, orthopedic surgeon^[2]

Declined

• Scott Pruitt, former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, former attorney general of Oklahoma, and former state senator^[4]

Endorsements

Jim Inhofe

U.S. Executive Branch officials

• Donald Trump, President of the United States^[5]

U.S. representatives

• Frank Lucas, U.S. representative from Oklahoma's 3rd congressional district^[6]

State officials

• Kevin Stitt, Governor of Oklahoma^[7]

Results

 

Results by county:

  Inhofe

•   40–50%
•   60–70%
•   70–80%
•   80–90%

Republican primary results ^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jim Inhofe (incumbent)	277,868	74.05
	Republican	J.J. Stitt	57,433	15.31
	Republican	John Tompkins	23,563	6.28
	Republican	Neil Mavis	16,363	4.36
Total votes			375,227	100.00

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Abby Broyles, attorney and former KFOR news reporter^[9]

Eliminated in primary

• Sheila Bilyeu, perennial candidate^[2]
• Elysabeth Britt, human resources professional and candidate for Oklahoma's 5th congressional district in 2018^[9]
• R. O. Joe Cassity, Jr., lawyer and retired college professor^[2]

Withdrawn

• Dylan Billings, political science professor^[10]
• Tyler Dougherty, software developer^[9]
• Bevon Rogers, former oil and gas industrialist^[11] (ran for state senate)^[12]
• Paul Tay, perennial candidate (ran for Mayor of Tulsa)^[13]
• Perry Williams^[13]
• Mike Workman, political consultant, nominee for U.S. Senate in 2016, and nominee for Oklahoma Labor Commissioner in 2014^[10][14]

Declined

• Brad Henry, former governor of Oklahoma^[15]

Endorsements

Abby Broyles

Organizations

• National Organization for Women^[16]

Unions

• Oklahoma Building Trades^[17]

Results

 

Results by county:

  Broyles

•   30–40%
•   40–50%
•   50–60%
•   60–70%
•   70–80%

  Cassity

•   30–40%

Democratic primary results ^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Abby Broyles	163,921	60.45
	Democratic	Elysabeth Britt	45,206	16.67
	Democratic	Sheila Bilyeu	32,350	11.93
	Democratic	R. O. Joe Cassity, Jr.	29,698	10.95
Total votes			271,175	100.00

Other candidates

Libertarian Party

Nominee

• Robert Murphy, nominee for U.S. Senate in 2016^[18]

Independents

Declared

• Joan Farr, 2014 candidate^[12]
• A. D. Nesbit^[12]

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report^[19]	Safe R	October 29, 2020
Inside Elections^[20]	Safe R	October 28, 2020
Sabato's Crystal Ball^[21]	Safe R	November 2, 2020
Daily Kos^[22]	Safe R	October 30, 2020
Politico^[23]	Safe R	November 2, 2020
RCP^[24]	Safe R	October 23, 2020
DDHQ^[25]	Safe R	November 3, 2020
538^[26]	Safe R	November 2, 2020
Economist^[27]	Safe R	November 2, 2020

Endorsements

Jim Inhofe (R)

U.S. Executive branch officials

• Donald Trump, President of the United States^[5]

U.S. representatives

• Frank Lucas, U.S. representative from Oklahoma's 3rd congressional district^[6]

State officials

• Kevin Stitt, Governor of Oklahoma^[7]

Abby Broyles (D)

U.S. senators

• Elizabeth Warren, U.S. senator from Massachusetts and candidate for President of the United States in 2020^[28]

U.S. representatives

• Eric Swalwell, U.S. representative from California's 15th congressional district and candidate for President of the United States in 2020^[29]
• Katie Hill, former U.S. representative from California's 25th congressional district^[30]

Local officials

• Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and candidate for President of the United States in 2020^[31]

Organizations

• End Citizens United^[32]
• Let America Vote^[32]
• National Organization for Women^[16]
• National Women's Political Caucus^[33]
• Patriotic Millionaires^[34]
• Sierra Club^[35]

Unions

• National Education Association^[36]
• Oklahoma Building Trades^[17]
• United Auto Workers^[37]

Polling

Graphical summary

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size^[a]	Margin of error	Jim Inhofe (R)	Abby Broyles (D)	Other	Undecided
SoonerPoll	October 15–20, 2020	5,466 (LV)	± 1.33%	56%	37%	2%^[b]	4%
Amber Integrated	September 17–20, 2020	500 (LV)	± 4.4%	46%	30%	5%^[c]	19%
SoonerPoll	September 2–8, 2020	486 (LV)	± 4.45%	57%	33%	3%^[d]	6%
DFM Research (D)^[A]	July 29–30, 2020	572 (LV)	± 4.1%	50%	34%	5%^[e]	11%
Amber Integrated	March 5–8, 2020	500 (LV)	± 4.4%	57%	31%	–	12%
Abby Broyles^[A]	Released February 17, 2020	– (V)^[f]	–	56%	44%	–	–

Hypothetical polling

with generic Democrat

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size^[a]	Margin of error	Jim Inhofe (R)	Generic Democrat (D)	Undecided
Amber Integrated	June 3–4, 2020	500 (LV)	± 4.4%	54%	34%	12%

Results

United States Senate election in Oklahoma, 2020^[38]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Jim Inhofe (incumbent)	979,140	62.91%	–5.10
	Democratic	Abby Broyles	509,763	32.75%	+4.20
	Libertarian	Robert Murphy	34,435	2.21%	N/A
	Independent	Joan Farr	21,652	1.39%	+0.11
	Independent	A. D. Nesbit	11,371	0.73%	N/A
Total votes			1,556,361	100.0%	N/A
	Republican hold

By county

County Jim Inhofe Republican Abby Broyles Democratic Robert Murphy Libertarian Joan Farr Independent A. D. Nesbit Independent Margin Total votes # % # % # % # % # % # % Adair 5,134 72.58 1,615 22.83 138 1.95 124 1.75 63 0.89 3,519 49.75 7,074 Alfalfa 1,899 84.10 262 11.60 46 2.04 38 1.68 13 0.58 1,637 72.50 2,258 Atoka 4,380 81.93 798 14.93 83 1.55 54 1.01 31 0.58 3,582 67.00 5,346 Beaver 1,889 87.29 195 9.01 43 1.99 22 1.02 15 0.69 1,694 78.28 2,164 Beckham 6,417 80.95 1,196 15.09 178 2.25 89 1.12 47 0.59 5,221 65.86 7,927 Blaine 2,987 76.87 751 19.33 65 1.67 59 1.52 24 0.62 2,236 57.54 3,886 Bryan 11,928 74.99 3,335 20.97 358 2.25 185 1.16 101 0.63 8,593 54.02 15,907 Caddo 6,761 68.72 2,665 27.09 186 1.89 151 1.53 75 0.76 4,096 41.63 9,838 Canadian 41,519 67.31 17,386 28.19 1,525 2.47 818 1.33 433 0.70 24,133 39.12 61,681 Carter 14,344 73.85 4,352 22.41 345 1.78 243 1.25 140 0.72 9,992 51.44 19,424 Cherokee 10,249 58.03 6,519 36.91 436 2.47 302 1.71 156 0.88 3,730 21.12 17,662 Choctaw 4,555 78.51 1,070 18.44 74 1.28 67 1.15 36 0.62 3,485 60.07 5,802 Cimarron 948 90.89 64 6.14 14 1.34 11 1.05 6 0.58 884 84.75 1,043 Cleveland 64,540 53.98 49,632 41.51 2,890 2.42 1,635 1.37 857 0.72 14,908 12.47 119,554 Coal 1,964 79.16 430 17.33 33 1.33 30 1.21 24 0.97 1,534 61.83 2,481 Comanche 21,026 59.25 12,687 35.75 852 2.40 596 1.68 327 0.92 8,339 23.50 35,488 Cotton 2,114 82.51 358 13.97 39 1.52 33 1.29 18 0.70 1,756 68.54 2,562 Craig 4,278 71.22 1,446 24.07 144 2.40 94 1.56 45 0.75 2,832 47.14 6,007 Creek 22,097 72.63 6,956 22.86 688 2.26 486 1.60 199 0.65 15,141 49.77 30,426 Custer 7,735 72.54 2,454 23.01 275 2.58 134 1.26 65 0.61 5,281 49.53 10,663 Delaware 12,829 74.67 3,700 21.54 283 1.65 249 1.45 120 0.70 9,129 53.13 17,181 Dewey 2,045 86.87 253 10.75 29 1.23 20 0.85 7 0.30 1,792 76.12 2,354 Ellis 1,621 86.87 187 10.02 28 1.50 18 0.96 12 0.64 1,434 76.85 1,866 Garfield 16,306 72.96 5,006 22.40 519 2.32 332 1.49 185 0.83 11,300 50.56 22,348 Garvin 8,504 78.11 1,993 18.31 164 1.51 137 1.26 89 0.82 6,511 59.80 10,887 Grady 17,700 76.81 4,503 19.54 397 1.72 283 1.23 160 0.69 13,197 57.27 23,043 Grant 1,835 82.84 304 13.72 37 1.67 24 1.08 15 0.68 1,531 69.12 2,215 Greer 1,534 78.35 347 17.72 40 2.04 19 0.97 18 0.92 1,187 60.63 1,958 Harmon 730 78.24 182 19.51 12 1.29 6 0.64 3 0.32 548 58.73 933 Harper 1,290 87.04 144 9.72 18 1.21 22 1.48 8 0.54 1,146 77.32 1,482 Haskell 3,892 78.20 926 18.61 81 1.63 49 0.98 29 0.58 2,966 59.59 4,977 Hughes 3,660 75.81 1,002 20.75 75 1.55 65 1.35 26 0.54 2,658 55.06 4,828 Jackson 6,407 78.24 1,447 17.67 194 2.37 100 1.22 41 0.50 4,960 60.57 8,189 Jefferson 1,943 82.37 323 13.69 45 1.91 32 1.36 16 0.68 1,620 68.68 2,359 Johnston 3,318 78.66 749 17.76 68 1.61 57 1.35 26 0.62 2,569 60.90 4,218 Kay 12,219 71.07 4,159 24.19 369 2.15 286 1.66 161 0.94 8,060 46.88 17,194 Kingfisher 5,332 82.62 895 13.87 130 2.01 73 1.13 24 0.37 4,437 68.75 6,454 Kiowa 2,592 75.77 730 21.34 57 1.67 23 0.67 19 0.56 1,862 54.43 3,421 Latimer 3,172 75.18 883 20.93 67 1.59 57 1.35 40 0.95 2,289 54.25 4,219 Le Flore 14,484 77.68 3,462 18.57 320 1.72 269 1.44 110 0.59 11,022 59.11 18,645 Lincoln 11,445 77.16 2,767 18.65 312 2.10 205 1.38 104 0.70 8,678 58.51 14,833 Logan 15,044 70.00 5,542 25.79 516 2.40 247 1.15 141 0.66 9,502 44.21 21,490 Love 3,230 79.58 701 17.27 56 1.38 44 1.08 28 0.69 2,529 62.31 4,059 Major 2,992 86.45 348 10.05 71 2.05 39 1.13 11 0.32 2,644 76.40 3,461 Marshall 12,219 71.07 4,159 24.19 369 2.15 286 1.66 161 0.94 8,060 46.88 17,194 Mayes 11,826 71.42 3,973 23.99 353 2.13 272 1.64 134 0.81 7,853 47.43 16,558 McClain 14,603 76.09 3,861 20.12 397 2.07 213 1.11 119 0.62 10,742 55.97 19,193 McCurtain 9,021 79.61 1,941 17.13 172 1.52 132 1.16 66 0.58 7,080 62.48 11,332 McIntosh 5,733 69.16 2,235 26.96 143 1.72 114 1.38 65 0.78 3,498 42.20 8,290 Murray 4,400 74.91 1,252 21.31 108 1.84 75 1.28 39 0.66 3,148 53.60 5,874 Muskogee 15,529 62.06 8,381 33.50 504 2.01 396 1.58 211 0.84 7,148 28.56 25,021 Noble 3,603 73.02 1,098 22.25 123 2.49 71 1.44 39 0.79 2,505 50.77 4,934 Nowata 3,374 77.03 814 18.58 90 2.05 69 1.58 33 0.75 2,560 58.45 4,380 Okfuskee 2,865 71.34 991 24.68 69 1.72 62 1.54 29 0.72 1,874 46.66 4,016 Oklahoma 142,092 48.29 139,559 47.43 6,545 2.22 3,799 1.29 2,252 0.77 2,533 0.86 294,247 Okmulgee 9,114 63.85 4,510 31.60 295 2.07 229 1.60 126 0.88 4,604 32.25 14,274 Osage 13,276 64.79 6,336 30.92 429 2.09 314 1.53 136 0.66 6,940 33.87 20,491 Ottawa 7,283 64.27 3,283 28.97 331 2.92 267 2.36 168 1.48 4,000 35.30 11,332 Pawnee 4,937 73.06 1,459 21.59 166 2.46 133 1.97 62 0.92 3,478 51.47 6,757 Payne 17,114 57.83 11,010 37.20 863 2.92 388 1.31 218 0.74 6,104 20.63 29,593 Pittsburg 13,102 73.33 4,032 22.57 343 1.92 263 1.47 128 0.72 9,070 50.76 17,868 Pontotoc 10,418 68.29 4,168 27.32 351 2.30 191 1.25 128 0.84 6,250 40.97 15,256 Pottawatomie 19,257 68.49 7,646 27.19 604 2.15 363 1.29 247 0.88 11,611 41.30 28,117 Pushmataha 3,836 81.43 714 15.16 80 1.70 53 1.13 28 0.59 3,122 66.27 4,711 Roger Mills 1,528 84.05 233 12.82 29 1.60 15 0.83 13 0.72 1,295 71.23 1,818 Rogers 32,109 72.24 10,226 23.01 1,134 2.55 693 1.56 288 0.65 21,883 49.23 44,450 Seminole 5,726 68.81 2,294 27.57 133 1.60 103 1.24 66 0.79 3,432 41.24 8,322 Sequoyah 11,370 74.46 3,327 21.79 281 1.84 194 1.27 97 0.64 8,043 52.68 15,269 Stephens 15,216 80.18 3,122 16.45 340 1.79 208 1.10 91 0.48 12,094 63.73 18,977 Texas 4,368 79.35 853 15.50 149 2.71 97 1.76 38 0.69 3,515 63.85 5,505 Tillman 2,077 76.87 541 20.02 31 1.15 33 1.22 20 0.74 1,536 56.85 2,702 Tulsa 145,369 54.59 108,869 40.88 6,250 2.35 3,875 1.46 1,935 0.73 36,500 13.71 266,298 Wagoner 24,863 70.50 8,851 25.10 776 2.20 530 1.50 246 0.70 16,012 45.40 35,266 Washington 16,417 70.02 5,898 25.16 589 2.51 393 1.68 148 0.63 10,519 44.87 23,445 Washita 3,887 81.45 702 14.71 98 2.05 61 1.28 24 0.50 3,185 66.74 4,772 Woods 2,851 77.64 667 18.16 84 2.29 50 1.36 20 0.54 2,184 59.48 3,672 Woodward 6,319 81.37 1,105 14.23 185 2.38 106 1.36 51 0.66 5,214 67.14 7,766 Totals 979,140 62.91 509,763 32.75 34,435 2.21 21,652 1.39 11,371 0.73 469,377 30.16 1,556,361

Notes

Partisan clients

1. Poll conducted for Abby Broyles.

Voter samples and additional candidates

1. Key:
   A – all adults
   RV – registered voters
   LV – likely voters
   V – unclear
2. Farr (I), Murphy (L) and Nesbitt (I) with 1%
3. Murphy (L) and Nesbit (I) with 2%; Farr (I) with 1%
4. Murphy (L) with 2%; Farr (I) with 1%
5. "Independent candidate" with 5%
6. Not yet released

References

1. "Inhofe says he's seeking another term in Senate". KTUL. Associated Press. March 5, 2020. from the original on April 4, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
2. Krehbiel, Randy (June 7, 2020). "U.S. Senate primary draws lively competition despite Inhofe's decades dominating at polls". Tulsa World. from the original on June 16, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
3. Krehbiel, Randy (October 27, 2019). "Inspired by Oklahoma's governor, another Stitt is running for U.S. Senate". Tulsa World. from the original on October 31, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
4. Davenport, Coral (March 17, 2018). "Scott Pruitt, Trump's Rule-Cutting E.P.A. Chief, Plots His Political Future". The New York Times. from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
5. Trump, Donald [@realDonaldTrump] (March 9, 2020). "THANK YOU, Jim, for your incredible support of our #MAGA Agenda! You are a tremendous Senator for the people of the Great State of Oklahoma and you have my Complete and Total Endorsement! https://t.co/yx3e1tmjCM" (Tweet). Retrieved December 23, 2020 – via Twitter.
6. Inhofe, Jim [@inhofeforsenate] (June 24, 2020). "Thank you Congressman Lucas for your kind words. Proud to represent the citizens of Oklahoma alongside you and excited for the future of our great state. https://t.co/zsGHMjOciQ" (Tweet). Retrieved December 23, 2020 – via Twitter.
7. Inhofe, Jim [@inhofeforsenate] (June 16, 2020). ""Jim is a close friend. Jim Inhofe is Oklahoma's stable rock in turbulent times." @GovStitt https://t.co/xpDoxb5fSv" (Tweet). Retrieved December 23, 2020 – via Twitter.
8. "OK Election Results". Oklahoma Secretary of State. from the original on July 1, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
9. Savage, Tres (November 4, 2019). "Abby Broyles is fifth Dem to file against Jim Inhofe". Non Doc. from the original on December 15, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
10. Simmons, Beau (August 16, 2019). "Incoming OSU instructor launches U.S. Senate campaign". Stillwater News Press. from the original on August 26, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
11. Bach, Tawnya (November 1, 2019). "Coffee With The Candidates: Bevon Rogers". KOAM News. from the original on January 1, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
12. "Filing data". www.ok.gov. from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
13. "United States Senate election in Oklahoma, 2020". Ballotpedia. from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
14. "Workman 4 Oklahoma". www.facebook.com. from the original on October 14, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
15. "Crap. Scott Pruitt wants to be Oklahoma's next U.S. Senator". The Last Ogle. August 15, 2017. from the original on January 11, 2020. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
16. "2020 Federal Endorsements – NOW PAC". nowpac.org. from the original on June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
17. Broyles, Abby [@abbybroyles] (March 2, 2020). "I'm excited to announce I've been endorsed by Oklahoma Building Trades! This organization represents thousands of Oklahoma workers that I look forward to supporting in the US Senate. Join our team! https://t.co/gzXLcfAqSB -AB https://t.co/C72wvdmdlN" (Tweet). Retrieved December 23, 2020 – via Twitter.
18. "Murphy for Senate 2020". secure.anedot.com. from the original on April 6, 2020. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
19. "2020 Senate Race Ratings for October 29, 2020". The Cook Political Report. from the original on May 30, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
20. "2020 Senate Ratings". Senate Ratings. The Rothenberg Political Report. from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
21. "2020 Senate race ratings". Sabato's Crystal Ball. from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
22. "2020 Senate Race Ratings". Daily Kos Elections. Retrieved March 13, 2021.^{[permanent dead link]}
23. "2020 Election Forecast". Politico. November 19, 2019. from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
24. "Battle for the Senate 2020". RCP. October 23, 2020. from the original on March 16, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
25. "2020 Senate Elections Model". Decision Desk HQ. September 2, 2020. from the original on January 6, 2021. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
26. Silver, Nate (September 18, 2020). "Forecasting the race for the Senate". FiveThirtyEight. from the original on September 20, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
27. "Forecasting the US elections". The Economist. November 2, 2020. from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
28. "Endorsements | Warren Democrats". elizabethwarren.com. from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
29. Swalwell, Eric [@ericswalwell] (July 2, 2020). "#FactCheck: Sen. Inhofe won't stand up for Oklahoma soldiers Trump may have allowed Russians to target. But @abbybroyles will. Flip the senate with Abby" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
30. "Endorsed Candidates". Hertime. from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
31. "Archived copy". Facebook. from the original on October 14, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
32. "End Citizens United and Let America Vote Endorse Slate of Candidates Committed to Fighting the Status Quo in Washington". End Citizens United. July 30, 2020. from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
33. . Archived from the original on October 14, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
34. "2020 Endorsements - Patriotic Millionaires". patrioticmillionaires.org. from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
35. "Sierra Club #ClimateVoter Guide: Endorsements". Sierra Club. March 19, 2021. from the original on December 8, 2019. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
36. "U.S. Senate - Education Votes". educationvotes.nea.org. from the original on January 6, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
37. "Oklahoma – Official UAW Endorsements". uawendorsements.org. United Automobile Workers. from the original on October 14, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
38. "November 3, 2020 - Official Results". Oklahoma State Election Board. from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2020.

External links

• Government Documents Round Table of the American Library Association, "Oklahoma", Voting & Elections Toolkits
• "Oklahoma: Election Tools, Deadlines, Dates, Rules, and Links", Vote.org, Oakland, CA
• "League of Women Voters of Oklahoma". (State affiliate of the U.S. League of Women Voters)
• Oklahoma at Ballotpedia

Official campaign websites

• Abby Broyles (D) for Senate
• Joan Farr (I) for Senate
• Jim Inhofe (R) for Senate
• Robert Murphy (L) for Senate