OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma County voters will have to settle four contests in the Aug. 23 runoff.
For example, in a four-way race for County Commission District 1, former state legislator Anastasia Pittman edged incumbent Commissioner Carrie Blumert by almost 600 votes – 7,838 – 7,244 – to force a runoff for the Democratic nomination. The winner will face Republican Willard Linzy in the Nov. 8 general election; Linzy defeated La Tonya Williams by a margin of almost 2-to-1 Tuesday night, 7,276 - 3,662.
In the four-way race for County Commissioner District 3, Republican Myles Davidson was forced into a runoff with Amy Alexander, who narrowly edged former Sheriff P.D. Taylor. Davidson received 38.3% of the vote; Alexander, 23.42%; Taylor, 21.95%; and Ronnie Jones, 16.32%.
The winner will meet Democrat Cathy Cummings in the general election. Cummings led opponent Jay Bridwell by a margin of 71.62% - 28.38%. Cummings outpolled Bridwell by more than 4-to-1 in absentee mail and early voting, 1,894 to 432, and on Election Day by a 2.5-to-1 margin: 10,555 - 4,183.
Cummings owns an Italian restaurant and an Irish pub in north Oklahoma City and served on The Village City Council for five years. She ran for Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma on the Democratic ticket in 2014 but lost to Republican Todd Lamb.
In the race to succeed District Attorney David Prater, who announced he will retire after his term ends next January, Kevin Calvey was narrowly forced into a runoff with Wayland Gieger for the Republican nomination.
Calvey collected 49.97% of the 53,980 votes cast in that four-way race, while Gieger received 23.25% of them; Jacqui Ford, 14.45%, and Robert Gray, 12.33%.
Calvey is a former state legislator who volunteered for service with the Judge Advocate General’s staff during the Iraq War, and is completing a four-year term as Oklahoma County’s District 3 County Commissioner.
Vicki Behenna, who was a prosecutor for 25 years, bested Mark Myles for the Democratic nomination for district attorney. Behenna received 64.45% of the vote to 35.55% for Myles.
Brandon Kirkpatrick trounced perennial candidate Tom Guild, 61.24% - 38.76%, to capture the Democratic nomination for Oklahoma County Treasurer. Kirkpatrick will face veteran Republican Treasurer Forrest “Butch” Freeman in the general election.
Incumbent district judges Amy Palumbo, Natalie Mai and K. Nikki Kirkpatrick easily won reelection in their nonpartisan races, but Associate District Judge Richard Kirby will be in a runoff with Angela Singleton, who outpolled him 47% - 34.6% in a three-way race.
The proposition to authorize $260 million in bonds to replace the crowded, understaffed county jail that has been plagued with design flaws passed by a comfortable margin, 59% - 41%.