Oklahoma picks Santorum Politics Topics

March 4th, 2012 by Leo Truchanas

Oklahoma picks Santorum

Related stories: Romney has edge in Ohio, four other states. Obama wins but doesn’t sweep state. Owasso, Collinsville elect officials. Santorum draws conservatives. Santorum is back with Super Tuesday wins. Local races, questions. Editor’s note: This story has been updated with final voting totals from the state and Tulsa County. The cheering started early at Rick Santorum’s Oklahoma campaign headquarters in south Tulsa on Tuesday. The polls had hardly closed before network newscasts began declaring the former Pennsylvania senator the winner of the state’s Republican primary. Not long afterward came word that Santorum was the projected winner in Tennessee. “We knew he was going to win,” said former Tulsa city councilor Chris Medlock, a volunteer for the Santorum campaign. “The question was whether he was going to get 50 percent. That’s what was driving us.” The 50 percent figure was important because the Oklahoma Republican primary, with 40 national convention delegates at stake, becomes winner-take-all for a candidate achieving a majority. That didn’t happen. And with Santorum with less than 35 percent, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich both in the high 20s, and each of the three breaking the 15 percent threshold in all five congressional districts, the delegates are likely to be divided almost equally among them. According to one source, an unofficial count gave 14 delegates to Santorum and 13 each to the other two. With all of Tulsa County’s 263 precincts reporting, Santorum had 32.3 percent, Gingrich 29.6 percent and Romney 28.8 percent. State party rules call for 25 of the delegates to be allocated proportionately based on the statewide vote and 15 to be allocated proportionately based on the vote in each congressional district. With all of the state’s 1,961 precincts reporting, Santorum led in every congressional district except the Fifth District, where Romney had a slight edge. Santorum’s Oklahoma victory came despite a late Romney endorsement from one of the state’s most prominent elected officials, U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn. “If Coburn’s endorsement had come out a week ahead of time, then it would have built some momentum,” said Romney’s state co-chairman, state Auditor and Inspector Gary Jones. Gov. Mary Fallin congratulated Santorum shortly after the polls closed on his win in “the reddest and most conservative state in the nation.” Speaking at an Oklahoma City watch party, Fallin called Santorum a fine man who worked very hard, and she encouraged the GOP-faithful to unite behind the party nominee. “We are going to take back this nation and elect a Republican in November,” Fallin said. She said the state became important to the GOP candidates because “they all know Oklahoma is the reddest state in the nation.” “The good news tonight is that Oklahoma is relevant,” said Senate President Pro Tem Brian Bingman, R-Sapulpa. “People are paying attention to what is going on in Oklahoma and making people think their vote counts.” State Election Board tallies showed Santorum leading in 64 of the 77 counties. Gingrich led in 10, Romney in two. Greer County — in southwest Oklahoma. Gingrich and Santorum were tied in Greer County, in southwest Oklahoma. Medlock said the turning point for Santorum in Oklahoma was his trip through the state in early February. Santorum attracted about 4,000 people to the Oral Roberts University Mabee Center in Tulsa and had a good audience in Oklahoma City. “That sure got their attention,” Medlock said, referring to Santorum’s national campaign. “Once that happened, they started taking Oklahoma’s calls.” State party officials expected a high turnout for Tuesday’s primary, but it appeared that the vote total would be well short of the record 335,054 cast in 2008.

Tulsa County

President (Democrat) 263 of 263 precincts x-Barack Obama* 11,248 Randall Terry 1,659 Jim Rogers 849 Darcy G. Richardson 554 Bob Ely 385 President (GOP) 263 of 263 precincts x-Rick Santorum 19,385 Newt Gingrich 17,723 Mitt Romney 17,326 Ron Paul 5,052 Jon Huntsman 200 Rick Perry 175 Michele Bachmann 171

STATEWIDE RESULTS

President (Democrat) 1,922 of 1,961 precincts x-Barack Obama* 63,028 Randall Terry 19,967 Jim Rogers 15,328 Darcy G. Richardson 7,071 Bob Ely 5,227 President (GOP)

Oklahoma

1,961 of 1,961 precincts x-Rick Santorum 95,478 Mitt Romney 79,237 Newt Gingrich 77,770 Ron Paul 27,199 Rick Perry 1,267 Michele Bachmann 935 Jon Huntsman 742 1988 DEMOCRAT Al Gore …………………………………………… 41% Dick Gephardt …………………………………21% Michael Dukakis ……………………………..17% REPUBLICAN George H. W. Bush …………………………37% Bob Dole …………………………………………35% Pat Robertson ………………………………….21% 1992 DEMOCRAT Bill Clinton ……………………………………… 71% Edmund G. Brown Jr. ……………………….17% Charles Woods…………………………………4% REPUBLICAN George H. W. Bush ……………………….. 70% Patrick J. Buchanan ………………………..27% David Duke ……………………………………….3% 1996 DEMOCRAT Bill Clinton ………………………………………76% Lyndon H. LaRouche Jr. …………………..13% Elvena E. Lloyd-Duffie…………………….. 11% REPUBLICAN Bob Dole ………………………………………..60% Patrick J. Buchanan ………………………..22% Steve Forbes ……………………………………14% 2000 DEMOCRAT Al Gore ………………………………………….. 69% Bill Bradley ………………………………………25% Lyndon H. LaRouche Jr. ……………………6% REPUBLICAN George W. Bush ……………………………..79% John McCain …………………………………..10% Alan L. Keyes ……………………………………9% 2004 DEMOCRAT Wesley K. Clark …………………………….. 30% John Edwards ………………………………….29% John F. Kerry ……………………………………27% REPUBLICAN George W. Bush …………………………….90% Bill Wyatt ………………………………………..10% 2008 DEMOCRAT Hillary Clinton ………………………………..55% Barack Obama …………………………………31% John Edwards ………………………………….10% REPUBLICAN John McCain …………………………………..37% Mike Huckabee ………………………………33% Mitt Romney …………………………………..25%

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