The 2010 Oklahoma gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 2010, to elect the

governor of Oklahoma The governor of Oklahoma is the head of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor serves as the head of the Oklahoma Executive (government), executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma. The gover ...

. Due to

term limits A term limit is a legal restriction on the number of Term of office, terms a Incumbent, person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in Presidential system, presidential and Semi-presidential republic, semi-president ...

established by the

Oklahoma Constitution The Constitution of the State of Oklahoma is the governing document of the United States, U.S. State of Oklahoma. Adopted in 1907, Oklahoma ratified the United States Constitution on November 16, 1907, as the 46th U.S. state. At its ratificatio ...

, incumbent Democratic governor

Brad Henry Charles Bradford Henry (born July 10, 1963) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 26th governor of Oklahoma from 2003 to 2011. A Democrat, he previously served in the Oklahoma Senate from 1992 to 2003. As of 2025, he is the last ...

couldn't seek re-election. The race had been hotly contested by both political parties, with several well-known Oklahomans announcing their candidacy up to two years before the election. This was the first time a woman challenged another woman for

Governor of Oklahoma The governor of Oklahoma is the head of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor serves as the head of the Oklahoma Executive (government), executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma. The gover ...

. As both parties nominated female candidates (Jari Askins for the Democrats and Mary Fallin for the Republicans), both of whom have also previously held the office of the

lieutenant governor of Oklahoma The lieutenant governor of Oklahoma is the second-highest executive official of the state government of Oklahoma. As first in the gubernatorial line of succession, the lieutenant governor becomes the new governor of Oklahoma upon the death, ...

, and as no third-party or write-in candidate qualified for the ballot, Oklahoma was guaranteed its first female governor. In 2008, Republicans won majorities in both chambers of the state legislature for the first ever; as they expanded these majorities in the 2010 elections and Fallin won the governorship, a Republican state government trifecta was established for the first time since statehood when Fallin was sworn in on January 10, 2011. Askins carried only four counties: her home county of

Stephens Stephens is a surname. It is a patronymic and is recorded in England from 1086. Notable people with the surname include: *Alexander H. Stephens (1812–1883), Vice President of the Confederate States *Alison Stephens (1970–2010), British mandoli ...

and neighboring

Comanche The Comanche (), or Nʉmʉnʉʉ (, 'the people'), are a Tribe (Native American), Native American tribe from the Great Plains, Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the List of federally recognized tri ...

Cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

, and

Jefferson Jefferson may refer to: Names * Jefferson (surname) * Jefferson (given name) People * Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States * Jefferson (footballer) * Jefferson (singer) or Geoff Turton (born 1944), British s ...

. While Fallin won all other 73 counties (of which she flipped 70), her margins varied, ranging from narrow wins in much of

Eastern Oklahoma In the U.S. state of Oklahoma, Eastern Oklahoma is an amorphous area roughly defined as east of Oklahoma City and/or east of I-35. The Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation established regional designations for the various parts of the st ...

to a 66-point victory in staunchly Republican Beaver County. Fallin was the first Republican to win

Atoka County Atoka County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,143. Its county seat is Atoka. The county was formed before statehood from Choctaw Lands, and its name honors a Choctaw Chief named ...

, Choctaw County, Coal County, Haskell County, Hughes County, Johnston County, Latimer County,

LeFlore County Leflore County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,339. The county seat is Greenwood. The county is named for Choctaw leader Greenwood LeFlore, who signed a treaty to cede his pe ...

McCurtain County McCurtain County is a county in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, its population was 30,814. Its county seat is Idabel. It was formed at statehood from part of the earlier Choctaw Nation in Indian ...

Okfuskee County Okfuskee County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 11,310. Its county seat is Okemah, Oklahoma, Okemah. The county is named for a forme ...

, Pittsburg County, and Pushmataha County in a gubernatorial election since Oklahoma statehood. Fallin was the first non-Democrat to win

Tillman County Tillman County is a county located in the southwestern part of Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,968. The county seat is Frederick. History The Medicine Lodge Treaty of 1867 established a reservation in the ...

, which had voted for the Democratic candidate for governor in each election since Oklahoma statehood, thus breaking a 103-year streak of voting Democratic Party.

Democratic primary

Declared

Jari Askins Jari Askins (born April 27, 1953) is an American judge, lawyer, and Democratic politician from the state of Oklahoma. She was the 15th lieutenant governor of Oklahoma, being the second woman, the first female Democrat, and the most recent Democr ...

, incumbent

Drew Edmondson William Andrew Edmondson (born October 12, 1946) is an American lawyer and politician from the state of Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, Edmondson served as the 16th Attorney General of Oklahoma from 1995 to 2011. Prior to his elect ...

, incumbent

attorney general of Oklahoma The attorney general of Oklahoma is the State Attorney General for the state of Oklahoma. The attorney general serves as the chief legal and law enforcement officer of the Oklahoma, State of Oklahoma and head of the Office of the Oklahoma Attorn ...

Polling

Results

2010 Oklahoma gubernatorial Democratic primary

Republican primary

Declared

Mary Fallin Mary Fallin (; née Copeland; born December 9, 1954) is an American politician who served as the 27th governor of Oklahoma from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, she was elected in 2010 Oklahoma gub ...

, former lieutenant governor and current congresswoman for

Oklahoma's 5th congressional district Oklahoma's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It borders all of the other congressional districts in the state except the Oklahoma's 1st congressional district, 1st district. It is densely popu ...

* Roger L. Jackson, retired businessman, former president of the Oklahoma Office Machine Dealers Association (OOMDA) * Randy Brogdon, state senator * Robert Hubbard, business owner of Piedmont, Oklahoma's "Hubbard Ranch Supply"Estus, John,
Oklahoma candidate filing period marks start of busy campaign season
, ''The Oklahoman'', May 31, 2010.

Declined

* J. C. Watts, former congressman from

Oklahoma's 4th congressional district Oklahoma's 4th congressional district is located in south-central Oklahoma and covers (in whole or in part) a total of 14 counties. Its principal cities include Midwest City, Oklahoma, Midwest City, Norman, Oklahoma, Norman, Moore, Oklahoma, Moo ...

Mick Cornett Michael Earl Cornett Sr. (born July 16, 1958) is an American politician and former television personality who served as the 35th mayor of Oklahoma City, from 2005 until 2018. A member of the Republican Party, he was only the fourth mayor in Okl ...

, Mayor of

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

Polling

Results

2010 Oklahoma gubernatorial Republican primary

General election

Predictions

Polling

Results

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

References

External links

Oklahoma State Election BoardCandidates for Oklahoma State Offices
at

Project Vote Smart Vote Smart, formerly called Project Vote Smart, is an American non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States. It covers candidates and elected offic ...

Campaign contributions for 2010 Oklahoma Governor
from ''Follow the Money''

from OurCampaigns.com
Election 2010: Oklahoma Governor
from ''

Rasmussen Reports Rasmussen Reports is an American polling company founded in 2003. The company engages in political commentary and the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information. Rasmussen Reports conducts nightly tracking, ...

''
2010 Oklahoma Governor Race
from ''

Real Clear Politics RealClearPolitics (RCP) is an American political news website and polling data aggregator. It was founded in 2000 by former options trader John McIntyre and former advertising agency account executive Tom Bevan. It features selected politi ...

''
2010 Oklahoma Governor's Race
from ''

CQ Politics ''Congressional Quarterly'', or ''CQ'', is an American publication that is part of the privately owned publishing company CQ Roll Call, which covers the United States Congress. ''CQ'' was formerly acquired by the U.K.-based The Economist Group, ...

''
Race Profile
in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''
News coverage
from ''

The Oklahoman ''The Oklahoman'' is the largest daily newspaper in Oklahoma, United States, and is the only regional daily that covers the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, Greater Oklahoma City area. The Alliance for Audited Media (formerly Audit Bureau Circul ...

'' Debates
Oklahoma Gubernatorial Debate
on ''

C-SPAN Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American Cable television in the United States, cable and Satellite television in the United States, satellite television network, created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a Non ...

'', July 21, 2010 Official campaign sites
Jari Askins for GovernorMary Fallin for Governor
{{United States elections, 2010

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

Gubernatorial A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

November 2010 in the United States 2010 in Oklahoma