Fate of Oklahoma congressional race undecided

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — First-term Republican U.S. Rep. Markwayne Mullin, an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, coasted to victory in last week's general election with 70 percent of the vote, but the death of his underdog Democratic opponent just days before could end up giving Democrats another chance at the seat.

The three-member Oklahoma Election Board is scheduled to meet Wednesday to formally certify the results of the election. But first they will meet in a closed-door session with their state attorney to discuss what to do with the results from Oklahoma's sprawling 2nd Congressional District. A decision is expected to be announced afterward.

Democrats say state law clearly provides that the governor call for a special election to be held if a candidate dies before a general election, and party leaders have selected veteran state legislator Jerry Ellis, a rancher and newspaper publisher from Valliant, as the substitute candidate.

"I'm probably more conservative than half the Republicans up there," said Ellis, 67, whose Senate district stretches across four southeast Oklahoma counties. "The main things I'd like to see would be to seal the border off and balance the budget. After that, everything else is secondary in my opinion."

Mullin's campaign has declined to comment, but GOP leaders are opposed to the idea of a special election, citing Mullin's clear-cut victory and the potential cost of around $350,000 for a do-over.

"I just think it's a waste of taxpayer resources," said Republican Party Chairman Dave Weston. "The voters have spoken."

Earl Everett, the 81-year-old Democratic nominee from Fort Gibson, was critically injured in a car accident and died on Nov. 2, two days before Election Day.

A bill approved by the Legislature earlier this year would actually prevent a special election from happening in a case like this — allowing for a special election only if the deceased candidate won — but that new law doesn't take effect until Jan. 1.

Officials with the governor's office and the Election Board have deferred to Republican Attorney General Scott Pruitt, whose office is expected to announce its recommendation on a special election after Wednesday's meeting.

A traditional stronghold for Democrats, Oklahoma's 2nd Congressional District has been trending Republican for years. It includes 26 counties across eastern Oklahoma and stretches from the Kansas and Missouri borders in the north to the Red River border with Texas in southeastern Oklahoma.