Oklahoma
Election results: Voters pick new OKC, Tulsa-area representatives in three House races
Oklahoma Legislature: How to contact your representative
Have you ever wondered how to contact your representative? Here’s what to know.
The polls have closed on three legislative races to fill vacant seats in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, including one in Oklahoma City that will now be held by a former district judge.
House lawmakers finished this year’s session with empty seats after three members resigned to take other jobs. The seats were filled in special elections held in Oklahoma County and the Tulsa area. The state Senate filled its own vacancy in May with the election of Republican Bryan Logan, who is the new state senator for a district in eastern Oklahoma.
The political balance of the Oklahoma House of Representatives won’t change much, if at all. Each of the winners during the Tuesday, June 10 election are the same party as their predecessor, meaning neither party lost a seat. The special election leaves the House with 81 Republicans and 20 Democrats.
Former district judge elected representative in Oklahoma City
Former District Judge Aletia Haynes Timmons was victorious in the special election to fill a seat vacated in April by recently elected Oklahoma County Commissioner Jason Lowe.
Timmons defeated JeKia Harrison in the Democratic primary with 59% of the vote, according to results posted by the Oklahoma State Election Board.
This primary was a winner-take-all election. No Republicans or independents filed for the open House of Representatives seat. District 97 includes portions of far northeast Oklahoma City, plus the metro-area communities of Spencer, Lake Aluma and Forest Park. The district also includes voters in parts of Jones and Midwest City.
Timmons, 64, was an elected Oklahoma County district judge for about a decade before she retired from the position in March. Before joining the bench in 2014, she was an attorney working on civil rights and employment law, and also worked for a time in the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office.
Timmons is a graduate of OKC’s John Marshall High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at Oklahoma State University. She obtained her law degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law.
Harrison, 35, has worked at the Oklahoma State Capitol as a legislative assistant for Tulsa state Rep. Meloyde Blancett. Harrison previously worked as child welfare specialist for the Oklahoma Department of Human Services and also owns a political campaign consulting business called Pen 2 Paper Consulting.
Urban Tulsa seat decided during June 10 special election
House District 71 is a sliver of land along the Arkansas River in south Tulsa. The seat became vacant after the resignation of Democratic state Rep. Amanda Swope, who left state government to work for the city of Tulsa.
In the district’s special election, Democrat Amanda Clinton won by a wide margin over Republican attorney Beverly Atteberry. Clinton secured 85% of the votes.
Clinton, 46, runs a public relations firm and is an adjunct professor at Oklahoma State University. She also sits on boards for Planned Parenthood and the OSU Foundation Board of Governors. Clinton previously said she’s an advocate for reproductive health freedom, access to medical care, clean water and minimizing “state Superintendent Ryan Walters’ impact on public schools.” She is also active in tribal policy.
“District 71 deserves leadership that shows up, speaks truth, and fights like hell for working people, and that’s exactly what I plan to do,” Clinton said in a news release celebrating her victory.
Although once a Republican stronghold, District 71 has been held by a Democrat since 2018.
Longtime Republican seat in Owasso up for grabs
Owasso pastor and Republican nominee Kevin Wayne Norwood was victorious in House District 74.
Norwood defeated Democrat Amy Hossain with about 65% of the vote.
The district straddles Tulsa and Rogers counties in northeastern Oklahoma. Voters have elected a Republican in that district for 25 years. The seat became vacant in December when Mark Vancuren took a job in Tulsa County government.
Norwood, 58, is a pastor and works with community initiatives like Keep Owasso Beautiful and Owasso Cares. Norwood has said he wants to build a vibrant economy, safer communities and strong infrastructure and to give Oklahomans tax relief. His priorities also include revitalizing community main streets, and he criticized the “green energy grift” on his website.
Hossain, 50, is the chief human resources officer Tulsa’s Domestic Violence Intervention Services. She is also the president of the nonprofit Khan Ohana, which works to “break the cycle of poverty among college students.”
Oklahoma
Sooners win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff at McCasland Field House
The Oklahoma men’s basketball team returned to form Tuesday night, cruising to a 95-69 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in front of a packed student crowd at historic McCasland Field House.
After head coach Porter Moser challenged his team to be more aggressive on the glass following last week’s loss, the Sooners responded with one of their most physical performances in recent memory. Forward Tae Davis delivered his first double-double as a Sooner, posting 13 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, including 11 on the offensive end the most by an OU player since at least the 1995-96 season.
Guard Nijel Pack knocked down five 3-pointers on 5-for-7 shooting from deep to finish with 15 points, helping Oklahoma build a double-digit lead in the first half. Xzayvier Brown led all scorers with 19 points, adding four steals and three assists while shooting a perfect 5-for-5 at the free-throw line.
The Sooners (2-1) dominated the glass with a 13-rebound advantage and outscored the Golden Lions (0-4) 25-12 in second-chance points. Sophomore guard Dayton Forsythe added 15 points off the bench, while forward Derrion Reid chipped in 12 on efficient 5-for-8 shooting.
Oklahoma turned a one-point deficit midway through the first half into a 42-31 halftime lead behind a 10-0 run sparked by Davis and Pack. Arkansas-Pine Bluff made a brief push early in the second half, trimming the margin to eight, but the Sooners answered with another surge to put the game out of reach.
Next up, the Sooners travel to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for a neutral-site matchup against Nebraska on Saturday in the “Battle of the Big Reds.”
Oklahoma
Three Takeaways from Oklahoma’s Loss to UCLA
Despite two of its best players struggling with foul trouble, Oklahoma was right there with UCLA well into the third quarter.
But the No. 3-ranked Bruins took over from there, pulling away for a 73-59 win over the No. 6 Sooners in an early season showdown between two of women’s college basketball’s top teams in Sacramento, CA.
Starting in that decisive third quarter, UCLA ripped off a 16-3 run to stretch a one-point lead into a 59-45 advantage.
OU never got closer than seven the rest of the way.
Payton Verhulst led the Sooners with 16 points while Zya Vann added 13, playing a big role early when Aaliyah Chavez went to the bench with foul trouble. Raegan Beers also found foul trouble early.
Vann scored seven of her points in the first quarter, including hitting a 3-pointer in the closing seconds.
Oklahoma shot just 30.7 percent from the field.
Gianna Kneepkens led the Bruins with 20 points, while Angela Dugalic added 16 points and 15 rebounds.
The Sooners (1-1) return to action against Kansas City at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Lloyd Noble Center.
Here are three takeaways from the Sooners’ loss:
Less than four minutes into the game, Oklahoma freshman point guard Aaliyah Chavez was already heading to the bench.
The 5-star phenom picked up a pair of fouls less than 40 seconds apart to limit her time on the floor in the first quarter.
The Sooners were up 9-7 when Chavez headed to the bench, and UCLA took advantage without her on the floor, outscoring OU 17-7 during that span.
Whether it was due to Jennie Baranczyk’s trust in her, or necessity with the game in danger of slipping away early, Chavez didn’t stay on the bench long.
She re-entered the game with 1:25 remaining in the first quarter and remained in the game for all but a few seconds of the second quarter.
Chavez never did pick up a third foul.
But though she was able to fight through the foul trouble, Chavez struggled with her shot against the Bruins.
She finished 4-of-16 from the floor, though she didn’t have a turnover in 32 minutes. Chavez had 11 points and three assists.
Chavez still flashed the skill that made her the top player in the 2025 class.
In the closing seconds of the first quarter, Chavez drove baseline, flipping it to Sahara Williams through traffic for a midrange jumper.
Williams’ shot, though, was released just after time expired, giving UCLA a 24-22 lead after one.
The matchup between former middle school teammates and high school competitors Raegan Beers of OU and Lauren Betts of UCLA was front and center going into the game.
Both had their moments, but ultimately Betts won out, as the reigning national defensive player of the year finished with nine points and 10 rebounds.
She also blocked four shots, though also finished with a career-high seven turnovers.
Early in the fourth quarter, there was a scary moment when Beers crumpled to the floor with an apparent non-contact knee injury.
But after being checked out on the bench, Beers was back less than two minutes later.
Beers finished with seven points and 14 rebounds on 2-of-7 shooting with two steals.
While OU’s offense has been a strength under Baranczyk, the Sooners have often struggled to limit turnovers in their free-wheeling offensive system.
But with Chavez helping direct the offense Monday, OU finished with just nine turnovers while forcing 16. The Sooners outscored UCLA 16-9 off turnovers.
The turnover numbers were OU’s lowest since late January 2024.
The Sooners turned the ball over 18 times in their season-opening 84-67 win over Belmont.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma will give Alabama offense toughest test yet. What to know about the Sooners
There have been few defenses in the country better than Oklahoma.
The Sooners have allowed only 14.1 points per game this season, which leads the SEC and ranks seventh in the nation. Oklahoma also ranks first in the SEC in fewest yards allowed per game at 264.22. That also ranks seventh nationally.
A season ago, the Sooners held Alabama to three points on the road. Now, with a much different offense and a new offensive coordinator and quarterback, the No. 4 Crimson Tide (8-1, 6-0 SEC) will aim to have much more offensive success against No. 11 Oklahoma on Saturday (2:30 p.m. CT, ABC) at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Here’s what you need to know about the Sooners (7-2, 3-2 SEC).
Oklahoma’s resume so far
The Sooners started the season on a five-game winning streak but have lost two of their last four games.
The first loss of the season occurred against then-unranked Texas, now ranked No. 10. The second loss was two weeks later against No. 6 Ole Miss, who was then ranked eighth.
Oklahoma’s best win this season has been against No. 18 Michigan. The Sooners also went on the road before an open week and beat No. 21 Tennessee.
According to ESPN, the Sooners have the No. 12 strength of record. Their strength of schedule ranks 16th.
The Oklahoma offense
The Sooners have an offense that sits in the bottom half of the conference in points per game, ranked 11th scoring 28.89 points per game.
Only Kentucky, Auburn, LSU, Florida and South Carolina have worse offenses in the SEC.
The Sooners also rank 11th in rushing offense and defense in the conference in yards per game.
Washington State transfer quarterback John Mateer has been the primary quarterback running the offense, but he hasn’t been near as effective since returning from a hand injury.
Before the hand injury, Mateer threw for six touchdowns and rushed for five more over the first four games of the season.
In the four games since, Mateer has thrown for two touchdowns and rushed for one. Those four games since the hand injury have all been against SEC competition whereas the first four included two overmatched, unranked teams.
Isaiah Sategna III has been his top target. The receiver has caught 40 passes for 692 yards and five touchdowns. He ranks fifth in the conference with 76.89 yards per game. Deion Burks has also been a top weapon, catching 42 passes for 435 yards and two scores.
Tory Blaylock has been the top rusher, taking 94 carries for 401 yards and four scores.
The Sooner defense
Oklahoma doesn’t give up many points or yards, but the Sooners also don’t get many takeaways.
They rank 117th in the country in takeaways per game at 0.8. For comparison, Alabama ranks 18th, gaining 1.8 takeaways per game.
Defensive lineman Taylor Wein is one of the SEC’s top players at securing tackles for loss. He averages 1.22 per game. Defensive lineman R Mason Thomas is another, averaging 1.06 per game. They rank tied for fourth and seventh in the conference, respectively.
Thomas is also one of the top pass rushers in the conference. He has tallied 6.5 sacks, which ranks tied for fifth.
As a whole, Oklahoma has been effective at getting to the quarterback. The Sooners have tallied 33 sacks, which ranks fourth in the country behind only UConn (35), Texas A&M (34) and Texas (34).
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
-
Austin, TX7 days agoHalf-naked woman was allegedly tortured and chained in Texas backyard for months by five ‘friends’ who didn’t ‘like her anymore’
-
Hawaii4 days agoMissing Kapolei man found in Waipio, attorney says
-
Southwest5 days agoTexas launches effort to install TPUSA in every high school and college
-
Nebraska4 days agoWhere to watch Nebraska vs UCLA today: Time, TV channel for Week 11 game
-
New Jersey3 days agoPolice investigate car collision, shooting in Orange, New Jersey
-
Vermont18 hours agoNorthern Lights to dazzle skies across these US states tonight – from Washington to Vermont to Maine | Today News
-
World1 week agoIsrael’s focus on political drama rather than Palestinian rape victim
-
West Virginia2 days ago
Search for coal miner trapped in flooded West Virginia mine continues for third day