Oklahoma Corporation Commission election, 2016
2018→ ←2014 |
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June 28, 2016 |
November 8, 2016 |
Dana Murphy (R) |
Dana Murphy (R) |
None Down Ballot Corporation Commission |
April 15, 2016 |
June 28, 2016 |
August 23, 2016 |
November 8, 2016 |
TBD |
TBD |
Oklahomaheld an election forCorporation Commission onNovember 8, 2016, with a primary onJune 28. Incumbent CommissionerDana Murphy (R) was re-elected after running unopposed in the Republican primary and general elections.
Overview
TheOklahoma Corporation Commission is the state's regulatory agency for public utilities, fuel, oil and gas, and the transportation industry. All three seats on the commission are occupied by Republicans, though a Democrat sat on the commission as recently as 2007.
State Rep.Richard Morrissette (D) declared his candidacy for Murphy's seat in February 2016 after his vocal criticism of the commission's response to the recent rise in human-induced earthquakes caused by the oil and gas industry in the state. A popular lawmaker who ran unopposed in the last four elections, Morrissette raised a significant amount of funds in the first months of his campaign, but ultimately withdrew from the race in June 2016 following the death of his father. He was prevented from running for re-election to the House by term limits.[1]
Murphy ran unopposed in the November 8, 2016, general election.
Candidates
Dana Murphy(R)
Incumbentcorporation commissioner since 2008
| Click [show] to view candidates who withdrew from this race. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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Results
General election
IncumbentDana Murphy ran unopposed in the Oklahoma corporation commission election.
| Oklahoma Corporation Commission, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican |  Dana MurphyIncumbent (unopposed) | |
| Source:The New York Times | ||
Primary results
| Oklahoma Republican primary for corporation commissioner, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | ||
| Dana MurphyIncumbent | ||
Context of the 2016 election
Primary elections
Aprimary election is an election in which voters select the candidate they believe should represent a political party in a general election. Primaries usually take place several months before a general election. In Oklahoma, the Republican Party conducts aclosed primary, in which only registered party members may participate. The Democratic Party holds ahybrid primary, in which unaffiliated voters may participate.[2]
Oklahoma's primary elections took place onJune 28, 2016.
IncumbentDana Murphy (R)
Dana Murphy (R) was first elected to a partial, two-year term on the commission in 2008 by a margin of four percent. In 2010, she was re-elected to a full six-year term by a margin of 40 percent. Prior to her tenure on the commission, Murphy owned and operated an oil and gas law firm. She also previously worked for six years as an administrative law judge at the Corporation Commission and for ten years as a geologist. Murphy serves as vice chair of the commission.
Party control in Oklahoma
Oklahoma state government has been underRepublicantrifecta control since 2011; the party holds large majorities in the stateHouse andSenate. Republicans also dominate the state's top executive offices: all partisanexecutive positions are held by Republicans. Democrats have not enjoyed a great deal of success in statewide elections in several decades.U.S. Senator David L. Boren (D), who left office in 1994, was the last Democrat to represent Oklahoma in the U.S. Senate. The state's electoral college votes have not gone to a Democrat since Lyndon B. Johnson (D) in 1964.[3]
All three seats on the commission are held by Republicans. The seat up for election was held by a Democrat as recently as 2007, and has been occupied by a Democrat for much of the commission's history. The other two seats have been controlled by Republicans since 1988 and 1990 respectively.[4]
Race background
State Rep.Richard Morrissette (D) declared his candidacy for corporation commissioner following his outspoken criticism of the commission's handling of two large earthquakes in Edmond, Oklahoma, at the end of December 2015. The earthquakes were two of 907 that Oklahoma suffered that year. Prior to 2009, Oklahoma experienced an average of two earthquakes per year. The rise in frequency has been attributed to the injection of wastewater from oil and gas production into disposal wells deep in the ground. In January 2016, the Corporation Commission asked five wells within a 3.5 mile radius of the epicenter to reduce production by 50 percent; wells within 10 miles were asked to reduce production by 25 percent. The commission took similar action toward individual wells over the prior few years, but this marked the first widespread request.[5][6]
Morissette, a popular state representative who ran unopposed in every general election since 2008, said that the commission's actions were insufficient and hosted a public forum at the capitol and in Edmond in January 2016 for citizens to speak their concerns. The lawmaker criticized the commission and the governor for taking half-measures so as not to upset the state's oil and gas industry. He announced his candidacy for the seat on the commission occupied by vice chairDana Murphy (R) the following month.[6][7]
In response to criticism over the commission's actions, incumbentDana Murphy replied: "There are others who believe I’ve been too hard on the oil and gas industry. Personally, we could have moved a little faster, but given the data and lack of resources we were unable to do that.”[8] She further stated that the commission had been advised by seismologists that abruptly shutting down wells might induce more instability in the faults.
Morrissette ultimately withdrew from the race in June 2016 after the death of his father, leaving Murphy unopposed in the general election.[9] In a statement expressing sympathy for Morrissette, Murphy said: “I struggled with the decision to run for re-election after the death of my brother earlier this year. Those who have experienced such a loss can understand the impact it has on your daily life."[10]
Campaigns
Campaign finance
| Dana Murphy Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| 1st quarter report | April 30, 2016 | $362,347.82 | $125,800 | $(5,846.84) | $482,300.98 | ||||
| Pre-primary report | June 20, 2016 | $482,300.98 | $160,841.73 | $(9,800.09) | $629,565.89 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $286,641.73 | $(15,646.93) | ||||||||
| Richard Morrissette Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| Pre-primary report | June 20, 2016 | $77,724.00 | $112,230.75 | $(33,261.18) | $76,898.57 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $112,230.75 | $(33,261.18) | ||||||||
Campaign media
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Democrats
| Republicans
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About the office
TheOklahoma Corporation Commission is a three person elected executive board in theOklahoma state government. The commission is a regulatory agency, with an emphasis on the fuel, oil and gas, public utilities and transportation industries.
Incumbents
At the time of the election, the commissioners were chairBob Anthony (R),Todd Hiett (R), andDana Murphy (R). Hiett was first elected to the office in2014, replacingPatrice Douglas (R).
Qualifications
The qualifications of commissioners is established inArticle 9, Section 16 of thestate constitution.
Article 9, Section 16:
| The qualifications of such commissioners shall be as follows: To be resident citizens of this State for over two years next preceding the election, and qualified voters under the Constitution and laws, and not less than thirty years of age; nor shall such commissioners, or either of them, be, directly or indirectly, interested in any railroad, street railway, traction line, canal, steam boat, pipe line, car line, sleeping car line, car association, express line, telephone or telegraph line, operated for hire, in this State, or out of it, or any stock, bond, mortgage, security, or earnings of any such railroad, street railway, traction line, canal, steam boat, pipe line, car line, sleeping car line, car association, express line, telephone or telegraph line, compress or elevator companies; and if such Commissioner shall voluntarily become so interested, his office shall become vacant; and if any Corporation Commissioner shall become so interested otherwise than voluntarily, he shall, within a reasonable time, divest himself of such interest; and failing to do this, his office shall become vacant. Nor shall any such commissioner hold any other office under the government of the United States, or of this State, or any other state government, and shall not, while such Commissioner, engage in any occupation or business inconsistent with his duties as such commissioner. |
- a citizen of the state for more than 2 years immediately before the election
- a qualified Oklahoma voter
- at least 30 years old
- not holding any other office in any government
- not interested, either directly or indirectly, in any railroad, street railway, traction line, canal, steam boat, pipe line, car line, sleeping car line, car association, express line, telephone or telegraph line, operated for hire, in this State, or out of it, or any stock, bond, mortgage, security, or earnings of any such railroad, street railway, traction line, canal, steam boat, pipe line, car line, sleeping car line, car association, express line, telephone or telegraph line, compress or elevator companies
Authority
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission was established inArticle 9, Section 15 of thestate constitution.
Article 9, Section 15:
| A Corporation Commission is hereby created, to be composed of three persons, who shall be elected by the people at a general election for State officers, and their terms of office shall be six years... |
Past elections
The commissioners are elected to staggered six-year terms, with one commissioner elected every two years.
On March 14, 2011, theOklahoma State Senate approved a bill that would have given the governor the power to appoint seven of the 11 statewide elected officials, including all three corporation commissioners. The Senate would then have to confirm all appointments. The amendment, known as theOklahoma State Office Appointment Amendment did not make the 2012 ballot.[11]
2014
RepublicanTodd Hiett won election without opposition on November 4, 2014.
2012
Two positions were up on the Corporation Commission in 2012.Patrice Douglas (R) andBob Anthony (R) both won re-election. They were unopposed in the primary and in theNovember 6, 2012 general election.
| Oklahoma Corporation Commission Short-term seat General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Patrice DouglasIncumbent | 100%% | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 0 | |||
| Election results viaOklahoma State Board of Elections | ||||
| Oklahoma Corporation Commission Full-term seat General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Bob AnthonyIncumbent | 100%% | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 0 | |||
| Election results viaOklahoma State Board of Elections | ||||
2008
On November 4, 2008,Jeff Cloud won re-election to the office of Oklahoma Corporation Commission (Full term). He defeated Charles Gray (D) in the general election.
| Oklahoma Corporation Commission (Full term), 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Jeff CloudIncumbent | 61% | 856,879 | |
| Democratic | Charles Gray | 39% | 548,190 | |
| Total Votes | 1,405,069 | |||
| Election results viaOklahoma State Board of Elections. | ||||
On November 4, 2008,Dana Murphy won election to the office of Oklahoma Corporation Commission (Short term). She defeated Jim Roth in the general election.
| Oklahoma Corporation Commission (Short term), 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Dana Murphy | 52.3% | 738,671 | |
| Democratic | Jim Roth | 47.7% | 674,905 | |
| Total Votes | 1,413,576 | |||
| Election results viaOklahoma State Board of Elections. | ||||
2006
On November 7, 2006,Bob Anthony won re-election to the office of Oklahoma Corporation Commission. He defeated Cody Graves (D) in the general election.
| Oklahoma Corporation Commission, 2006 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Bob AnthonyIncumbent | 58.7% | 536,341 | |
| Democratic | Cody Graves | 41.3% | 378,030 | |
| Total Votes | 914,371 | |||
| Election results viaOklahoma State Board of Elections. | ||||
2004
On November 2, 2004, Denise Bode won to the office of Oklahoma Corporation Commission. She defeated John Wylie in the general election.
| Oklahoma Corporation Commission, 2004 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Denise Bode | 63.6% | 857,387 | |
| Democratic | John Wylie | 36.4% | 489,759 | |
| Total Votes | 1,347,146 | |||
| Election results viaOklahoma State Board of Elections. | ||||
2002
On November 5, 2002,Jeff Cloud won election to the office of Oklahoma Corporation Commission. He defeated Keith Butler (D) and Roger Bloxham (I) in the general election.
| Oklahoma Corporation Commission, 2002 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Jeff Cloud | 53.7% | 540,751 | |
| Democratic | Keith Butler | 41.2% | 415,355 | |
| Independent | Roger Bloxham | 5.1% | 51,155 | |
| Total Votes | 1,007,261 | |||
| Election results viaOklahoma State Board of Elections. | ||||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the termsOklahoma Corporation Commission election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
State profile
| Demographic data for Oklahoma | ||
|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 3,907,414 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 68,595 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 73.1% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 7.2% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 1.9% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 7.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 7.8% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 9.6% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 86.9% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 24.1% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $46,879 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 19.7% | 11.3% |
| Source:U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Clickhere for more information on the 2020 census andhere for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Oklahoma. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the censushere. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
Oklahomavoted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
More Oklahoma coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Oklahoma
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- Public policy in Oklahoma
- Endorsers in Oklahoma
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- More...
See also
Oklahoma government: | Previous elections: | Ballotpedia exclusives: |
External links
Footnotes
- ↑The Washington Times, "Morrissette withdraws from corporation commissioner race," June 22, 2016
- ↑Oklahoma State Election Board Website, "Voter Registration in Oklahoma," accessed January 3, 2014
- ↑National Archive sand Records Administration, "Historical Election Results," accessed June 16, 2016
- ↑Oklahoma Corporation Commission, "Corporation Commissioners Since 1907," accessed June 16, 2016
- ↑The New York Times, "Drilling is making Oklahoma as quake prone as California," March 28, 2016
- ↑6.06.1Fox25, "Rep. Richard Morissette upset with OCC response to quakes," January 4, 2016
- ↑The Norman Transcript, "Rep. Richard Morissette announces candidacy for Corporation Commission," April 14, 2016
- ↑Red Dirt Report, "Earthquake issue not as easy as flipping switch, Commissioner Murphy says," April 23, 2016
- ↑Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedwithdraw - ↑Tulsa World, "Richard Morrissette drops out of Corporation Commission race," June 22, 2016
- ↑KFOR, "Okla voters could decide to expand governor's power to appoint current elected officials," March 14, 2011
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