625,506 409,261 Start date November 2, 2010 | 60.4% 39.6% | |
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The Oklahoma gubernatorial election of 2010 was held on November 2, 2010 to elect the Governor of Oklahoma. Due to term limits placed on him by the Oklahoma Constitution, incumbent Democratic Governor Brad Henry could not 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. The non-partisan Cook Political Report and CQ Politics rate the gubernatorial election as "likely Republican" and "leaning Republican", respectively. On November 2, 2010 Republican candidate Mary Fallin was elected, defeating Democratic candidate Jari Askins.
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Overview
Democratic Governor Brad Henry was easily re-elected in 2006 and maintains the highest approval rating of any state official in Oklahoma. In 2008, Republicans made gains in the state legislature and took control of both the House and the Senate for the first time in Oklahoma history.
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 lieutenant governor), and as no third-party or write-in candidate qualified for the ballot, Oklahoma was guaranteed its first ever female governor.