1964 United States Senate special election in Oklahoma

The 1964 United States Senate special election in Oklahoma took place on November 3, 1964. Democratic senator Robert S. Kerr, who won re-election to his third term in 1960, died in office on January 1, 1963. Governor J. Howard Edmondson resigned from office so that his lieutenant governor, George Nigh, could appoint him to the U.S. Senate. Edmondson ran for election in the ensuing special election, and faced strong competition from former governor Raymond D. Gary and State Senator Fred R. Harris. Edmondson placed first in the primary, but failed to win a majority, with Harris narrowly beating out Gary for second place. In the runoff, Harris defeated Edmondson in a landslide. In the general election, Harris faced former Oklahoma Sooners football coach Bud Wilkinson, the Republican nominee. Even though President Lyndon B. Johnson won Oklahoma by a wide margin over Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater, the Senate race was much closer. Ultimately, Harris only narrowly defeated Wilkinson by just 2% of the vote.

1964 United States Senate special election in Oklahoma

← 1960 November 3, 1964 1966 →

Nominee Fred R. Harris Bud Wilkinson Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 466,782 445,392 Percentage 51.17% 48.83%

County results Harris:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Wilkinson:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election J. Howard Edmondson Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Fred R. Harris Democratic

Democratic primary

Candidates

• J. Howard Edmondson, incumbent U.S. Senator, former governor of Oklahoma
• Fred R. Harris, state senator
• Raymond D. Gary, former governor of Oklahoma

Results

Democratic primary^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	J. Howard Edmondson (inc.)	215,455	36.44%
	Democratic	Fred R. Harris	190,868	32.28%
	Democratic	Raymond Gary	170,869	28.90%
	Democratic	Willard R. Owens	14,134	2.39%
Total votes			591,326	100.00%

Runoff election results

Democratic primary runoff^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Fred R. Harris	277,362	60.90%
	Democratic	J. Howard Edmondson (inc.)	178,051	39.10%
Total votes			455,413	100.00%

Republican primary

Candidates

• Bud Wilkinson, former Oklahoma Sooners football coach^[2]
• Thomas J. Harris, Oklahoma City businessman^[2]
• Forest W. Beall, former chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party^[2]

Runoff Election Results

Republican primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bud Wilkinson	100,544	79.22%
	Republican	Thomas J. Harris	19,170	15.10%
	Republican	Forest W. Beall	7,211	5.68%
Total votes			126,925	100.00%

^[3]

General election

Results

1964 United States Senate special election in Oklahoma^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Fred R. Harris	466,782	51.17%	−3.67%
	Republican	Bud Wilkinson	445,392	48.83%	+4.22%
Majority			21,390	2.34%	−7.89%
Turnout			912,174
	Democratic hold

References

1. "1958-1966 Election Results" (PDF). Oklahoma State Election Board. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
2. "Wilkinson Announcing Race for U. S. Senate Today". Daily Oklahoman. Oklahoma City, Okla. February 5, 1964. p. 1. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
3. "Our Campaigns - OK US Senate - Special R Primary Race - May 05, 1964". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved August 28, 2021.