The Winner

If you live in Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional District, Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-OK) will keep representing you after the closest race of her House career. The Associated Press projected Bice the winner on election night, Tuesday, Nov. 3, according to News 9. ​

Bice had 131,023 votes, or 49.5%, to 127,687 votes, or 48.2%, for Democrat Jena Nelson, a margin of 3,336 votes. The figures come from unofficial results from the Oklahoma State Election Board with all 320 precincts reporting. Independents Robert Henri and Austin Nieves split the remaining 2.3%.

The Race

Nelson is an Edmond nonprofit development professional and a former Oklahoma Teacher of the Year. She won the June 16 Democratic primary over Trey Martin with 56.7%, while Bice had no primary opponent. Nelson carried Oklahoma County, but Bice won the district’s portions of Canadian, Logan, Lincoln, Pottawatomie and Seminole counties, according to NonDoc.

The result was a sharp swing from 2024, when Bice beat Democrat Madison Horn by about 21 points, 60.7% to 39.3%. Before this election, Cook Political Report rated the seat Solid Republican, Inside Elections rated it Likely Republican and Sabato’s Crystal Ball rated it Safe Republican, according to Ballotpedia.

The district covers the northern Oklahoma City metro and parts of Canadian, Oklahoma, Logan, Lincoln, Pottawatomie and Seminole counties, according to Oklahoma Voice. Its communities include parts of Oklahoma City, along with Edmond, Piedmont, Guthrie, Shawnee and Seminole. After the 2020 census, the Republican-controlled Legislature redrew the district, moving Democratic-leaning parts of southern Oklahoma City out and adding rural areas.

The district has about 812,300 residents, a median household income of $74,700 and a median age of 37. About 38.2% of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, unemployment is 4.3% and 12.5% of residents live below the poverty line. Residents are 66.1% white, 11.1% Black, 10.7% Hispanic and 3.2% Asian.

What’s Next

Bice’s new term begins Sunday, Jan. 3, and she will serve in the minority after Democrats won control of the House. During the campaign, she named cutting burdensome red tape and making sure federal resources reach the district as her priorities, according to News On 6.

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