— Runoff elections are in the works for both Democrats and Republicans competing for the 2nd Congressional District post left vacant by outgoing U.S. Rep. Dan Boren of Muskogee.

Westville businessman Markwayne Mullin and state Rep. George Faught will battle for the Republican nomination. Muskogee businessman Wayne Herriman and former state and federal prosecutor Rob Wallace will duke it out for the Democratic nod.

Boren is the sole Democrat in the state’s congressional delegation. His announcement a year ago that he would not seek a fifth term opened the floodgates of candidates. Ten candidates — six Republicans, three Democrats and one independent — filed for the open seat.

Tuesday’s primary election winnowed the field to five. The four major-party candidates will square off in the Aug. 28 runoff election when voters will choose the Democratic and Republican nominees, who will face Michael G. Fulks of Heavener in the Nov. 6 general election.

Mullin dominated the crowded Republican field of six, seizing more than 42 percent of the ballots cast in the GOP primary. Faught, a Muskogee Republican, came in a distant second with just more than 23 percent of the vote.

In the Democratic primary Wallace snagged 46 percent of the votes cast Tuesday compared to almost 42 percent for Herriman.

All four candidates said staying on message would be the key to locking up their nominations.

“It’s been telling our story,” Mullin said about his success in the Republican primary. “When we started this a year ago, we didn’t have any political clout. Being able to pull out a 20-point lead over everybody says something.”

Faught ended Tuesday night taking jabs at Mullin, criticizing his opponent for spending “nearly $1 million in paid advertising” and “violating campaign finance law, and leaving his campaign a quarter million dollars in debt.”

“Our campaign has been fueled by small contributions from within the district and an army of volunteers,” Faught said in an email message. “We stayed on budget, on message, and we stand here tonight offering voters a real choice.”

Faught said Democrats are salivating to run against Mullin, who has come under fire “for violating ... campaign finance law and arming a convicted felon.”

Mullin said Faught has no “choice but to go negative on us.”

“We say what the Democrats did to each other in that race,” Mullin said about the barrage of negative attacks that dominated the airwaves during the week leading up to Tuesday’s primaries. “There is no point in fabricating or misleading the voters.”

On the Democratic side of the ledger, Wallace and Herriman touted their strengths leading up to the runoff election. Wallace said he is ready to debate the issues and win on the merits of the issues. Herriman said he is optimistic he can triumph over a “career politician” based upon his “good business sense.”

Wallace said he was not surprised by the outcome against an opponent “who wants to spend a couple hundred thousand dollars of his own money to run negative ads.

Unofficial results



2nd Congressional District Republicans

With 528 of 530 precincts reporting

Dustin Rowe, 2,866, 10.13 percent; Dwayne Thompson, 901, 3.18 percent; George Faught, 6,578, 23.24 percent; Wayne Pettigrew, 2,477, 8.75 percent; Dakota Wood, 3,474, 12.28 percent; Markwayne Mullin, 12,004, 42.42 percent.



2nd Congressional District Democrats

With 528 of 530 precincts reporting

Wayne Herriman, 28,576, 41.57 percent; Earl E. Everett, 8,457, 12.30 percent; Rob Wallace, 31,714, 46.13 percent.