5 things to know about Oklahoma's election

From the gubernatorial race to state questions, here are five things to note from Election Day in Oklahoma:

POLLS, POLLS, POLLS

1. Polls were either very wrong or two key races broke very late. Most polls showed a close gubernatorial race. That includes internals conducted for Democrat Drew Edmondson and Republican Kevin Stitt. But Stitt beat Edmondson by 12 points and won 73 of the 77 counties. It wasn't just Oklahoma pollsters who got it very wrong. Edmondson was using well-known Democratic pollster Celinda Lake out of Washington, D.C. And the national parties must have thought the gubernatorial race was close because they poured millions of dollars into media here. Meanwhile, neither national party got heavily involved in the 5th District congressional race, which polls showed would be won by incumbent U.S. Rep. Steve Russell, a Republican. Instead, Democrat Kendra Horn, of Oklahoma City, won a squeaker in the district, which includes most of Oklahoma County and Seminole and Pottawatomie Counties.

HISTORIC ELECTION

2. Republican Kevin Stitt on Tuesday became the first citizen of the Cherokee Nation to be elected governor of Oklahoma. Some background on Stitt's Cherokee heritage is in this piece. 

Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker issued this statement today:

“Governor-elect Stitt has a unique opportunity as the first Cherokee Nation citizen elected governor of Oklahoma. The Native tribes of our state are its greatest asset, not only contributing needed revenue to the state, public schools, law enforcement and infrastructure development, but also enhancing the tourism appeal of our great state. I hope Mr. Stitt realizes the benefit of the tribes in his state and will work with them to strengthen our state. I congratulate Governor-elect Stitt and look forward to working with him for the betterment of all Oklahomans."

HOMETOWN WIN — BARELY

3. Democrat Drew Edmondson's family roots in Muskogee County go way back. His father, Ed Edmondson, and uncle, J. Howard Edmondson, grew up there and went on to successful political careers in Washington and Oklahoma. Drew Edmondson graduated from high school there and served as district attorney for 10 years. Edmondson won the county by a single vote on Tuesday over Republican Kevin Stitt. Edmondson received 9,512 votes, Stitt got 9,511 and Libertarian Chris Powell got 668.

OKC BLUE?

4. Oklahoma County, the state's most populous, gave Edmondson a 12-point victory, while Edmondson lost statewide by 12 points to Stitt. Democrats continued to widen their footprint in Oklahoma City, with  Julia Kirt and Carri Hicks winning state Senate seats that had been held by Republican men.  And Democrat Kendra Horn's victory over incumbent U.S. Rep. Steve Russell included a victory of nearly 5 points in Oklahoma County. Edmondson and Horn won precincts north of the Kilpatrick Turnpike in areas that were red in the 2016 presidential race.

OTHER NOTES

5. Rural voters definitely asserted themselves again on Tuesday as conservatives in statewide and legislative races. Edmondson won Oklahoma and Cleveland Counties in the OKC metro area and ran close to Stitt in Tulsa County. But his showing in rural Oklahoma was dismal. That was expected going into the general, but that's another thing the pollsters got very wrong. Meanwhile, among the Democratic losers was incumbent state Rep. Steve Kouplen, of Beggs, who is the minority leader. According to reporter Dale Denwalt, of The Oklahoman, the Republican who defeated Kouplen, Logan Phillips, hasn't filed any paperwork with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission, meaning he either didn't raise or spend enough money to meet the reporting threshold or he just didn't file the necessary reports.