World: Democrats Gain In GOP Districts
By Randy Krehbiel/Tulsa World ~ That Oklahoma Republicans are steadily gobbling up Democrats' historic lead in registered voters is not news.
The GOP won control of the state House of Representatives in 2004 for only the second time in state history and shows no signs of giving it up.
Republicans expect to win a Senate majority in November for the first time ever.
According to state Election Board figures, registered Republicans gained ground on Democrats in 36 of 48 Senate districts over the past two years, and in 69 of 101 House districts, with many of those gains in Democratic strongholds in southeastern and southwestern Oklahoma.
What is perhaps surprising is that Democrats are also making inroads into traditionally Republican areas, most notably south Tulsa and northwest Oklahoma City.
"It's hard to say whether it's new people moving into those districts or people who have lived there becoming more involved," said state Democratic Party Chairman Ivan Holmes, who lives in far northwest Oklahoma City.
"We have seen a change in the population. There is a fairly large Hispanic community we didn't have before, and the African-American population has increased, too."
In House District 85, sandwiched between upscale Nichols Hills and blue-collar Bethany, Democrats have had a net gain of almost 700 voters since 2006, when Republican David Dank defeated Democrat Jennifer Seal by 127 votes.
Read the rest of the story at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectID=12&articleID=20080907_16_A17_Takaoa521156.
The GOP won control of the state House of Representatives in 2004 for only the second time in state history and shows no signs of giving it up.
Republicans expect to win a Senate majority in November for the first time ever.
According to state Election Board figures, registered Republicans gained ground on Democrats in 36 of 48 Senate districts over the past two years, and in 69 of 101 House districts, with many of those gains in Democratic strongholds in southeastern and southwestern Oklahoma.
What is perhaps surprising is that Democrats are also making inroads into traditionally Republican areas, most notably south Tulsa and northwest Oklahoma City.
"It's hard to say whether it's new people moving into those districts or people who have lived there becoming more involved," said state Democratic Party Chairman Ivan Holmes, who lives in far northwest Oklahoma City.
"We have seen a change in the population. There is a fairly large Hispanic community we didn't have before, and the African-American population has increased, too."
In House District 85, sandwiched between upscale Nichols Hills and blue-collar Bethany, Democrats have had a net gain of almost 700 voters since 2006, when Republican David Dank defeated Democrat Jennifer Seal by 127 votes.
Read the rest of the story at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectID=12&articleID=20080907_16_A17_Takaoa521156.
Labels: Democrat Voter Registration
posted by Mike McCarville @ 10:17 AM
<< Home