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July 28, 2010

More Edmondites chose Lankford

14 votes separated Democrats in city precincts

James Coburn The Edmond Sun

EDMOND — Support from Edmond Republicans helped to boost their hometown 5th Congressional District candidate James Lankford to an Aug. 4 runoff with former state Rep. Kevin Calvey of Del City.

Registered voters from the 28 precincts within Edmond city limits cast 3,897 votes for Lankford in the Republican primary election, while Calvey received 3,217 votes, according to the Oklahoma County Election Board.

The Congressional 5th District includes most of Oklahoma County, Pottawatomie County and Seminole County.

“I was honored to have the support and trust of so many people in Edmond during the election,” Lankford said Wednesday. “I share the same values, work ethic and passion for limited government with thousands of people in Central Oklahoma.

“As I have talked to people in Edmond during the campaign, I have heard a consistent longing for a conservative voice in Washington that is not like the status quo.”

Lankford received 18,755 votes, or 33.58 percent of the total vote count, according to the state Election Board. Calvey received 18,143 votes, or 32.48 percent of the total vote. They became the front-runners Tuesday night in a field of seven candidates.

“I’m very honored, humbled and blessed to have the support of so many thousands of residents of Edmond and the 5th District,” Calvey said. “And we look forward to victory on Aug. 24.”

Twenty-three percent of registered Oklahoma County voters cast their ballot in Tuesday’s primary election, compared with a 25 percent voter turnout in 2006, said Doug Sanderson, Oklahoma County Election Board secretary.

“There were fewer Democratic races; that could be part of the cause of it,” Sanderson said Wednesday.

On the Democratic side, with 340 of 340 precincts reporting, Billy Coyle, of Oklahoma City, received 21,139 votes, or 56.83 percent of the total, while Edmond resident Tom Guild received 16,059 votes, or 43.17 percent of total votes.

“Tom and I fought pretty hard against each other and it was a good, clean fight,” said Coyle, an Oklahoma City defense attorney. “I respect Tom Guild for working that hard.”

Coyle’s support barely surpassed Guild in the City of Edmond with 1,556 votes for Coyle and 1,542 votes for Guild, according to precinct numbers from Oklahoma County.

Coyle thanked his supporters who volunteered and contributed financially to his campaign. His race against Guild worked well for the Democratic party, he told The Edmond Sun.

In Oklahoma County, 50,380 Republicans voted in the 5th District race while 29,091 Democrats cast their ballots, according to the Oklahoma County Election Board.

“I think there were about 36,000 Democrat voters in this primary where there were 55,000 Republican voters,” Coyle said. “So there’s a 19,000 vote difference right there that I’ve got to make up.”

Coyle and two Independents, Dave White of Deer Creek and Clark Duffe of Edmond, will be on the Nov. 2 general election ballot. The Aug. 24 runoff will determine the GOP nominee in the race.



jcoburn@edmondsun.com | 341-2121, ext. 114

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