In a race that came down to the wire, Monroe Nichols and Karen Keith edged out a field of seven candidates to move on and compete in November to become Tulsa's next mayor.
According to unofficial results, Nichols, a state representative, received 33.10% of the vote Tuesday night. Keith, a county commissioner, received 32.62% of the vote. They will compete for the mayor's seat Nov. 5, the same day as the general election held throughout the United States.
The third leading mayoral candidate, Brent VanNorman, was eliminated from the race after receiving 31.84% of ballots cast. Candidates John Jolley, Paul Tay, Kaleb Hoosier and Casey Bradford each received less than 2% of the vote.
The race for mayor was significantly tighter than predicted by polling data at the beginning of August. A Strategy Management survey showed Keith earning over 40% of the vote in each sample.
"Tonight, what I believe we proved is that Tulsans are ready for a mayor who’s accountable. I think Tulsans are ready for a mayor who they have confidence in. I think Tulsans are ready for somebody to be a problem solver," Nichols said.
Nichols said his team plans to engage "a lot of voters" in the next two months that weren't reached before the Tuesday election.
While the mayor's race is nonpartisan, Keith and Nichols are both Democrats.
In the Legislature, Nichols passed policy to allow police to give verbal warnings to people with nonviolent misdemeanor warrants and to give state money to build out Tulsa's levee system. His priorities include ending homelessness, co-governing with tribal nations and improving student outcomes, according to his website.
As a county commissioner, Keith worked with the Legislature to secure money to build out the levee system and spearheaded the construction of the new Tulsa County Family Center for Juvenile Justice. She has largely praised current Mayor G.T. Bynum for his work in Tulsa over the past eight years on the campaign trail, and has said she plans to work closely with the first responders and simplify the city's building permit process.
Nichols and Keith have agreed on issues like building affordable housing but have opposed each other on topics like how the city enforces laws for Native Americans and how the county has handled abuse allegations and noncompliance at the juvenile center.
"We obviously have a great future, and I am ready to lead because I will be a mayor for all — for Democrats, for Republicans, for independents," Keith told guests at her watch party.
Keith said she and her supporters will "be organized" and "keep on trucking" until the runoff.
VanNorman, who stepped into the race in May after City Councilor Jayme Fowler stepped down, said in a statement that it was "very disappointing to finish third."
"But (I'm) so proud of what our team did in 90 days starting with zero name recognition and getting outspent 3 to 1 against popular local leaders. Congratulations to Monroe and Karen," VanNorman said.
