Yet another Democrat has pulled off an upset victory in deep-red Oklahoma.
As NBC News reports, Democrat Allison Ikley-Freeman defeated Republican Brian O’Hara in Tuesday’s special election for the Oklahoma’s Senate District 37. Ikley-Freeman is the fourth Democrat this year to flip a Republican seat in Oklahoma special elections.
The Tulsa wife and mother of three said she was shocked at the news of her victory.
“We knew if we could fight hard, we had a chance,” she said, adding: “It was worth fighting for.”
Toby Jenkins, an Oklahoma LGBTQ advocate, praised the efforts of Ikley Freeman, who is openly gay.
“It’s a huge historic step for us,” he said. “It’s going to be really inspiring to our young people.”
Observers attributed Ikley-Freeman’s victory to scandals and massive budget shortfalls linked with the GOP-dominated state Legislature.