I'm not really surprised.


"Tulsa, Oklahoma City hold primaries for mayoral seats

TULSA (AP) - A highly charged race for mayor in Tulsa and a far quieter contest in Oklahoma City both went before voters Tuesday, with the incumbent mayors of the state's two largest cities appearing on primary election ballots.

Three Republicans challenged Tulsa Mayor Bill LaFortune for the party's nomination. The Democratic contest featured an advertising showdown between former state Rep. Don McCorkell and Kathy Taylor, who resigned her job as the state's secretary of commerce and tourism to run for mayor.
Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett easily beat two lesser-known Republican challengers, Joe "Sarge" Nelson and Bob Waldrop. With all 271 precincts reporting, Cornett had 12,383, compared with 1,157 for Waldrop and 596 for Nelson, Oklahoma County Election Board Secretary Doug Sanderson said. Any candidate who gets more than 50 percent of the vote is elected mayor.
The popularity of Cornett, a former television anchor, was buoyed when he helped bring the NBA's New Orleans Hornets to Oklahoma City after the team's facilities were damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
Overall, 10 candidates in Tulsa sought their party's nomination. Voters had faced a barrage of yard signs, billboards, radio and television ads and plenty of mudslinging ahead of the primary, when spending by five candidates exceeded $1.5 million.
Growth in the violent crime rate was a key issue in the race, with most candidates pointing to the need for more police officers and crime prevention programs. They also spoke of building unity following political turmoil that brought a rift on the city council and an unsuccessful attempt to recall two councilmen last year.
Chris Medlock, one of those councilman, joined County Commissioner Randi Miller and real estate agent Brigitte Harper in challenging LaFortune in the GOP race.
LaFortune had touted his leadership in Tulsa's improving economy. During his tenure, voters approved the $885 million Vision 2025 economic development referendum, which included $22 million in incentives for the American Airlines maintenance base in Tulsa.
In the Democratic race, Taylor accused McCorkell of running a smear campaign.
The businessman had called for Taylor to drop out or explain why election records show she voted twice in the 2000 presidential primary. Taylor said she voted only by absentee ballot in Florida and that records showing a vote in Tulsa must be in error.
The double-vote claims followed reports that she and her husband, businessman Bill Lobeck, owed back taxes in Florida.
The other Democratic contenders were James Alexander Jr., Accountability Burns, Prophet-Kelly Clark and James Oliver Desmond Jr.
The Tulsa mayoral race will be decided in an April 4 general election between the winners of the Democratic and Republican primaries and independents Paul Tay and Benford Faulk.
A general election is scheduled the same day in Oklahoma City if no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote Tuesday. "