Democrat Karen Gaddis scores surprise victory, takes state House seat held by GOP since early '90s

[SecularMotion]

Source: Tulsa World

Democrats scored a big special election victory Tuesday as retired school teacher Karen Gaddis won an east Tulsa County House seat that has been in Republican hands since the early 1990s.

“I was very hopeful,” Gaddis said. “I thought it would be very close, and apparently it was.”

Gaddis, who lost to then-Rep. Dan Kirby in last November’s general election with 40 percent of the vote, finished with 52 percent Tuesday to 48 percent for Republican Tressa Nunley.

The final count was 1,072 to 977.

Read more: http://www.tulsaworld.com/homepagelatest/democrat-karen-gaddis-scores-surprise-victory-in-state-house-district/article_abe78955-8cb5-528a-97a4-c6cf452b2d23.html

[flor-de-jasmim]

1. Great news!

[JI7]

2. These races don't get much attention but they are important when it comes to redistricting

and other issues which can affect the national agenda.

[nycbos]

7. Took the words right out of my mouth.

[BumRushDaShow]

3. Yay for OK Dems gaining seats

in the state House and Senate.

[DinahMoeHum]

4. Local, local, local. . .

It all boils down to the local level in politics.

[Baitball Blogger]

5. Way to go Nancy Pelosi!

If you're going to bean her for the loses, you have to recognize her for the wins.

[Shell_Seas]

6. Two (D) wins in OK,

I'm really hoping that trickles it's way down to Texas.

[hatrack]

8. And all OK Dems had to do was turn out fewer than 1,100 voters . .. .

[Honeycombe8]

9. Oklahoma? Wowzeewow! Great! nt

[Aristus]

10. It's wonderful, but not a huge surprise for me.

My cousin is a public school teacher in Oklahoma, and she has been drifting further and further to the left all the time. Every time the good ole boy hicks in the OK State House visit another outrage upon the public school system, she's on Facebook raging against the seemingly immovably entrenched, ultraconservative powers that be.

There must be more like her out there in sodbuster country, and they are finally voting smart.

I don't imagine this will turn Oklahoma blue anytime in this particular geologic era. But one can hope...

[tclambert]

11. Wait, Democrats actually won a special election? The DNC must have sat this one out.

[Alice11111]

12. Congrats! Really good news. OKlahoma? Amazing