Published: November 05, 2008 11:15 am      

Lerblance deftly defeats Republican challenger

It had been one of the toughest local races in recent memory, pitting two candidates in a hotly-contested election for the District 7 state Senate seat.

In the weeks leading up to the election, many voters saw their mailboxes stuffed with flyers from both campaigns criticizing one candidate and proclaiming the virtues of the other — in addition to all the media ads and phone calls.

When the last vote had been counted, incumbent District 7 state Sen. Richard Lerblance, D-Hartshorne, defeated Republican challenger Kenny Sherrill, of McAlester, by 55 percent of the vote in the four counties which comprise the district.

Lerblance garnered 14,888 votes district-wide, while Sherrill had 12,173 — with Lerblance getting the win by 2,715 ballots.

“I narrowed the margin,” Lerblance said on Tuesday night, referring to the 2004 race between the two candidates.

Asked what made the difference in the race, Lerblance said “I got out and people know what I’ve been doing.”

Lerblance also noted his endorsement by groups ranging from the Oklahoma Education Association to the National Rifle Association.

Meanwhile, Sherrill talked like a candidate who is already planning for the next campaign.

“I’ll see him next time — in four years,” Sherrill said Tuesday night.

He had a different opinion as to what made the difference in Tuesday’s election.

“Mudslinging,” Sherrill said.

Didn’t both candidates sling some mud in the race?

“I never attacked his character,” Sherrill said.

“I only showed how he voted, which showed his character.”

Lerblance said he didn’t want to respond to Sherrill’s mudslinging remark.

“I’m above that,” he said.

Next time, Sherrill said he won’t wait so long to start spotlighting Lerblance’s voting record.

Lerblance said the ads Sherrill put out about him did not tell the whole story by spotlighting a handful of votes.

“I’ve probably voted on over 2,000 bills, “ Lerblance said. “You have to look at the overall service.”

He said he also had endorsements from the Oklahoma Public Employees Association, the AARP, Professional State Firefighters of Oklahoma and from child advocacy groups.

“They represent a lot of people,” he said.

Both candidates noted the help of their supporters.

Lerblance said he already has his staff working on a bill to put a drug court in all 77 Oklahoma counties. Drug court offers alternatives to prison for drug offenders, as long as they maintain a rigid court-supervised program.

“They are a great alternative to prison,” Lerblance said.

Lerblance carried Pittsburg and Latimer counties, along with the small portion of Sequoyah County in the district, according to unofficial election results.

Sherrill carried Haskell County, but only by 71 votes, not enough to catch up with Lerblance’s lead in the other three counties.

Lerblance received 9,571 votes in Pittsburg County in 49 precincts, compared to 7,392 for Sherrill.

In Latimer County’s 13 precincts, Lerblance garnered 2,324 votes, while Sherrill had 1,778.

Haskell County voters marked 2,325 ballots for Sherrill and 2,254 for Lerblance in that county’s 17 precincts.

In the six District 7 precincts in Sequoyah County, Lerblance had 739 votes, while Sherrill had 678.

Tuesday marked the second time the two candidates had met in an election for the District 7 state Senate seat. In 2004, both candidates had run as Democrats.

In the 2004 Primary Election, Lerblance won by garnering 51.66 percent of the vote, compared with 48.34 percent for Sherrill.

Lerblance had led with 9,384 votes in the 2004 race, while Sherrill had 8,780. That gave Lerblance a 604-vote margin of victory over the four counties in 2004.

During the 2004 election, Lerblance had carried Pittsburg County by a vote of 5,522, compared to 4,987 for Sherrill.

Lerblance had also carried Latimer County in 2004, getting 1,807 votes, while Sherrill had 1,375.

Sherrill had carried Haskell County in the 2004 election, receiving 1,905 votes, while Lerblance got 1,587.

Also in 2004, Sherrill had carried the portion of Sequoyah County which is in District 7, garnering 513 votes while Lerblance had 468.

A total of 18,164 votes had been cast between the two candidates in 2004, compared with 27,061 on Tuesday

Contact James Beaty at jbeaty@mcalesternews.com.