Five-term Oklahoma incumbent goes down in Republican primary
(CNN) - Jim Bridenstine won the Republican primary for Oklahoma's 1st Congressional District on Tuesday, defeating five-term incumbent John Sullivan by seven percentage points.
Bridenstine won 53% of the vote to Sullivan's 46%, according to unofficial numbers from the state election board, despite the incumbent outraising him four-fold.
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Sullivan brought in over $992,000 in this campaign - including over $575,000 from political action committees - to Bridenstine's $244,000, Federal Election Commission records showed.
After his defeat, Sullivan said the voters' decision was "loud and clear."
"The voters they know what's right and I respect that decision, and I've been on the other side of it for five times before," he said.
Bridenstine said he was humbled and would remain so through "this process."
"This is just the beginning we have a long way to go," he said.
He will face a Democrat and independent in the November election, but the state and district are predominately Republican.
Sullivan won his last three races with over 60% of the vote, and before that, a special election and reelection to the seat with over 50%.
Bridenstine credited his victory in part to "an anti-incumbency kind of environment throughout our entire country, and I was the beneficiary of that."
He is a pilot in the U.S. Navy Reserve has served in Afghanistan and Iraq.
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I guess he wasn't conservative enough for the te party gang. The GOP is held hostage by the tea partiers and now do not know how to get out of it. This is too funny. They are so full of hatred I do not understand how anyone could deal with them at all.
"...defeating six-term incumbent John Sullivan by seven percentage points"
This is the same Sullivan that "brought in over $992,000 in this campaign – including over $575,000 from political action committees – to Bridenstine's $244,000, Federal Election Commission records showed"
Come Nov, Etch-A-Sketch Mitt RobMe will find out loud and clear that SuperPACs & the Koch Brothers/Anderlson MOINEY can't buy you votes!!!!
Hopefully he won't pledge allegience to anything other than serving US citizens.
This is the new face of Conservative politics...relative youth + military experience. Congratulations, Jim.
Another batch of money that just went down in flames.
People want NEW BLOOD in Congress. They want people to GET THIS RUN AWAY GOVERNMENT UNDER CONTROL.
@Dean – This is the new face of Conservative politics.
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yeah.. and the amount of $$ wasted on removing a Republican candidate and replacing them with a Teapug is the trend. And the stalemate in DC will continue unabated as long as the gullible continue to elect politicians instead of statesmen.
Another conservative face that owes the Kochs and special interests his loyalty. It would be refreshing to find one conservative who is not beholden to big oil, wall street, big banks, foreign corporations, and Grover Norquist.
53 to 46 is Loud and Clear?? Republican goes down - Mark Foley???
As long as there are republicans, government will not work. Every republican jobs bill has anti abortion legislation tied to it.
How exactly is it possible for an active duty military officer to run for political office?
Good for the nation...
This is too funny. Finally, having more money doesn't mean you get elected. The SCOTUS thought that Corporations are People Too, but the American People Vote!
vote all republicans out move this country forward. Obama 2012
Wait....what??? - How exactly is it possible for an active duty military officer to run for political office?
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Why do you think that a volunteer military would require a person to give up his citizenship rights that allow them to run for office? Actually it says he's in the Navy Reserve.
See what money can do – just wait, you will see it in local, county, state elections along with the federal elections soon. There will be no democracy – only haves and have nots. It will take a few election cycles, but unless congress passes laws to stop it or to make donations transparent it will happen.
Goes to show you that money cannot buy the election, at least in this case. But who cares. What is Bridentstein's plan to create jobs? Follow Mitt Romney and outsource to cheap countries?