Oklahoma's first openly gay state senator has lost his bid for congress in the Sooner State's fifth district. With 97.4 % of precincts reporting, McAffrey's Republican challenger has him beat by a margin of 60.3% to 36.2%. News OK reports:
Republican Steve Russell, a U.S. Army veteran and author, captured the congressional seat Tuesday that includes most of Oklahoma County, Russell, 51, defeated state Sen. Al McAffrey, an Oklahoma City Democrat, and three Independents and will replace U.S. Rep. James Lankford in the U.S. House. Lankford, R-Oklahoma City, ran for the U.S. Senate and won the seat being vacated by Sen. Tom Coburn.
Russell will be the third different congressman since 2007 in the district that includes most of Oklahoma County and Pottawatomie and Seminole Counties.
He’s the first, at least in recent history, that didn’t actually live in the district when he was elected. Russell lives in south Oklahoma City, just outside the boundary of the district he was elected to represent. The U.S. Constitution only requires that members of the House live in the state that they represent. Russell’s home has been on the market for several months.
