The Daily Populous Tuesday November 12nd, 2024 day edition
Authored by dailykos.com and submitted by Happy_Traveller_2023

The election marks a milestone for a city with a troubled racial history.

by Nuria Martinez-Keel, for Oklahoma Voice

In a district demolished a century ago in the Tulsa Race Massacre and rebuilt from the rubble, state Rep. Monroe Nichols declared victory as the first Black Tulsan elected as the city’s mayor.

Black residents say Nichols’ election adds a new, inspiring page to the history books of a city known for its dark past. In 1921, hundreds of African American Tulsans lost their lives, homes, and businesses when a white mob attacked the affluent neighborhood of Greenwood.

The Greenwood Cultural Center was alight with music and cheering Tuesday night on Tulsa’s Black Wall Street, as Nichols won the mayoral seat 56% to 44% over Tulsa County Commissioner Karen Keith. Nichols scored a decisive win despite raising about $1 million less than his opponent, campaign finance records show.

“Tonight on the grounds of greatness, we proclaim that Tulsa is a city on the move,” Nichols said in his election night remarks.

A fellow Democratic lawmaker, Sen. Kevin Matthews, said Wednesday that Nichols’ victory “one of the most historic and significant things that I’ve seen in my lifetime in Tulsa,” where only 15% of the population is Black.

Democratic state Sen. Kevin Matthews of Tulsa, top left, said the election of Tulsa’s first Black mayor is a “historic and significant” moment for the city.

Matthews is a Tulsa native who represents the city’s historically Black north side, including the Greenwood area, in the state Senate. He said he counts Nichols and Keith as friends and described both as quality mayoral candidates.

The election of Nichols, he said, will be particularly inspiring to young African Americans in the city and shows that Tulsa voters were “ready to do something that they’ve never done before.”

“This election is a sign that Tulsa’s ready to be more progressive and less divisive, and I think that Monroe will be a unifying mayor,” Matthews said.

While conceding the race, Keith acknowledged her opponent’s victory is “historic for our city.”

“I’m very excited for the possibilities,” she said in her concession speech. “I think it’s great recognition for some of our citizens who never really felt like they’ve been represented.”

Nichols, 41, will succeed Mayor G.T. Bynum, who chose not to seek reelection after eight years in office. The mayoral seat, though nonpartisan, has been held by Republicans since 2009.

Tulsans guaranteed that a lifelong Democrat would become their next mayor by advancing Nichols and Keith to Tuesday’s runoff election. Nichols and Keith were the top-two leaders in an Aug. 27 general election, with known conservative Brent Van Norman finishing as a close third.

Both leading candidates ran on similar platforms of reducing homelessness and crime while improving student academic outcomes and relationships with tribal nations.

Nichols, though, proposed bold goals of eliminating homelessness in Tulsa by 2030, adding 6,000 affordable housing units by 2028, reducing blighted properties by 60%, and making Tulsa the “safest big city in America.”

“To all of you here tonight, many of you went out on a limb pretty early on for a candidate who didn’t have a legacy name, didn’t have early backing of all the typical power brokers, but we didn’t give into the pressures of maintaining the status quo,” Nichols told the crowd at his election night celebration. “We instead shared a bold, clear, and detailed vision of what Tulsa could be.”

Democratic state Rep. Regina Goodwin of Tulsa attends a special session of the state House at the Oklahoma State Capitol on Oct. 3, 2023.

Matthews said he believes Nichols’ youth and work ethic inspired young voters and attracted broad support.

“I worked with him in the legislature, where he never stopped working,” Matthews said. “In these elections, they’re usually won by the person who works the hardest.”

Rep. Regina Goodwin, a Tulsa Democrat, credited the strong coalition of supporters and campaigners Nichols developed. His endorsements include former Democratic Govs. Brad Henry and David Walters, former Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor, and Tiffany Crutcher, a community leader and social justice advocate.

Nichols honed his ability to connect across the political aisle and understand opposing viewpoints in the state legislature, Goodwin said. With a Republican supermajority, that’s a Democrat’s only hope of getting legislation passed, she said.

Goodwin noted that Nichols will have a “totally different vantage point” at city hall, where he’ll be able to shape and create policy as mayor.

“I think he’s the man that has met the moment,” Goodwin said. “Monroe has met the moment and has support needed to get across the finish line.”

Oklahoma Voice is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions: info@oklahomavoice.com. Follow Oklahoma Voice on Facebook and X.

deeejm on November 11st, 2024 at 18:46 UTC »

Oh hey, my vote actually helped somewhere.

fraygirl on November 11st, 2024 at 16:17 UTC »

He’s a great guy, I voted for him.

Jaredus on November 11st, 2024 at 15:31 UTC »

Considering Tulsa's history, this is great news. I think many people could do with news like this regarding the election.