With a Republican sweep of statewide offices in the Nov. 2 election and a strong majority in both the House and the Senate, the GOP control, but may encounter divisions within the party, said Rose State College political science professor John Wood.

Republicans made great strides nationwide and in Oklahoma, and while the Republican legislatures will have a good friend in the governor's mansion, Wood said, traditional pro-business conservatives and those in the limited-government Liberty Caucus will likely disagree. He said divisions will also arise between urban and rural Republicans who differ over things like school consolidations.

"There are divisions within the Republican Party," Wood said. "It will be very telling in the next year."

Nevertheless, Republicans swept elections in Oklahoma. Wood said while many Republican voters ushered their candidates to victory with straight-party voting, many were also sending a message to Washington, D.C.

"It was voters saying 'I don't want what they're giving us,'" Wood said.

James Howell, a Democrat who served in the state Senate for more than a decade, found that many he talked with prior to the Nov. 2 election were voting not so much for Republicans as against Democrats and President Barack Obama.

"About 90 percent of the people I visited with are unhappy with the Obama leadership," he said. "It was almost unanimous."

NOT CONTENT
Rep. Charlie Joyner, R-Midwest City, said that while Republicans are in charge of the Legislature and the governor's office, he does not see this as a time for his party to sit back and be content with their wins. He also does not think Governor-Elect Mary Fallin will simply rubber-stamp any Republican-led legislation that makes it to her desk.

"What we have is a governor that is willing to work with the Legislature," Joyner said. "The Legislature is not going to send anything to her that's off the wall."

The House Republicans will be led by Shawnee minister Kris Steele. The House Democrats will be led by Del City's Scott Inman. House Republicans hold a 70-31 majority.

At the state Capitol, Inman will move out of his cramped, windowless third-floor office, but will have to work strategically, and reach across the aisle to advance any legislation from his caucus. As election results rolled in Nov. 2, he celebrated his win, but acknowledged it will be a long road ahead as he leads the minority Democrats.

"I'm looking forward to working with Gov. Fallin and Speaker Steele," Inman said. "Hopefully, we can move Oklahoma forward and put these partisan labels aside and vote on what's best for Oklahoma, and not what's best for a partisan agenda."

Howell praised Steele, and believes he is the best candidate to represent the House Republicans, and the state.

"I'm really impressed with Kris Steele," Howell said. "He's objective, he has the interest of the state at heart, and not just the Republican Party. He knows how to be bipartisan and fair."

In a statement after the election, Steele said he is ready to work with the Legislature in the best interest of the state, but made no secret that he will pursue a conservative agenda.

"We are eager to advance pro-growth, conservative policies that will move our state forward," Steele said.

NO SURPRISES
Despite an election year that trended toward ousting Democrats and incumbents, Howell said he was not surprised that Inman won.

"If any Democrat would win, it would be Scott Inman," he said. "Before the election, I would have given him an 80 percent chance of winning."

When Inman talked with voters over the last few months, he stressed an agenda that was conservative, yet middle of the road, and told voters that a vote for him was a vote for someone who cared about Del City, and not necessarily for a Republican or Democrat.

Joyner will return to the House as will his colleague Rep. Gary Banz. Banz, too, ran on a strong Republican agenda, but stressed a willingness to voters to work toward what is best for the state and not solely a particular party. In Senate district 42, Sen. Cliff Aldridge also won reelection.

With the Republican majority, a benefit Democrats held for decades, Howell said there must be cooperation from both parties, and warned that one party in complete control is not always the best alternative for the state.

"There's a danger to having one party in control of both houses and the governorship," he said. "You're not going to see many vetoes come out of the governor's office."

In recent years, the previously Democratic House and Senate went Republican. The House was briefly held by Republicans more than eight decades ago. Both houses shifted to a Republican majority under Democratic Gov. Brad Henry.

Howell, who served in a Democratic majority in the Senate, said he misses the days when he was at the capitol where, while Republicans and Democrats differed on many issues, they could at least get together to talk things out. He fears that animosity and partisanship has often gotten in the way of friendly negotiations, to the detriment of the residents of Oklahoma.

"Some of my best friends were Republicans," Howell said. "It's a different atmosphere out there now. Hopefully they will have less partisanship than in the past."

'PLAY NICE'
If both sides can set partisanship aside, Wood said members will be able to get things accomplished, but said Democrats will likely need to play nice and choose their issues carefully if they hope to be effective.

"It really depends on the legislation Democrats champion," he said. "They're going to have to be very picky about what they champion and they're going to have to find friends across the aisle."

As Howell sees it, Oklahoma was the leader in the national trend toward Republicans, but if people don't see progress in the next two years, voters in the state and around the country could decide to scrap those in office and start again with new candidates.

"We're just going to have to see what happens," he said.

Joyner said with the faith Oklahoma voters placed in Republicans, it will be a challenge for his party to deliver, but a challenge he welcomes.

"We have to lead by example and show the state that put the confidence in us that we're going to do the right thing," he said.

photo Eastern Oklahoma County Republican legislators Sen. Cliff Aldridge (from left), Rep. Charlie Joyner and Rep. Gary Banz. Photo/Kelley Chambers

Eastern Oklahoma County seatholders
Senate District 42
1965-1970: H.B. Atkinson (D)
1971-1986: James F. Howell (D)
1987-2002: Dave Herbert (D)
2003-present: Cliff Aldridge (R)

House District 94
1965-1975: Ray Trent (D)
1975-1985: Fred C. Joiner (D)
1985-1999: Gary Bastin (D)
1999-2007: Kevin Calvey (R)
2007-present: Scott Inman (D)

House District 95
1965-1973: A.J. Clemons (D)
1973-1989: David C. Craighead (D)
1989-1995: Jim Isaac (D)
1995-2007: Bill Case (R)
2007-present: Charlie Joyner (R)

House District 101
Seat originated in 1973
1973-1985:  Carl Twidwell (D)
1985-1987: Susan M. Milton (R)
1987-1995: Jeff Hamilton (D)
1995-2005: Forrest Claunch (R)
2005-present: Gary Banz (R)