UPDATE: Brent VanNorman's campaign says he will request a recount.
TULSA, Okla. — Businessman Brent VanNorman got 32% of the vote in the City of Tulsa Mayoral Election, but he is not going to be in the runoff.
Now, the question — who will the 18,000+ voters who cast a ballot for him vote for now?
- See also >>> Tulsa mayoral race heads to runoff in November
Richelle Voth of Tulsa's Brookside neighborhood won't get to vote for her preferred candidate this November."I'm very proud of him, proud of his supporters who came alongside him."
“He also was very strong on funding the police which, this is Brookside and we have street crime. So I’m someone who supports that. He had a plan for small businesses to thrive and succeed, and I still believe in that vision.”
State Rep. Monroe Nichols led Tulsa County Commissioner Karen Keith after Tuesday's tallying, but fewer than a thousand votes separated all three candidates.
- Previous coverage >>> RESULTS: Election night results in, Tulsa mayoral race goes to runoff
"I think he will always be an asset for Tulsa now that he’s in there. We know him,” VanNorman voter Andrea Ellsworth told 2 News. Ellsworth knows her vote is highly sought after going into November.
"And I’ve thought about that," Ellsworth added. "I’ve thought, ‘Where is my vote going to go?’ I thought, ‘Do I just not vote? Do I just not check that box?’ I don’t know yet. It’s still early.”
The other 18,000 voters, who no longer have their preferred candidate in the race, are in the same situation.
Both the Nichols and Keith campaigns know they'll have to reach out to Tulsans who didn't support them the first time around if they're gonna win a spot at City Hall.
"I would hope they realize that they have to represent all of us in Tulsa,” Ellsworth said.
Just don't expect these VanNorman voters to make up their minds so soon.
"I’ll need to go back to the drawing table and look,” Voth said.
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