Organizers for Monroe Nichols knock 10,000 doors in final weekend

Sign up for our free newsletters, created for the culture by the culture!

• The Block A weekly roundup of Greenwood, Tulsa and Oklahoma news.
• The Daily Holler Local, state and national news in your inbox Monday through Friday.

Sign up

Grassroots organizers backing Monroe Nichols for mayor announced staggering final outreach numbers ahead of Election Day on Tuesday.

According to lead organizers of Tulsans for Monroe, a group not directly affiliated with Nichols’ campaign, knocked nearly 10,000 doors between Saturday and Monday.

In the last two months, organizers have knocked on a total of 20,000 doors and made nearly 5,000 phone calls. Roughly 1500 of those doors were knocked on Monday alone.

The announcement of the group’s achievements comes hours before polls are set to open in Tulsa’s mayoral election. It’s the election since 2009 that Tulsans will cast their vote for mayor with no incumbent on the ballot. Current mayor GT Bynum opted not to run for a third term. He has remained neutral in the race to find his successor.

Monroe Nichols emerging in a tight race for new mayor

Three main frontrunners have emerged in the race: Rep. Monroe Nichols, Commissioner Karen Keith, and businessman Brent VanNorman.

VanNorman who moved to Tulsa in 2021, has received the backing of many farther-right groups across the city. Keith, a long-time county commissioner, was once considered the front-runner in the race. However, as details of abuse at the county’s juvenile justice center continue to come out, ongoing questions about Keith’s oversight of the center have blunted that support.

In addition to a groundswell of grassroots support, Monroe Nichols has picked up endorsements of both The Black Wall Street Times and The Tulsa World. Nichols is also supported by former Mayor Kathy Taylor, the last woman and last Democrat to hold the office.

If elected, Monroe Nichols would be the first Black mayor to lead the City of Tulsa. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote on Tuesday, the top two vote-getters will advance to a runoff election in November.

Elections in all nine city council districts and runoffs for county and state offices will be on the ballot Tuesday. Tulsans will also vote on two ballot measures to raise pay for councilors and the city auditor.

Polls are open from 7am to 7pm. Voters can locate their polling places by visiting https://okvoterportal.okelections.us/.