By Robert Medley
Managing Editor
Denise Crosswhite Hader, the Republican incumbent in House District 41, will face a Democrat on the ballot as voters head to the polls for the Tuesday, Nov. 5 general and presidential elections.
Mike Bockus is a Democrat in a district that is heavily Republican.
Hader, of Piedmont, has campaigned this fall with education issues.
Hader defeated a Republican challenger, Shea Bracken, in the June Republican primary.
Her campaign’s direct mailer reads, “Look forward to back to school.”
She has empowered parents to choose the best school for their child, increased education funding to record levels and raised teacher pay, “retaining our brightest educators,” the campaign mailer reads.
Her district covers all of the City of Piedmont, and mostly Canadian County with parts in Kingfisher, Logan and Oklahoma counties. Cashion and northwest Oklahoma City, including Surrey Hills, are in the district.
A district map shows the southern boundary as mostly Northwest Expressway, with Surrey Hills, between Cemetery and Sara Road just south of Northwest Expressway. The district boundary on the east is near Danforth Road / NW 192 and just west of Pennsylvania Avenue.
Hader was elected in 2018. She grew up in Piedmont and worked in U.S. Rep. Ernest Istook’s office.
The Oklahoma State Election Board shows that in House District 41 there are 27,753 registered voters.
There are 16,509 Republicans in the district, including 9,004 registered Republicans living in Canadian County and 711 in Kingfisher County. There are 5,991 registered Republicans residing in northwest Oklahoma County within the HD 41 borders.
There are also 5,706 Democrats, 5,263 Independents and 275 Libertarians in HD 41, the Oklahoma Election Board reported in January 2024.
Who is Mike Bockus?
Bockus ran against Crosswhite Hader in 2022 and lost. This is his second election. He said he wants to encourage voter registration. While canvassing door-to-door in the district, many people do not know who their state representative is. Bockus, a computer science professor at the University of Central Oklahoma, tells them he is running.
“I’m knocking on doors visiting people and trying to get them more engaged. There are many people who do not have a clue as to who their representative is or who they are voting for. Many people do not choose a person over their party. As a Democrat we have a lot more common ground than they think,” Bockus said. He said he supported the elimination of the state grocery tax, as one example.
“I am just trying to point out that they do have a choice,” Bockus said.
The 2022 election results show Crosswhite Hader defeated Bockus with 67.52% of the vote compared to 32.48% for Bockus. The total was 9,641 votes for Hader, 4,637 for Bockus.
Bockus said he has seen the demographics change a little in the past two years with more development in northwest Oklahoma City in Oklahoma County and in the Piedmont area in Canadian County.
“I’m in this for the long haul. I’ve seen the district move as urban sprawl makes the district more populated it moves closer to the center,” Bockus said.
What to know about voting
Early voting will begin on Wednesday, Oct. 30, for the Tuesday, Nov. 5 election.
Early voting in Oklahoma is available to all voters, the Oklahoma State Election Board reports.
Early voting starts 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 30, Thursday, Oct. 31, Friday, Nov. 1 and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2.
In Canadian County, early voting is offered at the Canadian Valley Technology Center Cowan Campus, 1701 S Czech Hall Road in Yukon, 73099, and at the El Reno Public Safety Center, 2707 Faith Ave. in El Reno, 73036.
Early voting in Oklahoma is available with no excuse needed, the state election board reports.
Early voting is offered from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday immediately preceding a state or federal primary, runoff, general or Presidential Preferential primary election.
Early voting is offered from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays preceding the general election.
On the day of election, voters can go to their precinct polling places. An Oklahoma ID or valid ID is required, or a sworn affidavit must be signed at the precinct.
