1996Flipped from DemocraticFinal results
1996 election for U.S. Senate in Oklahoma
U.S. Senate · Oklahoma
James M. Inhofe (R) won with 56.7% of the vote, defeating Jim Boren (D) by 16.6 points, a seat Democrats won last time.
James M. InhofeRepublican · winner
56.7%670,610
Jim BorenDemocrat
40.1%474,162
Bill MaguireIndependent
1.3%15,092
Agnes Marie RegierLibertarian
1.2%14,595
Chris NedbalekIndependent
0.7%8,691
1,183,150 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1996
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
Jim BorenJames M. Inhofe
$184.4K
Raised by the campaign
$2.7M
$183.4K
Spent by the campaign
$2.5M
$1K
Cash on hand
$208.3K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1996.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1996
The candidates
James M. Inhofe (R)Jim Boren (D)
Also on the ballot: Bill Maguire (Independent), 1.3%; Agnes Marie Regier (Libertarian), 1.2%; Chris Nedbalek (Independent), 0.7%