The 1964 United States Senate special election in Oklahoma took place on November 3, 1964. Democratic Senator
Robert S. Kerr, who won re-election to his third term in
1960, died in office on January 1, 1963. Governor
J. Howard Edmondson resigned from office so that his Lieutenant Governor,
George Nigh, could appoint him to the U.S. Senate. Edmondson ran for election in the ensuing special election, and faced strong competition from former Governor
Raymond D. Gary and State Senator
Fred R. Harris. Edmondson placed first in the primary, but failed to win a majority, with Harris narrowly beating out Gary for second place. In the runoff, Harris defeated Edmondson in a landslide. In the general election, Harris faced former
Oklahoma Sooners football coach
Bud Wilkinson, the Republican nominee. Even though President
Lyndon B. Johnsonwon Oklahoma by a wide margin over Republican presidential nominee
Barry Goldwater, the Senate race was much closer. Ultimately, Harris only narrowly defeated Wilkinson by just 2% of the vote.