PolitiFinder

1996 Oklahoma U.S. House District 5 Election

Oklahoma · 3 candidates · See every 1996 U.S. House race

Who won the 1996 Oklahoma U.S. House District 5 Election?

Ernest Istook won the 1996 Oklahoma U.S. House District 5 Election. Ernest Istook received 148,362 popular votes (69.72%). The main challenger was James L. Forsythe (27.07%).

See the full head-to-head between Istook and Forsythe

Istook +42.6 pts · won by 90,768 votes
Ernest IstookRepublicanWINNER69.72%
148,362 votes
James L. ForsytheDemocratic27.07%
57,594 votes
Ava KennedyIndependent3.21%
6,835 votes
Popular-vote totals for U.S. House elections come from the MIT Election Data and Science Lab (1976–2024).

Data last verified July 28, 2026.