Andrew Rice
Oklahoma state Sen. Andrew Rice smiles as he waits for a television interview in Oklahoma City, Tuesday, July 29, 2008. Rice won the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe. (AP Photo)

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Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe looks strong in his bid for a third term. The Democratic nominee, on the other hand, has a lot of work to do if he wants to pull off an election upset in November.

Inhofe, 73, already was a heavy favorite in Tuesday's primary because of his superior financing. He got 84 percent of the vote in sweeping past three little-known opponents.

His opponent in the fall, state Sen. Andrew Rice, got a little less than 60 percent of the vote in defeating Jim Rogers, a perennial candidate who had run twice previously for the Senate.

Rice, 35, said it was "still a good victory." He noted that Rogers had a familiar name and turnout was low 328,974 voters, only about 18 percent of the 1.8 million Democrats and Republicans eligible to vote.

"It's going to be important to get my vote out more and more and to have the spotlight shined on our records," Rice said.

In other races, Republican Rep. John Sullivan of the 1st Congressional District and Democratic Rep. Dan Boren of the 2nd Congressional District won their primaries with ease.

Inhofe has drawn the ire of environmentalists for calling global warming a hoax. Although he said he is a proud conservative, Inhofe described himself as "a big spender" on issues important to Oklahoma defense and infrastructure.

Rice, a former missionary, has said he was inspired to run for public office after his brother died in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11.

Rice said he has a record in his first year in the state Senate of working with Republicans on important issues, while Inhofe has been "an ultra partisan" in Washington.

Inhofe said it would be "a pretty hard sell" to convince voters that he is a Washington politician with little real-world experience. He said he had 30 years' experience in business and ran for federal office because of excessive government regulation.

"Of the opponents I've had, I've never had one where there's so much disparity in philosophy," Inhofe said of Rice.

Inhofe has raised more than $5 million, according to his latest campaign report, while Rice has collected about $1.4 million.

Independent Stephen P. Wallace also will be on the ballot for the Senate race in November.

In the other races, Sullivan will face businesswoman Georgianna Oliver, while Boren goes up against Raymond J. Wickson, who has lost two previous congressional bids.

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