By Constitution Staff

The United States Congress is composed of two chambers. Senators serve six-year terms with only a third of the seats up each election year. Each state has two seats in that upper chamber and have staggered terms. Only one of Oklahoma’s two U.S. Senate seats is up for election this year. Oklahoma’s five seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are up each election year since the members serve two-year terms. The Runoff Primary Elections on August 25 determined the final line up of candidates for the November 3 General Election.

Senator James Lankford was reelected in 2022, and his term will not be up until the 2028 election. The other U.S. Senate seat was held by the late Sen. Jim Inhofe. He was reelected in 2020 and his term would have ended this year, but he resigned just two years into his term, and a Special Election was held in 2022 to fill the remainder of Inhofe’s term. Second District Congressman Markwayne Mullin won that election and was running for reelection for a full-term this year until he was tapped by President Trump to be Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). With Senator Mullin no longer running for reelection, there was a opportunity for other candidates to consider the race.

The incumbents holding the Oklahoma seats in the U.S. House of Representatives had all planned to run for reelection and all had challengers. But, with Senator Mullin becoming the Secretary of DHS, several of the current members of the U.S. House considered running for the open senate seat. In the end, only First District Congressman Kevin Hern opted to go for the senate seat.

The Primary Elections to select the nominees for each political party were held on June 16. If no candidate received over 50 percent of the vote, the top two candidates would compete in the Runoff Primary Election on August 25.

U.S. SENATE

With Senator Mullin no longer running for reelection, a plethora of candidates filed for the open seat. While some candidates had already announced while Mullin was still running for reelection, many more joined when it became an open seat. Thirteen candidates filed, including members of all three recognized political parties, plus a couple of independent candidates. That list included five Republicans, five Democrats, one Libertarian, and two independent candidates.

Republican First District Congressman Kevin Hern was the first major contender to confirm he was making the race. President Trump’s early endorsement of Hern made him the frontrunner in the senate race, and probably deterred additional candidates from entering.

Congressman Hern, 64, of Tulsa was first elected to the U.S. House seat in 2018, and was reelected in 2020, 2022 and 2024. He serves on the powerful House Committee on Ways and Means, and chairs the Republican Policy Committee. In the 118th Congress, Hern served as Chairman of the Republican Study Committee, which is a congressional caucus of conservative members of the Republican Party in the U.S. House.

Hern is the owner of KTAK Corporation which at one time operated 24 McDonald’s restaurants. In addition to the McDonald’s franchises, Hern has other businesses involved in banking, manufacturing, real estate development, sports publishing, and multiple technology companies.

Congressman Hern faced four other candidates vying for the Republican nomination. But, Hern easily secured the GOP nomination in the June 16 primary.

Five candidates filed for the Democrat nomination for the U.S. Senate. Three of the five had already announced when Senator Mullin was still running for reelection. Since none of the Democrats received over 50% of the vote in the June 16 primary, the top two finishers had to compete for the Democratic Party nomination in the August 25 Runoff Primary.

N’Kiyla “Jasmine” Thomas, 31, of Ardmore finished in first place in the Democratic primary and moved to the runoff where she won the nomination with 61.19% of the vote over Jim Priest, 71, who received 38.81 percent. In 2010 Priest was the Democrat nominee for Oklahoma Attorney General, and lost to Republican State Sen. Scott Pruitt.

Thomas is a Chickasaw citizen, a registered nurse, and liberal activist. She boasts that if elected she would be the first Black, Native American women to hold the seat. She says she was born and raised in Ardmore by a black woman. She said on Facebook, “I believe in protecting reproductive rights and women’s healthcare, preserving Native sovereignty (I am a proud Chickasaw citizen), and standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, because equality and dignity are not negotiable.”

There will be a Libertarian Party candidate on the November ballot. Sevier White, 77, of Norman was the only Libertarian Party candidate to file. He is a former teacher and wrestling coach. He was the Libertarian candidate for the U.S. House in the Fourth District in 2016, and received 4% of the vote in the General Election.

In addition to the candidates of the three recognized political parties, there will be two independents – no political party.

Ron Meinhardt, 46, of Nowata is founder and executive director of Entering Wedge Media and Healthislife.org (a multifaceted organization focusing on primary health education and gospel evangelism). He promotes the “entering wedge” concept, a Seventh-day Adventist approach that the gospel’s first concern is one’s health.

Curtis Stinnett, 39, of Tulsa is a pharmacist. He was a pharmacist for the Chickasaw Nation in Ardmore, and more recently at Sam’s Club. He received his doctor of pharmacy degree from Southwestern Oklahoma State University.

U.S. HOUSE – FIRST DISTRICT

The First Congressional District includes all of Tulsa County, eastern Creek County including Sapulpa, western Wagoner County, and a small part of western Rogers County. With Republican incumbent Congressman Kevin Hern running for the open U.S. Senate seat, instead of reelection, eleven Republicans and one Democrat filed for the open seat.

In the crowed June 16 Republican Primary, State Representative Mark Tedford, 56, of Tulsa finished in first place with 32.15 percent of the vote. Since he did not get more than 50 percent of the vote, it was expected that he would face the second place finisher, Jackson Lahmeyer, 34, in the Runoff Primary. But, Lahmeyer dropped out immediately following the June 16 primary, making Tedford the GOP nominee by default. Tedford was first elected to the Oklahoma House in 2022, and was reelected in 2024. He abandoned his reelection campaign to the Legislature to make the run for Congress. During his four years in the Legislature he compiled a 53% cumulative average on the Oklahoma Conservative Index. He is the owner of an insurance agency.

Democrat candidate John Croisant, 49, was the only Democrat to file for the seat. Croisant serves on the Tulsa Public Schools board. He taught 6th grade geography and was the head girls soccer coach for 12 years, before retiring in 2018 to open an insurance agency.

U.S. HOUSE – SECOND DISTRICT

The Second District covers most of eastern Oklahoma, stretching south from the Kansas state line to the Red River border with Texas. Josh Brecheen was first elected to the seat in 2022 and reelected in 2024. Brecheen, 46, of Coalgate was a member of the Oklahoma Senate from 2010 to 2018. During his eight years in the Oklahoma Senate he had an impressive cumulative average score of 82% on the Oklahoma Conservative Index. Before his election to the Legislature, he worked for former U.S. Senator Tom Coburn. He has also owned a quarter-horse breeding operation.

Brecheen won reelection in 2024 with 74% of the vote and is running for reelection. He was challenged for the Republican nomination this year by Will Webb, 34, of Eufaula. Congressman Brecheen easily won renomination in the June 16 Republican Primary with 79.20% over Webb who received 20.80 percent.

Brandon Wade, 49, will again be the Democrat nominee for the Second District seat, after securing the nomination with 73.73 percent over Erik Terwey, 44, of Bartlesville. Wade was the only candidate filing for the Democrat nomination for the seat in 2024. In the 2024 General Election he finished way behind Congressman Brecheen, receiving just 21% of the vote. Previously, he ran for the U.S. Senate in 2022, but lost in the Democratic Primary. Wade has been a machinery assembler for Schlumberger in Bartlesville where he has also served as president of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 351.

There will also be an independent candidate on the ballot. Ronnie Hopkins, 69, of Rose is a pastor and also ran for the seat as an independent in 2024, and received 4 percent of the vote in that election.

U.S. HOUSE – THIRD DISTRICT

The third district covers most of the north central and western parts of the state, including the panhandle. Geographically, it covers about half the land area of the state due to the low population density. The boundary changes following the 2020 U.S. Census extended the district into southwestern Oklahoma County, which includes a portion of south Oklahoma City and a part near downtown.

Long-time Congressman Frank Lucas, 66, of Cheyenne was first elected to the seat in a Special Election in 1994. He is the longest serving member among the current Oklahoma Delegation in the U.S. House and is running for reelection. He is a former State Representative and runs a ranching operation. In 2024 Lucas faced two challengers for the Republican nomination and emerged as the victor in the Primary with 73% of the vote. Since no Democrats, Libertarians or independents filed for the office, that race was decided in that GOP Primary with the reelection of Congressman Lucas.

Wade Burleson, 64, of Enid challenged Lucas for the Republican nomination this year. Burleson also opposed Lucus for the nomination in 2022. For thirty years, until his retirement in 2022, Burleson was the Lead Pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Enid. He also served two terms as President of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. Congressman Lucas again won renomination in the Republican Primary with 70.77% over Burleson with 29.23 percent.

Suzie Byrd, 71, secured the Democratic Party nomination with 67.43% of the vote over Jules Roberson, 37 of Anadarko. Byrd has been a reporter for the Enid News & Eagle newspaper. She was an All American athlete when she was a student at Oklahoma State University.

U.S. HOUSE – FOURTH DISTRICT

The Fourth District covers much of south central and the southwestern parts of the state. Congressman Tom Cole, 76, of Moore is running for reelection. Cole was first elected to Congress in 2002. Prior to his election to Congress, he served in the Oklahoma Senate 1989-90. During his time in Congress, Cole has moved up to leadership positions, and is Chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee. Cole was reelected in 2024 with 65% of the vote and is running for reelection in 2026.

Congressman Cole was challenged for the Republican nomination this year by Marcie Everhart, 62, of Moore. Congressman Cole secured renomination in the GOP primary with 71.12% over Everhart.

Mitchell Jacob, 34, of Newcastle won the Democratic nomination with 54.44 percent over Jeff Pixley, 53, of Norman. Jacob served in the U.S. Army from 2017 to 2022 and received a law degree from the University of Oklahoma in 2025. His career experience includes working as a stockbroker, banker, and mortgage loan originator. He was the Democrat nominee for a seat in the Oklahoma House in 2024.

There will also be an independent candidate on the ballot. Rocco Bonacci, 51, of Lawton is a disability advocate and serves on the Lawton Access Board and the Lawton Council for the Blind.

U.S. HOUSE – FIFTH DISTRICT

The Fifth District includes most of Oklahoma City in Oklahoma County, all of Lincoln, Pottawatomie and Seminole counties. It also extends into the southern part of Logan County, including Guthrie, and a portion of eastern Canadian County, including Yukon and Piedmont.

In 2018 the Fifth District seat flipped from Republican to Democrat when Kendra Horn defeated the incumbent, Steve Russell. Oklahoma had not had a Democrat in Congress since 2012, and for the first time in state history Oklahoma had a Democrat woman to Congress. But, in 2020 state Sen. Stephanie Bice of Edmond secured the Republican nomination and went on to defeat Congresswoman Horn.

Prior to her election to Congress, Bice was elected to the Oklahoma Senate in 2014 and reelected in 2018. Although Bice was a moderate Republican, earning a 56% cumulative average on the Oklahoma Conservative Index for the six years that she had been in office, she has been far more conservative than the liberal Congresswoman Horn.

Congresswoman Bice, 52, won reelection in 2022 and 2024 and is running for a fourth term. She was reelected in 2024 with 60% of the vote. She was unopposed for the Republican nomination, but will face a Democrat and two independent candidates in the General Election.

Jena Nelson, 48, of Edmond secured the Democratic nomination with 56.75 percent Trey Martin, 39, of Edmond. She was the only Democrat to file for Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2022 and received 43% of the vote, losing to Ryan Walters in the General Election. She had worked as an educator for more than 16 years and won Oklahoma Teacher of the Year in 2020. She now works as a nonprofit development professional, corporate leadership developer and most recently served as acting Executive Director and Director of Programs for the Oklahoma Faith Network

Two candidates filed as independents and both will appear on the General Election ballot.

Austin Nieves, 30, of Oklahoma City is a dancer, performer, accountant, animal rescuer, inventor, and an Aero-Hydro-Solar Mechanic. He has also served as an adjunct instructor at the University of Central Oklahoma where he received a business degree and MBA.

Robert P. Henri, 49, of Edmond is running under the platform “Project Due Course,” aimed at forcing votes on major, popular reforms and ensuring congressional accountability. He is a former lab technician and currently works in the cannabis industry.