Insider
Oklahoma is holding a key Republican Senate runoff election on Tuesday, along with several other statewide runoffs. Polls in the state closed at 7 p.m. local time and 8 p.m. ET.
The races and the stakes:
US Senate runoff
Rep. Markwayne Mullin and former state House speaker T.W. Shannon are competing in a Republican runoff primary election, as they were the top two vote-getters in the initial June primary.
In June, Mullin received 43.6% of the vote in a multicandidate primary, while Shannon earned 17.5% of the vote. The runoff was triggered after neither candidate received over 50% of the vote.
Both men are competing to fill the remaining term of longtime GOP Sen. Jim Inhofe, who has served in the upper chamber since 1994 and announced earlier this year that he would step down in January 2023 — four years before the end of his term.
Mullin received the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, and both men in a recent debate agreed that the former president was “absolutely” cheated out of the election, despite presenting no evidence of mass irregularities.
In the most recent Sooner Poll, Mullin held a 49%-39% lead over Shannon among likely voters; 12 percent of respondents were undecided.
The candidate that emerges from the primary will face former Democratic Rep. Kendra Horn, who in 2018 was elected to an Oklahoma City-anchored district before losing her reelection bid in 2020 to now-GOP Rep. Stephanie Bice.
US Senate
In the state’s other Senate contest, Republican incumbent Jim Lankford easily won his primary race in June.
However, Democratic voters will be deciding on a nominee, choosing either cybersecurity professional Madison Horn or attorney Jason Bollinger.
State Treasurer
State Rep. Todd Russ will face off against former state Tax Commission chairman Clark Jolley in the GOP runoff election.
The winner will compete against Democrat Charles de Coune and Libertarian Gregory Sadler.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Oklahoma Secretary of Education Ryan Walters will face Shawnee Public Schools Superintendent April Grace in the GOP runoff for state Superintendent of Public Instruction.
The winner will run against Democrat Jena Nelson, a former Oklahoma Teacher of the Year.
State legislative runoffs: