Recap on primary election results
Posted on: 6/19/26
The sun has risen and the dust has settled on Oklahoma’s primary elections, with all OHA-supported candidates either winning their primary or making it into a runoff. While political insiders expressed concern leading up to Tuesday’s elections, Senate leadership had a strong night, beating back challengers who were supported by the Oklahoma Freedom Caucus, a minority caucus within the Republican caucus that roiled priorities for leadership in both the Senate and House last session. In the House, incumbents largely ruled the night, beating back a field of primary challengers.
Statewide Contests
U.S. Senator: Congressman Kevin Hern moves on to the general election with a commanding 69.76% of the vote. Hern will face N’Kiyla ‘Jasmine’ Thomas in November.
Governor Candidates: Attorney General Gentner Drummond and former Sen. Mike Mazzei will advance to the Aug. 25 runoff, with AG Drummond leading Mazzei 26.26 to 25.97%.
Lieutenant Governor Election Result: Facing a crowded field, former Oklahoma Speaker of the House T.W. Shannon won his primary election outright with 53.76% of the vote. He faces Democrat Kelly Forbes in November.
Attorney General Election Result: Former State Representative and House Floor Leader Jon Echols won his election for AG with 55% of the vote to Jeff Starling’s 45%. Echols will face Nick Coffey in November.
State Treasurer Election Results: State Auditor Cindy Byrd defeated incumbent State Treasurer Todd Russ with 61.66% of the vote. She will face Libertarian Kiefer Perry in November.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Election Results: The state superintendent race surprised political observers with Robert Franklin, a late entry into the race, leading going into a runoff with James Taylor. Many observers predicted either term-limited Rep. Toni Hasenbeck or current state Sen. Adam Pugh would make it into a runoff. The winner of the August runoff will face Democrat Jennettie Marshall in November.
Commissioner of Labor Election Results: Term-limited state representatives John Pfeiffer and Kevin West will advance to the August runoff, receiving 35.27 and 41.78% respectively. The winner will face Democrat Kevin Dawson and Libertarian Mike Hall in November.
Insurance Commissioner Election Results: Bob Sullivan and former State Representative and Senator Marty Quinn will advance to the August runoff with 37.37 and 27.68% of the vote respectively. The winner will face Democrat Craig MacIntyre in November.
Corporation Commissioner Election Results: Rep. Brad Boles advances to the general election with 55.27% of the primary vote. He will face Rhonda Eastman in November.
U.S. Congressional Races: Congressmen Frank Lucas and Tom Cole cruised by their primary challengers. Congressman Lucas will face Susie Byrd, while Congressman Cole will face Mitchell Jacob in November. While she did not face a primary challenger, Fifth District Congresswoman Stephanie Bice will face Democrat Jena Nelson and independent candidates Robert Henri and Austin Nieves in November.
On the heels of election day, Congressional District 1 has seen Tulsa pastor Jackson Lahmeyer drop out of the race, effectively handing the Republican nomination and seat to Rep. Mark Tedford. Rep. Tedford came out on top of the crowded primary field receiving 32.16% of the vote, while Lahmeyer received 25.87%. Lahmeyer has until Friday to make his removal from the ballot official. The winner will face democrat John Croisant in November.
State Question No. 832 – minimum wage: The raise-the-wage campaign was soundly defeated by a vote of 55.38 to 44.62%.
State House Election Results of Note
District 96 Results: Rep. Preston Stinson prevailed over his primary challenger, receiving over 60% of the vote. He faces political newcomer, Democrat Ashtyn Smith in November.
District 42 Results: Rep. Cindy Roe won re-election with 53% of the vote compared to 46.9% for her challenger, Kaity Keith.
District 36 Results: Facing a three-way primary, Rep. John George won re-election with 57.06% of the vote. He faced social media provocateur Jenni White, who finished second in the contest with 35.55% of the vote. Rep. George will face Democrat Leslie Hellebuyck in November.
District 12 Results: Rep. Mark Chapman pushed back a challenger from Wagoner County Assessor Sandy Hodges, receiving 56.77% of the vote to Hodges’s 43.23%. Rep. Chapman will face Democrat Tiffany Prater in November.
District 69 Results: Former state Rep. Sheila Dills will be returning to the Capitol after coming out on top of a four-way primary. Dills returns after choosing not to run for re-election in 2022. Upon the announcement of Rep. Tedford’s run for Congressional District 1, Dills entered the race with Rep. Tedford’s endorsement. Dills will face Democrat Tyler Price in November.
District 9 Results: Former staffer for Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin during his time in office, Crystal Campbell will face Scotty Stokes in the August runoff. The winner will face Democrat Andrea Biscardi in November.
District 18 Results: Incumbent Rep. David Smith will face Pamela Gordon in the August runoff election. Rep. Smith concluded the evening with 47.4% of the vote to Gordon’s 30.5%
District 38 Results: The crowded field to replace term-limited Rep. John Pfeiffer has narrowed to two with Madison Bolay and Danielle Deterding making it to the August runoff. Bolay received 31.55% of the vote compared to Deterding’s 26.52%.
State Senate Elections of Note
Facing challengers from the Freedom Caucus, senators backed by leadership won re-election including Appropriations Chairman Chuck Hall (SD-20); Sen. Bill Coleman (SD-10); Sen. Ally Seifried (SD-2); Sen. Tom Woods (SD-4); and Sen. Grant Green (SD-28).
Two outspoken members of the Freedom Caucus were impacted by Tuesday’s results. Sen. Dusty Deevers (SD-32) lost his bid for re-election. Dr. Jean Hausheer and pastor Curtis Erwin will face each other in August. The winner will face Democrat Booker Newton and independent Valentina Pena.
Sen. Dana Prieto (SD-34) will challenger Aaron Forst in August. Sen. Prieto received 29.42% of the vote while Forst received 27.29%. The winner will face Democrat Amy Hossain.
Two other Senate seats of note, Senate Districts 24 and 26, will see August runoffs. Senate District 24 will see Jon Painter versus Robert Keyes in August. Painter received 34.47% of the vote to Keyes’ 23.23%. The winner will face Democrat Jonathan Morales and independent Melissa Elder in November.
Senate District 26 saw Rick Koch and Jessica Winegeart move to an August runoff. Brady Butler, a candidate many political observers viewed as aligning with the Freedom Caucus, did not advance.
Suffice it to say, the Senate Republican Caucus will be in a strong position heading into 2027. (Scott Tohlen)