Oklahoma Senate Primary Runoff Narrows A Crowded GOP Field

After deciding among 13 candidates in the Oklahoma U.S. Senate special GOP election primary on June 28, voters will now choose between two.

U.S. Rep. Markwayne Mullin received the most support with 43.6 percent and former Oklahoma Speaker of the House T.W. Shannon finished second at 17.5 percent, Decision Desk HQ reported.

Since no one surpassed the 50 percent mark, Mullin and Shannon will meet in a runoff on Aug. 23 to determine who will win the Republican nomination in a battle to replace Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe.

The 87-year-old Inhofe took office in 1994 and was elected to a fifth term in 2020 before announcing in February that he will retire, effective Jan. 3, 2023.

Kendra Horn, who served as a U.S. representative in Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional District from 2019 to 2020, was unopposed in the Democratic primary and will face the winner of the runoff in November.

Libertarian Robert Murphy and independent candidate Ray Woods are also on the ballot.

Campaign Reset

Mullin and Shannon agree that the runoff represents a reset in the campaign since Oklahomans will hear from two choices instead of 13.

“It’s like starting a new campaign,” Mullin told The Epoch Times. He was first elected to Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional District in 2013. “You only have one opponent instead of 12, and it is important to reach as many people as possible since, typically, runoffs have a lower voter turnout.”

Shannon, who served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 2006 to 2014, and was Speaker of the House from 2013 to 2014, pointed out that Mullin “had a head start with fundraising and money from the D.C. establishment” and that the runoff provides more time to build awareness.

“For us, it’s important to get out there and tell our story,” Shannon said at his watch