Oklahoma Republican US Senate Primary to Be Resolved in August Runoff

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla.—Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) on June 28 secured the most votes in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate but did not clear the 50 percent threshold necessary to avoid a runoff.

With 73 percent of the votes reported at 10:33 p.m. on June 28, Mullin received 43 percent of the vote followed by T.W. Shannon, who advanced with 17 percent, according to Decision Desk HQ.

The winner of the runoff is widely expected to win in the general election in the deep red state on Nov. 8 and fill the seat being vacated by Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.)

Former Oklahoma Speaker of the House and current bank CEO T.W. Shannon speaks to the press following his advance to the U.S. Senate primary runoff election in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on June 28, 2022. (Jeff Louderback/The Epoch Times)

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.

Thirteen Republican candidates battled to replace Inhofe, who took office in 1994 and was elected to a fifth term in 2020 before announcing in February 2022 that he would retire, effective January 3, 2023.

Mullin, a former professional mixed martial arts fighter who was first elected to Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional District in 2013, held a comfortable lead in the polls. He also had a 3-to-1 advantage in fundraising over the other candidates.

The 44-year-old Mullin owns Mullin Plumbing and Mullin Farms among several other businesses. He is a staunch advocate of former president Donald Trump’s America First platform and is an outspoken supporter of the Second Amendment, the pro-life movement, and completing the wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

T.W. Shannon is a candidate in Oklahoma’s June 28 Republican US

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