Runoff Expected in Oklahoma’s Crowded GOP US Senate Primary

If there is one race to illustrate why a runoff exists in some states, it’s the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate special election in Oklahoma.

Ten GOP candidates are vying to replace 87-year-old Republican Sen. Jim 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.

Kendra Horn, who represented Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional District from 2019 to 2020, is unopposed in the Democratic primary.

On the Republican side, Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) is the heavily funded frontrunner, comfortably leading in the polls.

Republicans are heavily favored to prevail in the general election, making the GOP primary especially significant since the winners are virtually assured a victory in November.

If no Republican candidate surpasses 50 percent of the vote, a runoff election between the two top vote-getters will take place on August 23, 2022.

While Mullin is expected to lead the crowd when results are announced on June 28, it is less clear who will finish second and advance to a runoff, if Mullin finishes first and does not eclipse the 50 percent mark.

A poll jointly conducted by Oklahoma City’s KWTV News 9 and Tulsa’s KOTV News on 6 released on June 23 indicated that Mullin stands in first with 38.7 percent followed by top contender and former Oklahoma speaker of the house T.W. Shannon at 13 percent.

State Sen. Nathan Dahm is in third with 8.1 percent followed by Luke Holland (5 percent), Scott Pruitt (2.4 percent), Alex Gray (1.8 percent), and Dr. Randy Grellner (1 percent).

According to the poll, 30 percent of the likely Republican primary voters questioned are undecided.

The 44-year-old Mullin is a former professional mixed martial arts fighter, and the owner of Mullin Plumbing and Mullin

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