My Picks for the 2026 Oklahoma GOP Primary

Tuesday, June 16th is the Oklahoma Primary Election, and voters all across the state will be heading to the polls to decide nominees in many different races. Some are already voting via absentee ballot. Hopefully the information in this post will be helpful with your voting plans. If you don't know where to vote, or want to see your sample ballot, use this helpful link from the Oklahoma State Election Board to find out.

Below are a few of my voting picks. Work and other commitments prevented me from getting into more detail on most of these races, but here are some basic thoughts. If I have any additions or changes as we approach election day, I will clearly note them. I have included links to additional helpful resources, endorsements, and voter guides at the bottom:

New post-Trump endorsement poll: Mazzei on top of Gov race, Merrick into 3rd

The first publicly-released opinion poll since President Donald Trump endorsed Republican candidate Mike Mazzei finds the former state senator (unsurprisingly) taking the lead, with Attorney General Gentner Drummond falling into second, and perhaps more surprisingly, former state senator Jake Merrick jumping into third over significantly more well-funded candidates, albeit a somewhat distant third. The same poll finds U.S. Rep. Kevin Hern with a massive lead in the race for U.S. Senate.

Here are the results from JMC Analytics:

Cong. Brecheen endorses Marty Quinn for Insurance Commissioner

Oklahoma's best, most conservative member of Congress endorses Marty Quinn for Insurance Commissioner. I concur. Marty Quinn is a great guy, and has the best private and public sector experience to do this job well.

Congressman Josh Brecheen: 

“I am proud to endorse Marty Quinn for Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner. I had the privilege of serving alongside Marty in the Oklahoma Legislature for eight years, where he consistently proved himself to be a principled conservative, a man of integrity, and someone who always kept his word. Marty never wavered in his commitment to doing what was right, even when it wasn’t the easiest path.

Small: Thomas’ warning should be heeded

Thomas’ warning should be heeded

By Jonathan Small

 

In April 15 remarks at the University of Texas at Austin, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas warned that progressivism threatens a core element of the United States’ founding—the belief that it is “self-evident” that “all men are created equal” and “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,” as described in the Declaration of Independence.

 

Americans need to take Thomas’ warning seriously.

Hilliary political machine dumps major money into SD32, backs Curtis Erwin over conservative Sen. Dusty Deevers

Candidate Curtis Erwin flanked by major donors Dustin (l) and Michael Hilliary (r)

There's a new big-time player on the Oklahoma political scene. The Hilliary family of southwest Oklahoma, known best for their broadband company (Hilliary Communications) and a growing statewide media network (Hilliary Media Group), rose in recent years from relative obscurity to being among the biggest political donors in Oklahoma and garnering appointments to key governmental roles and boards. 

Now, they are setting their sights on Lawton area's State Senate District 32, backing political blank-slate newcomer Curtis Erwin against one of the most conservative Republicans in the Oklahoma State Senate, Dusty Deevers. This is the second election in a row that they have heavily backed a candidate in this Senate seat, having flushed tens of thousands of dollars into a candidate who lost to Deevers in the 2023 special election.

Voters in Senate District 32 need to recognize this for what it is: a brazen attempt by powerful special interests to oust a vocal conservative reformer.