Tuesday, November 3rd, is the Oklahoma General Election, and voters all across the state will be heading to the polls to decide who will hold elected offices for the next two to six years (depending on the position). Below are my voting recommendations. I know I'm just a lowly blogger, but 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. Early voting continues tomorrow (Saturday, Oct. 31st), from 8am to 2pm, at these locations. Election day voting is 7am to 7pm at your polling place.
Before I start, let me explain how I approach voting.
I'm a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican -- in that order. While I am a conservative's conservative, as longtime readers of my blog know well, it is my faith first and foremost that informs and directs my politics. I make no apologies for that.
Almost always, the Republican nominee is the best choice. The Democratic nominee is virtually never an option, as that party that has made quasi-religious sacraments out of baby murder and the celebration of sexual perversion.
That said, while I've been a conservative activist since I registered to vote, and served in multiple elected and appointed positions within the Oklahoma Republican Party (from county level to the state executive committee), I have fewer qualms about occasionally casting a protest vote for an Independent or Libertarian candidate.
If a Republican candidate or nominee fails to meet certain character expectations or policy positions, I may not be able to in good conscience lend them my support. In such cases, they must win without my support, while I either undervote (skip) their race or cast a protest vote.
I owe my vote to no candidate. My loyalty is to God and His Word rather than to a political party. Principles are more important than politics.
Now that that's out of the way, here are my thoughts on the various races this general election (bold names are candidates I enthusiastically support or feel strongly about):
STATEWIDE RACES:
Governor: Mike Mazzei. There's a reason that, almost without exception, conservative legislators and activists supported Mazzei (including Congressman Josh Brecheen, State Rep. Jim Shaw, State Sen. Shane Jett, former gubernatorial candidate Jake Merrick, OK2A, and more) in the GOP runoff. Listen, I get that there are things about Mazzei some folks aren't happy with. His campaign hasn't been the greatest, though I will say he's much better one-on-one and in person that you might think from TV. However, Democrat Cyndi Munson would be an historically bad governor, far and away the most Leftist executive in Oklahoma's history.
The governor has four years of appointing judges, state commission and board members, state regents, cabinet secretaries, and a whole host of government officials and bureaucrats. We're talking thousands of individuals over a governor's four year term - some for lifetime appointments - with tremendous cumulative impact. We are still dealing with repercussions from Brad Henry's 8 years as governor, and it's been 16 years since he left office. We simply cannot risk four years of Cyndi Munson. Mazzei's clearly the man for the job.
Lieutenant Governor: T.W. Shannon (R). Shannon was probably Oklahoma's most conservative House Speaker in history, and I hope he will use the office to influence the Legislature (and especially the Senate, where he has a constitutional role) toward conservative action - an oft-neglected potential for this office.
Attorney General: I'm very tempted to leave this blank, but will likely hold my nose and vote for Jon Echols (R) solely because of how important this office is in issuing legal opinions and pushing back against DC overreach. We are nearing the end of four years of the political machinations of an attorney general (Gentner Drummond) who was more interested in using the auspices of his office to self-promote in order to advance his political career to the next office. I expect we would have more of the same under Jon Echols. He is a political chameleon who tries to blend in with whatever political crowd or movement can benefit him at the moment, from Chambercrat moderates to MAGA warriors. Furthermore, his track record on protecting Oklahoma taxpayers and citizens includes voting for over $3.6 billion in tax increases and to make it far easier for the Legislature to raise your taxes. Yuck.
However, Echols' bendable nature means it will be easier for grassroots conservatives to hold his feet to the fire than a Leftist who has no such electoral motivation.
State Treasurer: Cindy Byrd (R). Byrd is extremely capable and performed very well as State Auditor. I expect her great track record to continue.
Superintendent of Public Instruction: Jennettie Marshall (D). I'm making an exceedingly rare exception to my don't-vote-for-Democrats policy because of how horrendous the Republican nominee is here. Michael Bates has a must-read post articulating how Marshall is far and away the better, more conservative and principled alternative to Robert Franklin. The most liberal Democrats in the Legislature are supporting Franklin over Marshall, and were pushing him in the middle of the GOP primary and runoff. That alone should tell you something.
Labor Commissioner: Kevin West (R). West has been a solid conservative the in State House, and this will be a huge upgrade, as outgoing RINO Leslie Osborn has progressively become more and more left-wing over time.
Insurance Commissioner: Bob Sullivan (R).
Corporation Commissioner: Brad Boles (R).
FEDERAL RACES:
U.S. Senate: Kevin Hern (R). Hern was a solid conservative in the House, and will be a definite upgrade over Markwayne Mullin in every respect.
2nd Congressional District: Josh Brecheen (R). I personally know Josh and trust his character, judgment, and motivation. Brecheen has an excellent voting record; he's among the very top conservatives by any metric (100% with CPAC, 100% with Club For Growth, 98% with Heritage, 96% with The New American). He fought against bad legislation in the State Legislature and demonstrated a willingness to oppose leadership where needed, and has continued that track record in Washington, a rare thing on Capitol Hill.
Josh Brecheen is a hard-working, blue-collar, salt-of-the-earth guy. He loves God, and loves people. He's one of the most honest and respectful individuals you'll ever meet. He has more honesty, integrity, and character than anyone else I know in elected office or running for office. I wholeheartedly endorse Josh Brecheen for reelection to Congress.
1st/3rd/4th/5th Congressional Districts: with such a narrow margin in the U.S. House, and Democrats expected to win a slim majority, it's important for Republicans to win as many seats as possible. Incumbents Frank Lucas (3rd District) and Tom Cole (4th District) will cruise to victory; I expected incumbent Stephanie Bice (5th District) and 1st District nominee Mark Tedford to win handily as well, but we don't need any election-night surprises. Vote Republican.
Judicial Retention ballot (statewide):
For much more detail on these justices and judges, see my post Here's what you need to know about the judges on Oklahoma's 2026 ballot and Vote against Judge Jane Wiseman.
- Supreme Court - M. John Kane IV: Yes - Retain
- Supreme Court - Travis V. Jett: Yes - Retain
- Supreme Court - Dana Kuehn: Yes - Retain
- Supreme Court - Richard B. Darby: No - Do Not Retain
- Court of Criminal Appeals - Robert L. Hudson: Yes - Retain
- Court of Civil Appeals - Stacie L. Hixon: Yes - Retain
- Court of Civil Appeals - Deborah B. Barnes: No - Do Not Retain
- Court of Civil Appeals - Jane P. Wiseman: NO - Do NOT Retain (article)
- Court of Civil Appeals - James R. Huber: Yes - Retain
State Questions (statewide):
For more detail on these two state questions, see my post Here's what you need to know about the State Questions on Oklahoma's 2026 ballot.
- State Question 845: Yes.
- State Question 847: Yes.
Other races:
Generally speaking, as mentioned toward the top of this post, I recommend the Republican nominee for your local legislative or county races. Here are a few specific races I'd highlight that feature conservative candidates ranging from 'above-average' to 'exceptional':
Senate District 6: David Bullard (R, incumbent)
Senate District 8: Bryan Logan (R, incumbent)
House District 16: David Nelson
House District 23: Derrick Hildebrant (R, incumbent)
House District 33: Molly Jenkins (R, incumbent)
House District 41: Denise Crosswhite-Hader (R, incumbent)
House District 53: Jason Blair (R, incumbent)
House District 79: Paul Hassink
House District 86: David Hardin (R, incumbent)
House District 98: Gabe Woolley (R, incumbent)
Other conservative resources:
- Michael Bates' picks at BatesLine.com (a must-ready every election)
- iVoterGuide (a well-done voter guide put out by the American Family Association)
- Jason Murphey's take on the general election
- Make Oklahoma Healthy Again PAC (formerly Oklahomans for Health and Parental Rights) endorsements
- Oklahoma 2nd Amendment Association (OK2A) endorsements
- Tulsa Beacon endorsements
- OCPAC voter guide
- National Rifle Association (NRA) endorsements
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