Former Democratic Rep. Kendra Horn, who won one of the biggest upsets of the 2018 election cycle only to lose two years later, said Tuesday she’s running for Senate in Oklahoma.
Horn is seeking the Senate seat that Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe will leave in January 2023 after holding it for 28 years. Horn, 45, won a stunning 2018 victory against GOP Rep. Steve Russell, becoming the first Democratic woman to represent Oklahoma in Congress. In 2020, with former President Donald Trump dominating in Oklahoma despite losing to Joe Biden, Horn came up short in her reelection bid against Republican Rep. Stephanie Bice in the 5th Congressional District, covering most of Oklahoma City.
“During her time in Congress, Horn built a reputation as one of the most bipartisan, effective, and accessible Members of Congress, hosting 54 town halls over the course of two years — more than all of her predecessors in the last decade combined,” Horn’s campaign wrote on a webpage dedicated to her Senate bid. “She was an active member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, and had 25 bills signed into law by President Trump. She will bring that same leadership to the U.S. Senate, listening to and representing all Oklahomans.”
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Federal Election Commission records show Horn’s House campaign account held nearly $57,000 at the end of 2021, and those funds will be available for transfer toward her Senate race.
Horn’s filing comes just weeks after 87-year-old Inhofe, who was first elected to the Senate in a 1994 special election, announced his plans to step down. He endorsed his chief of staff, Luke Holland, to replace him in the upper chamber, adding he would campaign for Holland before the Republican primary on June 28.
In 2020, Inhofe won reelection by 63%, defeating his Democratic challenger, Abby Broyles, who gained just 33% of the vote. Still, the 2020 presidential election was indicative of a demographic shift in Oklahoma County, where Trump beat then-candidate Biden by a narrow 49.21% to 48.08% margin compared to 2016, when Trump won 51.58% in Oklahoma County to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s 41.18%.
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Several other Republicans are planning to run for Inhofe’s seat, including Rep. Markwayne Mullin and former Oklahoma House Speaker T.W. Shannon.
