Oklahoma Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R) defeated his Democratic challenger, former Rep. Kendra Horn, in the race for the seat being vacated by retiring GOP Sen. Jim Inhofe.
Mullin, 44, will end his fifth term in the House next year and complete the remainder of Inhofe’s six-year term. As the owner of a local plumbing business in tandem with his role as a lawmaker, Mullin has been firmly focused on deregulation as one of his leading policies.
MARKWAYNE MULLIN WINS OKLAHOMA GOP RUNOFF IN BID TO SUCCEED RETIRING SEN. JIM INHOFE
In May, Mullin told the Washington Examiner he believed the only way to change the leadership in Washington is to “start changing the resume you send up here.”
“My life experience has been quite broad, but it’s been business. And if you want to change the way we do things up here, then quit making political decisions and let’s start making business decisions,” said Mullin, who operated his family plumbing business, was once a professional mixed martial artist, and has repeatedly touted himself as an outsider from Washington politics.
In the days leading up to the election, Mullin campaigned with former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, who recently left the Democratic Party to stump for Republicans across the country.
Horn faced an uphill battle in the deep-red Sooner State, where in 2020, former President Donald Trump won every county. Still, some election watchers were taken by surprise when several private polls indicated the state’s GOP governor, Kevin Stitt, was running a close race against his Democratic challenger, Joy Hofmeister, the state’s superintendent of public instruction, who changed parties to run against the incumbent.
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The race for 87-year-old Inhofe’s seat began in late February after he announced his plans to step down following his nearly 28 years in the Senate. Inhofe said at the time that he wanted to spend more time with his wife, just two years after he won reelection in 2020. The seat will be open for reelection again in 2026.
Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) also defeated his Democratic challenger Madison Horn on Tuesday.
