Oklahoma Democrats Thomas, Priest Advance to Aug. 25 Senate Runoff After 45%-24% Primary Split
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 17
Oklahoma Democrats Thomas, Priest Advance to Aug. 25 Senate Runoff After 45%-24% Primary Split
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 17
Summary
N’kiyla Jasmine Thomas and Jim Priest moved into Oklahoma’s Aug. 25 Democratic Senate runoff after no candidate cleared the 50% threshold required to avoid a second round.
Thomas led the primary with 45% of the vote, while Priest took just under 24%, finishing ahead of three other Democratic contenders.
The runoff winner will face Republican Rep. Kevin Hern, who avoided a GOP runoff and enters the general election with Trump and Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s endorsements.
Hern also holds a major financial edge, reporting $6.8 million in campaign funds versus $117,000 for Priest and just over $546 for Thomas at the start of June.
The seat opened after Markwayne Mullin became Homeland Security secretary, but Democrats face long odds in a state Trump carried by a 2-to-1 margin in 2024 and where no Democrat has won a Senate race in more than 35 years.