Who's In the Race

Republican Kevin Hern faces Democrat N'Kiyla Jasmine Thomas, independent Ron Meinhardt, independent Curtis Stinnett, and Libertarian Sevier White in the November 3 general election in Oklahoma's U.S. Senate race. ​

Hern has represented Oklahoma's 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House since 2018; before Congress, he worked as an aerospace engineer and built a chain of 24 McDonald's restaurants in northeastern Oklahoma. He won the June 16 Republican primary with about 70 percent of the vote over runner-up Ty England.

Thomas is a nurse, a Chickasaw citizen, and an active-duty military spouse from Ardmore, Oklahoma, who says her advocacy was shaped by navigating healthcare and special education for her son, who has autism. She won the Aug. 25 Democratic primary runoff with about 61 percent over Jim Priest, who received about 39 percent.

Meinhardt is a former chief financial officer and nurse from Nowata County, according to Fox23.com.

Stinnett has previously worked as a pharmacist in different locations across Oklahoma, according to Fox23.com.

White does not have an active campaign website, and has not previously held elected office..

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What They Stand For

Hern has proposed a balanced-budget amendment to address the national debt and curb federal spending, according to his campaign website. He's also supported:

  • Protecting unborn life and limiting abortion funding,
  • Border security, including funding a border wall,
  • Second Amendment rights, including concealed-carry reciprocity; and
  • Small-business access to capital and policies that protect free enterprise.

Thomas has proposed establishing Medicare for All, saying healthcare "is a human right, not a privilege," according to her campaign website. She's also supported:

  • Restoring Roe v. Wade federally, saying "decisions about pregnancy belong to patients, not politicians,"
  • A living-wage minimum wage, price-gouging protections, and affordable housing investment,
  • Reducing class sizes, fully funding special education, and providing free breakfast and lunch for all students; and
  • Universal, affordable childcare and paid family and medical leave, treating childcare as federal infrastructure.

Meinhardt, a registered nurse and former chief financial officer from Nowata County, has called for healthcare reform that prioritizes patients over large corporate systems, affordable domestic energy, and border enforcement through what he describes as a constitutional and accountable process, according to Local Candidates.

Stinnett, a pharmacist who moved to Tulsa in 2019, supports solar panels on government buildings and public schools, overturning Citizens United, and expanded access to healthcare, and he backs a constitutional amendment to limit corporate campaign contributions and dark money.

White does not maintain an active campaign website.

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Race Outlook: Ratings and Betting Markets

Cook Political Report rated the race Solid Republican as of Oct. 12; Sabato's Crystal Ball rated it Solid Republican as of Oct. 9; and Inside Elections rated it Solid Republican as of Oct. 2. Kalshi traders gave Republicans, whose nominee is Hern, a 97.2% chance of winning as of Oct. 15, while Democrats, whose nominee is Thomas, stood at 2.8%.

Republican James Lankford won Oklahoma's Class III Senate seat in 2022 with about 64 percent of the vote. Republicans won all five of Oklahoma's U.S. House seats in 2022. Donald Trump carried Oklahoma in the 2024 presidential election with about 66 percent of the vote.

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