Result
Rep. Rusty Cornwell (R-Vinita) won a fifth term in Oklahoma House District 6 in June, not November, when he beat two challengers in the Republican primary and no other party fielded a candidate. He took 69.7% of the vote on June 16 against Amber Dawn Ellis and Eli Richard, according to unofficial results reported by Bartlesville Radio.
Because no Democrat or independent filed, the primary decided the seat, and Cornwell did not appear on the Nov. 3 ballot. His new two-year term begins Wednesday, Nov. 18.
Candidates and Platforms
Cornwell, first elected in 2018, owns several businesses, including a 1,140-acre ranch and hunting operation in western Craig County, according to his House profile. He served as assistant majority whip in the 2023-2024 Legislature and as majority caucus vice chair before that.
His biggest win this year was a law extending Oklahoma’s moratorium on new medical marijuana business licenses for dispensaries, processors and commercial growers until August 2028. House Bill 3143, which he authored, also limits how those businesses can change ownership. It passed the House 82 to 8 and the Senate 39 to 7, and Gov. Kevin Stitt signed it May 5.
District and Chamber
District 6 takes in parts of Craig, Mayes, Nowata and Rogers counties in northeast Oklahoma, including Vinita, Chelsea, Nowata and Oologah. Cornwell has lived in Craig County since 1986.
Democrats flipped six Republican-held House seats on Nov. 3, but Republicans kept their supermajority in the 101-member chamber, High Plains Public Radio reported. Republicans had held 81 seats after the 2024 election.
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