You might want to ignore what is coming at us in 2026, but I am going to remind you anyway. It will be time for midterm elections and with the approach of Independence Day, it is a great time to begin thinking about that election.
Let’s start on the Federal level for Oklahoma. In the U.S. House of Representatives, which determines membership by state population, there are five districts. In District 1, Kevin Hern is the incumbent, having served since 2024. He is a potential candidate for the seat again. Whoever runs on the Republican ticket will face declared Democrat John Croisant, a Tulsa school board member.
In District 2, we have Josh Brecheen in the seat, and a likely candidate for re-election. There are no declared opponents for his seat, nor is there one for District 3, which is held by Frank Lucas, who has been in Congress since 1994. Watonga is part of District 3. District 4 is represented by Tom Cole, who has been in Congress since 2003.
Stephanie Bice holds District 5. There are no opponents on the horizon for either Cole or Bice.
On the Senate side of things, Oklahoma is represented by Markwayne Mullin and James Lankford. Mullin has been in the Senate since 2023 and is considered one of the darlings of the Republican hierarchy. He has not indicated whether he would stand for re-election in 2026, but by his high level of visibility seems to be positioning himself for either that run or perhaps appointment to a place in the Trump administration. He was mentioned early in the talks for the Secretary of the Interior but was not tapped for the job.
Sen. James Lankford is not up for re-election in 2026.
Statewide voters will select a new governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, auditor and inspector, superintendent of public instruction, state treasurer, one member of the corporation Commission, labor commissioner, all seats in the state house and half of the state senate.
Why is any or all this important? Because there is plenty of time now to begin shaping your opinion, researching and supporting candidates, considering running yourself or convincing someone else to run.
Is there someone currently in office you really admire, or maybe there is one you are convinced is a nut case? Work for them or against them. Volunteer, knock on doors, man a phone bank.
Being politically active even outside of candidacy used to be a common and admired undertaking. Because we reap the benefits of living in a republic, fueled by advocacy and citizen leadership, we should jump at the chance to support that republic.
At the very least, talk to your representatives. Ask the hard questions, learn their stances on issues important to you. Let them know where you stand and what you want from your representative. After all, how can they represent you if they don’t know what you need or want?
And it is never too early to consider a run for office yourself. There are seats on each of the four school boards and two county commission seats, the tax assessor and the county treasurer are all coming up for election or re-election. In 2027, there are three Watonga city council seats coming open.
If you are even slightly interested, stop by the county election board and review the requirements and the cutoff dates for filing.
After all, the American Revolution didn’t start on July 4, 1776. It was building steam long before then. The candidate’s time is now.