U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin, R-Oklahoma, is one step closer to becoming the US Secretary of Homeland Security.
Mullin cleared a procedural vote Sunday, as two Democrats joined Republicans to advance his nomination 54 to 37. He could get final approval as soon as Monday.
President Donald Trump has described Mullin as “highly respected” and has consistently praised him as a close ally in the Senate. Mullin narrowly cleared a committee hurdle last week after exchanging barbs with Kentucky Republican Rand Paul.
Mullin has served as one of Oklahoma’s two senators since 2023, after he was elected to fill the rest of Jim Inhofe’s term upon his retirement. Before that, he served for a decade in the House of Representatives. He also owns a plumbing business and other companies in Stilwell and is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation.
Once his confirmation is finalized, the Cherokee Nation citizen will be only the second Native American person to serve in a presidential cabinet, after former Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland became the first during Joe Biden’s presidency.
Alan Armstrong reported to be replacement
Mullin’s appointment also shakes up Oklahoma politics, with an open Senate seat that’s viewed as safely Republican.
Over the weekend, the D-C-based news outlet NOTUS reported Gov. Kevin Stitt is likely to select Tulsa oil and gas executive Alan Armstrong to fill out the rest of Mullin’s term.
Armstrong emerged from a pool of candidates that also featured billionaire Harold Hamm and Lawton media company owner Dustin Hilliary, the latter of whom Stitt appointed to the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents late last week.
Armstrong is a longtime oil and gas engineer and executive who now serves on Williams’ Board of Directors after stepping down as CEO last year. The company has 5,000 employees and its pipelines and other infrastructure handle nearly a third of the natural gas used in the United States every day.
Mullin’s term ends in early 2027; Oklahoma voters will elect a new junior senator in November. If he takes Mullin’s place in the meantime, Armstrong would be required by state law to sign an affidavit that he would not seek re-election this year.
Congressman Kevin Hern has emerged as an early favorite to claim Mullin’s seat in the November election, already receiving an endorsement from President Donald Trump.
The battle for his seat is already starting, with Rep. Mark Tedford and Corporation Commissioner Kim David already announcing they’ll run. In addition, Tulsa-based pastor Jackson Lahmeyer has teased an announcement scheduled for Tuesday.
Mullin will replace the embattled Kristi Noem. Under her direction, the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, came under fire when ICE agents killed multiple citizens in Minnesota. More recently, Trump was reportedly upset that Noem told Congress that the president supported a $220 million ad campaign prominently featuring Noem.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
