TRANSCRIPT
Dick Pryor: This is Capitol Insider, taking you inside politics, policy, and government in Oklahoma. I'm Dick Pryor with Quorum Call publisher Shawn Ashley. Shawn, the Oklahoma general election is now less than a year away. On November 3rd, 2026, Oklahomans will go to the polls to vote for state house, senate, and statewide offices, congress, judicial positions, and more. But the first legislative seat of the cycle will be determined earlier, and that's the special election in House District 35.
Shawn Ashley: Five Republicans and one Democrat filed for the now vacant seat. The Republicans will have a primary election December 9th. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, a special runoff primary election will be held January 13th. The special general election is set for February 10th. If that special Republican primary runoff is not necessary, the special election will be held January 13th.
Dick Pryor: Many people have already shown their intent to run in 2026, but the official list of candidates won't be known until April.
Shawn Ashley: That's right, candidate filing is April 1st through the 3rd, and it's that process that formally puts a candidate's name on the ballot. Only one statewide officeholder, State Treasurer Todd Russ, is not term limited this year, or not planning to seek higher office, or planning not to seek election to their current office. That means there will be contests for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, auditor and inspector, superintendent of public instruction, labor commissioner, insurance commissioner, and corporation commissioner. Plus, every house member and the 24 state senators in even numbered districts will be on the ballot, along with races for district attorney, U.S. Congress, and the U.S. Senate. Now, a lot of names for those offices have already been floated and more will be floated in coming months, but no one is officially a candidate until they file with the state election board in April, and I suspect some of those who have announced, and maybe even established accounts with the Ethics Commission may not file for office when April rolls around.
Dick Pryor: The top race of the year will be for governor with Kevin Stitt term limited. There have been announcements of candidacy and advertisements airing, money raised. It's expected to be a hotly contested and expensive race.
Shawn Ashley: An open governor's race is always a big draw, and that is certainly the case heading into 2026. It's where we've seen the most announcements and already the most spending. State Ethics Commission Director Lee Anne Bruce Boone told the House Elections and Ethics Committee in mid-October that nearly $4 million had already been spent this year on television advertising in the governor’s race.
Dick Pryor: And something to watch closely will be the message and tone of ads and who paid for them. We'll see a mix of ads paid for by campaigns and those produced and bought by other groups. Advertisements are carefully crafted and highly influential. But Shawn, keeping track of who is behind the ads can be difficult.
Shawn Ashley: That's very true, since the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United decision in 2010, we've seen a significant increase in certain groups that are not legally required to disclose their donors. That includes so-called social organizations and trade associations, and these groups and certain other political action committees run so-called dark money ads that support or oppose specific candidates without coordinating with the main candidate themselves. Ethics Commission Director Bruce Boone told the House Elections and Ethics Committee in October, for example, dark money is political spending where people cannot see who is behind it. And that is not illegal, she noted. Bruce Boone said the commission's goal is transparency and voter confidence. “We don't want voter apathy,” she said, “we don't want people to have distrust in what's happening.”
Dick Pryor: And although Donald Trump will not be on the ballot in 2026, his influence is already being felt.
Shawn Ashley: It is. It is perhaps most felt in one of the ads for former House Speaker Charles McCall, who is running for governor. McCall says, “I stand with President Trump.” We are also seeing it in ads and mailers for other candidates. And there's a reason for that. Trump won all 77 Oklahoma counties in 2016, 2020 and the 2024 general election. Undoubtedly, some Republicans seeking secondary statewide offices and candidates in legislative races will tie their campaigns to Trump in next year's elections as well.
Dick Pryor: So, ready or not, the election season is upon us.
Shawn Ashley: It certainly is.
Dick Pryor: Thank you, Shawn.
Shawn Ashley: You're very welcome.
Dick Pryor: For more information, go to quorumcall.online. You can find video of Capitol Insider segments on the KGOU You Tube channel. Audio and transcripts are at kgou.org. And look for Capitol Insider where you get podcasts. Until next time, with Shawn Ashley, I'm Dick Pryor.
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