Oklahoma Senate 2022: Web links for Republican candidates for Inhofe's unexpired term

U. S. Senator Jim Inhofe is retiring after a long political career that includes service in the Oklahoma State Senate, 6 years as Mayor of Tulsa, 8 years in the U. S. House, and 28 years in the Senate. 13 Republican candidates have filed for the seat.

This article is an overview of the field, with links to candidate websites, social media profiles, and campaign finance information. The candidate's name will be hyperlinked to his or her campaign website, if it exists. The Wagoner County Republican Party asked each of the candidates to complete a lengthy questionnaire, but only four candidates responded. These are linked in the list below as WCRP.

The winner of the primary (after a likely August runoff) will face former Democrat congresswoman Kendra Horn, Libertarian perennial candidate Robert Murphy, and 86-year-old independent candidate Ray Woods on the general election ballot.

Only five candidates reported receiving campaign contributions to the Federal Election Commission as of March 31, 2022. Former Attorney General and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt entered the race during the filing period and has presumably raised money. The next FEC filing deadline is June 16, which will cover pre-primary contributions through June 8. Additionally, the final filer in the race, Dr. Randy Grellner, has announced an expenditure of $786,000 to produce and run a TV commercial, so I've included him in the tier of candidates making a serious run.

Because only two candidates can advance to the August runoff, conservative voters will need to consolidate around a single champion in the primary to have any hope of having someone worth voting for in the runoff. Polling and spending will be important factors for casting a strategic vote in June. I've been encouraging absentee voters to hold off voting until we have a clearer picture of the battlefield. The pre-election FEC reports will be telling. Sooner Poll polled this race and other statewide and congressional races, but they only managed a sample of 306 voters over a 17-day period, and 31.4% of voters were undecided.

Nathan Dahm, Broken Arrow, 39, State Senator, District 33. FEC, campaign FB page, personal FB profile, @NathanDahm on Twitter.

Alex Gray, Nichols Hills, 32, former National Security Council Chief of Staff in the Trump administration: FEC, campaign FB page, @AlexGrayForOK on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube channel.

Randy J. Grellner, Cushing, 56, family practice physician: FEC, campaign FB page, medical practice website.

Luke Holland, Tulsa, 35, former chief of staff to Sen. Jim Inhofe: FEC, personal FB profile, @LukeHollandOK on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube channel.

Markwayne Mullin, Westville, 44, U. S. Representative, 2nd District: FEC, @MarkwayneMullin on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube channel.

Scott Pruitt, Tulsa, 54, former Oklahoma Attorney General, former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator: FEC, campaign FB page, @ScottPruitt_OK on Twitter, YouTube channel, WCRP.

T.W. Shannon, Oklahoma City, 44, CEO of Chickasaw Community Bank, former Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives: FEC, campaign FB page, @TWShannon on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube channel.

There are six more candidates who filed for the unexpired four-year Senate term:

Michael Coibion, Bartlesville, 67: personal FB profile, WCRP.

Jessica Jean Garrison, Owasso, 47: FEC, personal FB page, campaign FB page, WCRP.

Adam Holley, Bixby, 41: FEC, personal FB page, @adamforoklahoma on Twitter, YouTube channel, WCRP.

Laura Moreno, Edmond, 37, nurse practitioner: personal FB profile, medical practice website.

Paul Royse, Tulsa, 52, : campaign FB page, personal FB profile.

John F. Tompkins, Oklahoma City, 65, orthopedic surgeon: FEC, personal FB profile, book page.