U.S. Rep. Kevin Hern easily won Oklahoma’s GOP nomination for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, and the race for a new governor in the deeply conservative state began with Republicans Gentner Drummond and Mark Mazzei advancing to a runoff.

In a primary that again tested President Donald Trump’s status as Republican Party kingmaker, both Hern and Mazzei carried his endorsement in their bids to win open races for two of Oklahoma’s biggest offices. With nearly all the votes counted, Drummond, the state’s attorney general, was narrowly ahead of Mazzei, a former state senator.

The primary had Republicans picking their preferred successor to outgoing Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt and a nominee for the Senate seat once held by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. Democrats haven’t won a Senate seat in Oklahoma since 1990.

Hern’s most serious potential GOP rivals stayed out of the Senate race after Trump endorsed him even before Mullin was confirmed as a replacement for fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Hern received more than 50% of the primary vote to avoid a runoff.

He struck a somewhat bipartisan tone in speaking with reporters after winning big, touting his experience as a House member working on issues such as trade and energy. He promised to represent conservative principles and “Oklahoma ideologies” in the Senate and noted he already has relationships with senators.

“We have a lot of friends in a lot of different states, including blue states,” Hern said.

READ MORE: Live Results: Oklahoma midterm primaries

Trump endorsed Mazzei last month in a hotly contested race that also had other major candidates, including former Oklahoma House Speaker Charles McCall and Chip Keating, a former state public safety director who is the son of a two-term governor.

Drummond told reporters at his watch party that he had expected a runoff after Trump endorsed Mazzei and suggested that Trump could reconsider his endorsement of Mazzei, saying, “who knows?”

“Mr. Mazzei got a bump, but now he’s got to earn the rest,” Drummond said.

Trump repeated his endorsement of Mazzei on his Truth Social platform on Monday. Mazzei told supporters Tuesday night, “All I can say is, ‘Wow.’

“Eighteen months ago when we started this adventure, no one thought this was possible,” he said. “The political insiders said we had no chance. We started at zero, but who in here actually had faith we could get the job done and get in the runoff? You did.”

Mazzei also boosted his campaign with personal funds — nearly $10.9 million, or almost 95% of the $11.5 million he raised, according to campaign finance reports. Drummond put $2.5 million from his own pocket in raising about $7.2 million. Together, Drummond, Mazzei, Keating and McCall contributed $22.5 million of their own funds to their campaigns, or 72% of their combined fundraising of more than $31 million.

READ MORE: Oklahoma begins choosing a new U.S. senator and governor in crowded primary

The winner of the GOP runoff will face Oklahoma House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson, who won the Democratic nomination Tuesday by a wide margin.

In a solidly Republican state, the races for two of Oklahoma’s biggest offices set off a political scramble. To replace Mullin in the Senate through this year, Stitt appointed Republican Alan Armstrong, an energy executive, but state law prohibited him from seeking a full term.

In November, Hern will face the winner of a Democratic runoff between N’Kiyla Thomas, a nurse and community activist, and Jim Priest, an attorney and minister.

The governor’s race is open because Stitt is finishing his second four-year term and cannot serve a third under the state constitution. Trump has seemed eager for him to go.

As head of the National Governors Association, Stitt drew Trump’s ire earlier this year over a dispute over invitations to White House events at the group’s annual meeting. The fallout led to Trump attacking Stitt on social media as a “RINO,” meaning Republican in Name Only.

It’s not happening. Oklahomans said no to increasing the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 an hour by 2029. 

More than 55% of voters, or about 348,000 people, voted against approving State Question 832, according to unofficial results from the Oklahoma State Election Board. 

Had it passed, the minimum wage would have gradually increased over the next three years to $12 in 2027, $13.50 in 2028 and $15 in 2029. Once it reached $15 an hour, all new increases would have been based on the cost of living, as determined by the U.S. Department of Labor Consumer Price Index data. 

For now, it will remain at $7.25 — where it has stayed since Oklahoma last increased it in 2009. 

In the leadup to the vote, Oklahomans shared mixed views on whether an increase to the minimum wage would harm small businesses or if the pay raise was long overdue for low-wage jobs. 

Prominent figures like Mayor Monroe Nichols voiced support for the wage increase while business groups like the Tulsa Regional Chamber expressed concerns. Following the vote, the chamber said it agreed with Oklahomans that the initiative was not “the best solution.” 

“The inclusion of automatic annual increases tied to national inflation metrics rather than Oklahoma’s unique economic conditions did not reflect wage policy with a balanced approach,” the chamber wrote in a statement Tuesday night.

The chamber will continue to work with state lawmakers to support legislation that will promote long-term economic growth, job creation and business competitiveness. 

Around 350,000 Oklahomans make less than $15, Arindrajit Dube, a professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, previously told The Oklahoma Eagle and Tulsa Flyer. Most businesses that pay $15 or less are either in the retail or restaurant industries. 

Dube previously pushed back on the idea that wage increases would lead to higher prices. He pointed to examples of states that recently passed similar minimum wage increases like Nebraska, Florida and Arizona, which have not had noticeable price hikes. 

John Croisant, the Democratic nominee for Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District, shared similar thoughts at the Tulsa County Democratic Party’s election night watch party.  

“Other red states, even Missouri and Florida,  have implemented the minimum wage increase — they haven’t had prices go up,” Croisant said inside NEFF Brewing. “We’re 50th in education, we’re 48th in health care, we’re 46th in (a) living wage. We’re not really doing anything to help support (residents.)” 

The proposal was opposed by Tulsa County GOP leadership, who told News on 6 it had the potential to hurt small businesses. 

For more Election Day results from the Tulsa Flyer and Oklahoma Eagle, click here.

Ismael Lele is a Report for America corps member and writes about business in Tulsa for The Oklahoma Eagle. Your donation to match our Report for America grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting this link. 

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OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — A 19-year-old man is facing charges related to the murder of a man in November.

Around 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 15, 2025, Oklahoma City police were called to a possible robbery and shooting near S.E. 57th and Bodine.

When they arrived, they found 21-year-old Ralend Rex-Dean suffering from gunshot wounds.

Rex-Dean was rushed to a nearby hospital where he died from his injuries.

Investigators believe Rex-Dean was shot by 19-year-old Christopher Upchurch during an attempted robbery.

Upchurch was later arrested for the crime.

He is now facing charges of first-degree murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, possession of a firearm after juvenile adjudication, and penalty enhancement for weapon possession.

Upchurch’s arraignment is set for July 8.