President Donald Trump's plan to nominate Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., as secretary of homeland security will leave an unexpected Senate vacancy in the deep-red Sooner State.
Under a new Oklahoma law, Gov. Kevin Stitt will get to pick Mullin's replacement if he does indeed leave his Senate seat. Stitt, a Republican, said in a statement Thursday he will look to appoint "a strong, small government conservative voice to support President Trump."
Mullin didn't complete a full six-year term, as he was elected in 2022 to fill the unexpired term of the late Sen. Jim Inhofe, who stepped down early.
And Stitt's appointee wouldn't be a senator for long. The law prohibits that person from running in the next election, which will be held in November, a move that lawmakers said was designed to protect the seat from the advantage of incumbency.
The vacancy for Oklahoma's U.S. Senate seat is likely to set off a series of political dominoes in the state. Among those expected to consider the race are GOP Reps. Kevin Hern of Tulsa and Stephanie Bice of Oklahoma City, and former Oklahoma House Speaker T.W. Shannon, who lost to Mullin in the Republican runoff in 2022.
Oklahoma's three-day filing period begins April 1. Republicans will be heavily favored to retain control of the seat.
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