The 2024 election cycle for the Oklahoma Legislature features far more contested State Senate races than recent years, partially because a pair of Oklahoma City districts saw off-term vacancies and partially because a slate of challengers have filed against incumbents who chose to seek reelection.
Of course, some Republican incumbents chose not to run for reelection, and some senators were prohibited from seeking reelection owing to term limits.
Still, five senators were reelected by default, and even one open seat was decided simply by former Republican Rep. Avery Frix filing for Senate District 9 in Musokgee. Beyond Frix, the senators reelected automatically are:
- Sen. George Burns (R-Pollard);
- Sen. Roland Pederson (R-Burlington);
- Sen. Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle);
- Sen. Adam Pugh (R-Edmond); and
- Sen. Paul Rosino (R-OKC).
Below, you will find an overview of all Oklahoma State Senate races on ballots this year.
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In all, 285 candidates filed for all legislative, statewide and congressional races in Oklahoma.
The 20 State Senate races heading to competition bear watching, particularly owing to the dynamics of the Senate Republican Caucus, which designated a new leader for 2025 following a somewhat contentious internal campaign.
The deadline for candidates to contest the qualifications of an opponent is 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 9. Hearings for contestations of candidacies will be scheduled Thursday, April 18, and — if needed — Friday, April 19, before the Oklahoma State Election Board.
To review the full list of candidates who filed for 2024 legislative elections, click here.
Senate District 1, Ottawa, Craig and (some of) Mayes counties
Incumbent 65-year-old Sen. Micheal Bergstrom (R-Adair) is being challenged in the GOP primary by Houston Brittain, the president of the Pryor Area Chamber of Commerce and a risk management company owner. Bergstrom, a former educator, is seeking his third and final term.
No Democrat filed for the seat.
Senate District 3, north Cherokee County west to Coweta
Running in a redrawn district that lost rural acres and added some Broken Arrow voters, incumbent 63-year-old Sen. Blake “Cowboy” Stephens (R-Tahlequah) is being challenged in the GOP primary by Julie McIntosh, 53, and Patrick Sampson, 39. A former school counselor who launched an unsuccessful campaign for governor in 2018 after attending the teacher walkout, Stephens is seeking his second term in the Senate.
No Democrat filed for the seat, but 56-year-old independent Margaret Cook awaits the GOP nominee in the general election.
Senate District 5, McCurtain, LeFlore and (some of) Pushmataha counties
Incumbent 71-year-old Sen. George Burns (R-Pollard) won a second term by default after no one filed to challenge him. An electrician by trade, Burns’ house recently burned down following a lightning strike during a storm.
Senate District 7, Pittsburg, Haskell, Latimer counties and Sallisaw
Incumbent 53-year-old Sen. Warren Hamilton (R-McCurtain) is being challenge by Democrat Jerry Donathan. Hamilton, a rancher and U.S. Army veteran, is seeking his second term in the Senate.
A Republican named James Booth Jr. had formed a campaign committee to challenge Hamilton, but he terminated the committee and did not file for office.
Senate District 9, Muskogee County stretching east
With incumbent Sen. Dewayne Pemberton (R-Muskogee) announcing that he would not seek another term in office, former GOP House Rep. Avery Frix filed for the open seat and won by default after no one else chose to run.
Frix served six years in the House before seeking an open 2nd Congressional District seat, which he lost in a Republican runoff to now-Congressman Josh Brecheen.
Senate District 11, north Tulsa area
With incumbent Sen. Kevin Matthews (D-Tulsa) facing term limits, 61-year-old Rep. Regina Goodwin (D-Tulsa) is seeking to jump to the upper chamber. Fellow Democrat Joe Williams, a 67-year-old former Tulsa City Council member who retired from Oklahoma Natural Gas, was the only other person to file for the open seat.
Because Goodwin has served eight years in the House, she is only eligible for a single four-year term in the Senate.
Senate District 13, Pontotoc, Garvin and Hughes counties
For weeks, scuttlebutt around the Oklahoma State Capitol has been that Gov. Kevin Stitt intends to play in the 2024 Republican primary for or against certain legislators. He even said so himself.
Chief among the rumors has been that Stitt may support a challenge from the political right against Senate Floor Leader Greg McCortney (R-Ada), who won a caucus vote in February to be designated the body’s president pro tempore in waiting. McCortney defeated a trio of senators, despite groups that supported them calling McCortney liberal.
Now, McCortney is being challenged in the Republican primary by Jonathan Wingard, a 42-year-old member of the Oklahoma Army National Guard, and 55-year-old Rob Crowley, an Ada gas station owner.
Senate District 15, Cleveland County sans core Norman
With incumbent Sen. Rob Standridge (R-Norman) reaching his term limit, a bevy of political hopefuls filed to succeed him in the Cleveland County seat that surrounds the city of Norman, including his wife:
- Lisa Standridge, 53;
- Tommie Here’ll, 41;
- Robert Keyes, 65;
- Brandon Nofire, 41;
- Kyle Chapman, 36; and
- Kelly Lynn, 44.
The GOP nominee will face Democrat Elizabeth Foreman, 40, who previously served on the Norman City Council. Lynn is also a former Norman City Council member who is now a municipal judge in Wewoka.
Senate District 17, Pottawatomie County and Harrah area
With long-time legislator Sen. Shane Jett (R-Shawnee) seeking half of a full four-year term to conclude his constitutionally capped service, he is being challenged by three other Republicans, including the man he ousted from the seat four years ago.
Former Sen. Ron Sharp, whose criticism of the now-charged owners of Epic Youth Services drew him dark money opposition, is seeking to return the favor to Jett. So are Rachael Melot, a 47-year-old NCAA basketball referee, and Cody Swearingen, a 24-year-old Oklahoma State University graduate.
No Democrat or independent filed in the seat, meaning the SD 17 Republican primary winner will be elected to the district.
Senate District 19, Garfield, Grant and Alfalfa counties
Incumbent 73-year-old Sen. Roland Pederson (R-Burlington) was reelected to his third and final term by default after no one filed to challenge him. A rancher and retired educator, Pederson was first elected in 2016.
Senate District 21, Stillwater area stretching east
With Sen. Tom Dugger (R-Stillwater) foregoing pursuit of a third and final term, a trio of Republicans and one Democrat filed for the open race.
On the Democratic side, OSU professor Robin Fuxa, 45, won her party’s primary by default.
Meanwhile, the Republican primary will feature 58-year-old farmer and rancher Kurt Murray, 42-year-old James Winn and 58-year-old Dr. Randy Grellner, whose long-shot bid for a U.S. Senate culminated with sixth-place finish and 4.4 percent of the vote.
Winn previously ran unsuccessfully for HD 35 in 2018.
Senate District 23, El Reno to Tuttle to Chickasha
Incumbent Sen. Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle) was reelected by default to his third and final term after no one filed to challenge him.
A former mayor and current insurance agent, Paxton is an assistant floor leader currently and has been rumored as a candidate for the full floor leader position in a McCortney-led caucus next year.
Senate District 25, south Tulsa, Bixby and Jenks areas
With incumbent Sen. Joe Newhouse (R-Tulsa) choosing not to run for a third term, a pair of Republicans and a former Democratic House member filed for the open seat.
Current Rep. Jeff Boatman (R-Tulsa) and Bixby Mayor Brian Guthrie are seeking the Republican nomination in SD 25. Boatman’s business experience is in the telecommunications and information technology sector. Guthrie and his wife run a real estate brokerage and were once featured on HGTV.
A retired educator, Democrat Karen Gaddis has run for the Legislature several times, losing in 2016 to former GOP Rep. Dan Kirby. When Kirby resigned when he was facing expulsion for sexual misconduct allegations, Gaddis won a 2017 special election for House District 75. However, she lost reelection in 2018 to current HD 75 Rep. T.J. Marti (R-Broken Arrow).
Now, Gaddis is seeking a jump to the Senate and will face the Republican nominee in November.
Senate District 27, the 10 counties of northwest Oklahoma
Incumbent 53-year-old Sen. Casey Murdock (R-Felt) is facing 51-year-old challenger Cody Anderson in the Republican primary.
For weeks, Murdock has been criticized for liking steak and accepting meals from lobbyists in a handful of negative mailers from a Wisconsin-based political action committee. Then, an unusual text message connected to political consultant and former House Speaker Lance Cargill went out in Murdock’s district that sought to recruit an opponent. The text referred recipients to a phone number that rang to a voicemail identifying the campaign office of House Majority Floor Leader Jon Echols (R-OKC), who had previously hired Cargill to work on a past campaign.
Echols grew irritated about the situation and demanded that the Google Voice voicemail message be updated. He endorsed Murdock, who formerly served alongside Echols in the House, and called him his “good friend.”
“I found out that a consultant I had used then used an old Google number that I had used in a campaign four years ago and hadn’t changed the message,” Echols said. “I had them take it down, and I have offered Sen. Murdock anything I can do to help him in that race.”
A Ringwood resident, Anderson and his wife are pastors at Faith Center Church just east in Meno. Anderson also has a background in agriculture.
Senate District 29, Washington, Nowata and (north) Rogers counties
Incumbent 70-year-old Sen. Julie Daniels (R-Bartlesville) is being challenged in the Republican primary by former Rep. Wendi Stearman, 50, who was ousted from Bartlesville’s House District 11 in 2022 after serving one term.
Daniels, one of the Senate Republican Caucus’ more conservative members, is functionally being challenged on the political right by Stearman, a staunch anti-abortion advocate who has said the state provides “too many” services for low-income families.
Senate District 31, east and south of Lawton and Duncan
Incumbent 44-year-old Sen. Chris Kidd (R-Waurika) is being challenged by three people in the Republican primary:
- Pamala McNall-Granier, 58;
- Rick Wolfe, 56; and
- Spencer Kern, 55.
No Democrat or independent filed for the seat, meaning the Republican primary winner will hold the seat.
Senate District 33, Broken Arrow and east Tulsa
With incumbent Sen. Nathan Dahm (R-Broken Arrow) reaching his term limit, four Republicans have filed to succeed him:
- Christi Gillespie, 54;
- Tim Brooks, 40;
- Shelley Gwartney, 37; and
- Bill Bickerstaff, 73.
The winner will face 73-year-old Democrat Bob Willis in November.
Senate District 35, southeast Tulsa
As she pursues a second term, incumbent 43-year-old Sen. Jo Anna Dossett (D-Tulsa) will face Republican Dean Martin in November.
Dossett is a former educator, and Martin is a former 2012 candidate for Tulsa County clerk.
Senate District 37, west Tulsa
While 36-year-old incumbent Sen. Cody Rogers (R-Tulsa) initially announced he would forgo a second Senate term to pursue the District 2 seat on the Tulsa County Board of Commissioners, concerns about conflicts of interest regarding his road construction business led him to reconsider and file for reelection.
Rogers is being challenged in the GOP primary by 42-year-old insurance agent Aaron Reinhardt.
The winner is set to face 43-year-old independent Andrew Nutter in November. Nutter previously ran for SD 37 in 2016.
Senate District 39, south and central Tulsa
Incumbent 67-year-old Sen. Dave Rader (R-Tulsa) is seeking his third and final term. Rader was first elected in 2016.
While the former University of Tulsa football coach did not draw a primary challenger, he will face 42-year-old Democrat Melissa Bryce in November. A former teacher, Bryce is the director of the Global Foundation on Peroxisomal Disorders.
Senate District 41, Edmond, OKC and Lake Arcadia area
Incumbent 46-year-old Sen. Adam Pugh (R-Edmond) was reelected by default after no one filed against him.
Senate District 43, From Newcastle southwest to Marlow
Incumbent 38-year-old Sen. Jessica Garvin (R-Marlow) is seeking her second term in office, but she faces a primary challenge from Kendal Sacchieri, the 32-year-old elected assessor of McClain County.
The winner of the GOP primary will face 72-year-old Sam Graefe from Purcell.
Senate District 45, southwest OKC and Mustang
Incumbent 61-year-old Sen. Paul Rosino (R-OKC) was reelected by default after no one filed to challenge him. Rosino entered the Legislature following a 2017 special election, meaning he could run for a third full term in 2028.
Senate District 46, south and central OKC
With Incumbent Senate Minority Leader Kay Floyd (D-OKC) reaching a term-limit in the middle of a term, a special election is being held for the even-numbered district this year.
While three Democrats have been campaigning for the strongly Democratic district, only two ultimately filed for SD 46: insurance agent Mark Mann, 52, and attorney Sam Wargin Grimaldo, 36. (Democrat Ellen Pogemiller had been campaigning for SD 46, but she filed for an open race in House District 88 instead.)
The winner of the Democratic primary will face 69-year-old Republican Charles Barton and 34-year-old independent theater production manager David Pilchman.
Senate District 47, north OKC and Edmond
With Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat (R-OKC) leaving office owing to term limits, a slate of Republicans and one Democrat have filed to succeed him. The Republican candidates are:
- Kelly Hines, 56;
- Aaron Curry, 52; and
- Jenny Schmitt, 42.
The winner of the Republican primary will face 48-year-old Erin Brewer.
Senate District 48, northeast OKC
By submitting an irrevocable resignation letter in the middle of his term, incumbent Sen. George Young (D-OKC) triggered a special election for the even-numbered Senate seat representing northeast Oklahoma City.
Ward 8 OKC Councilwoman Nikki Nice, 43, and former Sen. Connie Johnson, 71, filed as Democrats to replace Young. Since leaving the State Senate the first time, Johnson has run statewide multiple times for U.S. Senate and governor.
Nice was first elected to the OKC City Council in 2018 and won reelection in 2021.
