Republican Robert Franklin Wins Oklahoma State Superintendent Election

Republican Robert Franklin has been projected as the winner of the election for Oklahoma State Superintendent. A 44-year educator and current instructor at OU-Tulsa, Franklin campaigned on a platform of increasing parental involvement and implementing a back-to-basics approach to improve education outcomes. He defeated Democratic candidate Jennettie Marshall, a pastor and former Tulsa Public Schools board member.

Franklin will succeed interim superintendent Lindel Fields, who was appointed by Governor Kevin Stitt after former superintendent Ryan Walters resigned in September 2025. During the campaign, Franklin faced criticism from primary runoff opponent James Taylor regarding his conservative principles and an alleged incident involving a student with disabilities. Franklin described the event as an accidental scratch that occurred while he was attempting to stop a child from hitting people with rocks.