Democratic Socialist N’Kiyla Jasmine Thomas Wins Oklahoma Senate Primary

Democratic socialist N’Kiyla Jasmine Thomas, a nurse and citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, won the Democratic primary runoff for the U.S. Senate in Oklahoma on August 25, 2026. Thomas defeated attorney and minister Jim Priest with 59.9% of the vote, receiving 77,944 votes to Priest's 49,693. The victory makes Thomas the first Senate nominee in Oklahoma's history to openly identify as a Democratic socialist.

Thomas ran a grassroots campaign focused on Medicare for All, economic justice, and the nursing shortage, while explicitly rejecting funding from corporate PACs and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. During the campaign, she called for an end to funding for wars and accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of committing genocide in Gaza. Despite raising only $60,000, she overcame a significant financial disadvantage against Priest.

Thomas will face Republican Representative Kevin Hern in the general election on November 3. Hern, backed by Donald Trump, enters the race with a substantial financial lead, having raised nearly $10 million compared to Thomas's limited funds. The open seat was created after Markwayne Mullin became Secretary of Homeland Security; the seat is currently held by Alan Armstrong, who was appointed by Governor Kevin Stitt. If elected, Thomas would be the first Democrat to represent Oklahoma in the Senate since 1994, as well as the first woman, first Black woman, and first Native American woman to hold the position.