Five Republican candidates and two Democratic candidates filed for the U.S. Representative District 4 seat, which represents Cleveland County and Norman. The primary election will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. June 18.
All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are up for election, meaning the outcome of this race will affect the partisan balance of the House next year. Currently, Republicans have a 218 to 213 majority with four vacancies. In May, 44 members of the House announced they were not running for re-election.
For the Republican primary election, current District 4 Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) filed for candidacy, making this his 12th election overall. Cole has been a Republican member of the House since 2003 when he was first elected as the representative for District 4.
Four other Republicans filed for candidacy against Cole, including Paul Bondar from Stonewall, Andrew Hayes from Lawton, Nick Hankins from Moore and Rick WhiteBear Harris from Norman.
Two Democratic candidates, Kody Macaulay from Moore and Mary Brannon from Washington, filed for the District 4 seat.
The runoff election will be Aug. 27th. The district’s general election will take place on Nov. 5.
Tom Cole – Republican
According to Cole’s candidacy website, he is an advocate for strong national defense, taxpayers and small businesses and is a leader on issues dealing with Native Americans and tribal governments.
As a fifth-generation Oklahoman and an enrolled member of the Chickasaw Nation, he is currently one of only two Native Americans serving in Congress.
According to his website, Cole runs on several issues including preserving the Second Amendment, national security, American Energy Independence, protecting the unborn, debt and spending, veterans, securing the border and growing the economy.
Paul L. Bondar – Republican
This election marks the first time Bondar has run for public office. He served as a businessman in Illinois before moving to Texas and is a father, husband and seasoned business professional, according to his candidacy website.
His campaign is largely self-funded, according to Ballotpedia. His business, the Bondar Insurance Group, has locations in Illinois and Florida, according to the business website.
Bondar’s campaign runs on issues including federal spending and inflation, immigration, foreign policy, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and impeaching President Joe Biden, according to his website.
Andrew Hayes- Republican
According to his campaign Facebook page, Hayes is a husband and father of three children. He lives in Southwest Oklahoma, and besides raising kids, he and his wife raise cattle and wheat.
Hayes campaigns on issues including inflation, government spending, the First Amendment, the 10th Amendment, liberty, foreign affairs, term limits, accessibility and representation.
Nick Hankins- Republican
Hankins was born and raised in Oklahoma and, according to his campaign website, has been working for nearly 30 years and hopes to continue contributing to society.
If elected, his website reads, Hankins will vote against every bill before Congress that does not protect freedoms. His campaign runs on issues including the economy, immigration, constitutional rights, foreign policy, governmental transparency, term limits and online privacy.
Rick WhiteBear Harris – Republican
According to Harris’ information on Ballotpedia, he previously served in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps until 2019 and has spent most of his career working as a physician.
The issues Harris wants to address as a U.S. representative include Christian values, spending and responsibilities of elected representatives.
Kody Macaulay – Democratic
Macaulay began his career in the U.S. Airforce and, after seven years of service and two deployments, he shifted to the Air Force Reserves while concurrently venturing into law enforcement, according to his campaign website.
He has a background in the military, law enforcement, and IT positions and believes this will make him an adept advocate for the diverse needs of his constituents.
Mary Brannon – Democratic
In 2018, Brannon won the Democratic primary and runoff elections and was the Democrat on the final ballot against Cole, garnering roughly 90 thousand votes
According to her campaign site, Brannon supports Oklahoma schools, protecting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, veterans and providing transparency in government.
This story was edited by Ana Barboza. Avery Avery copy edited this story.