Democratic candidate N’Kiyla Jasmine Thomas, a 31-year-old nurse and member of the Chickasaw Nation, has won the Oklahoma Senate Democratic primary runoff, NBC News projects. Thomas defeated attorney and minister Jim Priest, 70, in the Tuesday runoff contest, securing the nomination despite being outspent in the campaign.
The runoff was triggered after neither candidate secured a majority of votes in the June 11 primary, where Thomas led with 45% to Priest’s 24% in a five-candidate field. Thomas will now face Republican Rep. Kevin Hern in the November general election. Hern, who won his primary with President Donald Trump’s endorsement, is heavily favored in the solidly Republican state, which Trump carried by 34 points in 2024.
Policy Positions and Campaign Focus
Thomas, who describes herself as a self-proclaimed democratic socialist but has not joined the Democratic Socialists of America, outlined several policy priorities during her campaign. She supports Medicare for All, universal childcare and parental leave, and progressive taxation, while opposing the defunding of the Defense Department. Thomas has also called for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and criticized capitalism as destructive to the country.
In a Tuesday interview, Thomas emphasized healthcare access as a central issue, particularly in rural Oklahoma, stating, “The system right now doesn’t work for us and it never has.” She framed her candidacy as representing “the next generation” seeking systemic change.
General Election Outlook
Oklahoma has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in over 30 years, making Thomas an underdog in the November race against Hern. Priest, a former nonprofit executive and ordained minister, positioned himself as a moderate, focusing on reducing the cost of living and improving government trust. Neither candidate has prior electoral experience beyond Priest’s unsuccessful 2010 bid for Oklahoma attorney general.
Campaign Dynamics and Endorsements
Thomas’s victory follows a trend of progressive candidates winning competitive primaries in recent weeks, including in Florida and Michigan. Her campaign has drawn attention for its grassroots approach and opposition to AIPAC, as highlighted in a November promotional video where she discarded a trash bin labeled “AIPAC Funds” and “Corporate PAC Funds.”*
Hern, the Republican nominee, has framed the race as a referendum on Democratic policies, while Thomas has vowed to pursue impeachment efforts against Trump if elected. In a June interview with KOSU, she stated her intention to “impeach, remove and convict” Trump within her first 100 days in office, describing herself as “kind, not nice” in her approach to governance.