N'Kiyla Jasmine Thomas, a nurse who has never held public office, won Oklahoma's Democratic Senate runoff on Tuesday, defeating lawyer and nonprofit executive Jim Priest for the party's nomination. Thomas, who led the five-candidate field in the June primary, now faces Republican Rep. Kevin Hern in November in a state that has not sent a Democrat to the Senate in more than three decades.
During a recent interview with NPR affiliate KOSU, Thomas was asked how she would work with President Donald Trump if elected. She responded that her priority would be impeachment proceedings within her first 100 days in office. "Like I said, I'm kind, not nice. So I will make sure that I work as diligently as I can to make sure that within my first 100 days that we impeach, remove and convict," Thomas said. "They will have to pry that pen out of my cold, dead hands before I go any further with allowing this administration to continue doing what they're doing."
Thomas's campaign platform includes increasing teacher pay, restoring Roe v. Wade, and expanding the Affordable Care Act. Her victory marks the second underdog performance in the race, after she secured roughly 45 percent of the vote in the initial primary round before defeating Priest in the runoff.
Hern, who represents Oklahoma's 1st Congressional District, has built a substantial campaign operation, with a war chest that peaked at nearly $10 million this cycle. Thomas has raised just shy of $60,000. Hern also holds the endorsement of Trump and has emphasized his support for the president's SAVE America Act, a priority piece of legislation for the administration.
In a statement, Hern framed the general election contest in stark terms. "Oklahomans love President Trump and the America First Agenda," he said. "Socialist Democrats like N'Kiyla Jasmine Thomas are wildly out of touch with the values of Oklahomans and the direction they want our country moving toward. President Trump and Republicans are focused on delivering results. N'Kiyla Jasmine Thomas and the radical left are focused on partisan politics against a president Oklahomans overwhelmingly elected."
Trump carried Oklahoma by nearly 35 points in the 2024 presidential election, underscoring the steep challenge Thomas faces in November. The state's last Democratic senator, David Boren, left office in 1994, and no Democrat has won a Senate race there since.
Thomas's nomination comes amid a broader pattern of Democratic primary contests this cycle, with progressive candidates winning in several states. Her campaign has drawn attention for its unapologetic positioning on impeachment, a stance that sets up a sharply polarized general election contest in a deeply Republican state.