Rep. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., has a commanding lead in the Republican race to succeed GOP Sen. Jim Inhofe, new polling shows.
In the latest averaging of the Senate primary contest polling from RealClearPolitics.com, Mullin has a 26-point lead over his next closest challenger, former Oklahoma House Speaker T.W. Shannon.
Mullin, whose district includes most counties in eastern Oklahoma, has ticked up support to 39% while Shannon's has slipped to 13% in the latest newest Sooner polling.
GOP state Sen. Nathan Dahm was at 8%; Inhofe's former chief of staff, Luke Holland, garnered 5%; and former Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt notched just 2%.
The winner of the special election Tuesday will fill the rest of the six-year term left by Inhofe, who was last elected in 2020. Inhofe announced he would resign on Jan. 3, 2023, to spend time with family.
If no candidate garners more than 50% of the vote, a runoff will be held on Aug. 23.
Mullin has campaigned on making the country energy independent, lowering inflation, and defending the Second Amendment.
Fran Beyer ✉
Fran Beyer is a writer with Newsmax and covers national politics.
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