Live Results: Republican Sen. James Lankford faces off against Democrat Madison Horn in one of two US Senate elections in Oklahoma
- Rep. James Lankford is running against Democrat Madison Horn to represent Oklahoma in the US Senate.
- Horn is a Cherokee Nation tribal citizen and advocates for rural communities.
Republican incumbent James Lankford faces off against Democrat Madison Horn in Oklahoma to represent the state in the US Senate.
In a rare case, both of the state's US Senate seats are up for grabs this year. This is because longtime Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe is resigning on January 3, four years before the end of his six-year term.
Oklahoma's Senate race candidates
Lankford, first elected to the Senate in 2014 for the seat vacated by retiring Sen. Tom Coburn, is vying for a second term in the Senate.
He serves on the committees on Finance, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Energy and Natural Resources, Indian Affairs, and Ethics.
Prior to being elected to the US Senate, Lankford served four years in the US House representing Oklahoma's 5th Congressional District.
Horn, Lankford's challenger, is a Cherokee Nation tribal citizen and works in the cybersecurity industry. She is campaigning on expanding access to health and human services across rural communities.
Horn defeated Jason Bollinger in the Democratic primary runoff, bringing in over 60% of the vote.
While they share a surname, she is no relation to Kendra Horn, who is running as a Democrat for Oklahoma's other US Senate seat.
Oklahoma's voting history
The state voted for then-President Donald Trump over Joe Biden by a margin of 33 percentage points in the 2020 election. Oklahoma, a blood-red state, has gone Republican in every presidential election race since 1968. Trump's victory in 2020 marked the 5th consecutive election that the Republican nominee has won by over 30 percentage points.
The money race
According to OpenSecrets, Lankford has raised $7 million, spent $5.4 million, and has $2.1 million cash on hand, as of October 19. His challenger, Horn, has raised $316,391, spent $264,541, and has $51,850 cash on hand, as of October 19.
What experts say
The race between Lankford and Horn is rated as "solid Republican" by Inside Elections, "solid Republican" by The Cook Political Report, and "safe Republican" by Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.