Meadows publishes his 'Charlie's Picks' for 2026 primary

Historically one of the highly anticipated "picks" of each election cycle by grassroots conservatives, former Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee chairman (and recent Logan County Commissioner) Charlie Meadows has posted his thoughts on the 2026 primary election. Meadows, who long opined on Oklahoma politics when he was chairman of OCPAC in his famous email newsletters, now has a new podcast, The ABCs of Politics and Culture. Without further ado, here are Charlie's Picks:

CHARLIE’S PICKS 2026 PRIMARY ELECTION

Based on my research as well as information from other trusted sources I have come up with the candidates that I believe should win. Folks reading this may have information about a particular candidate of which I am unaware and therefore have a different opinion which is understandable. Please feel free to share this with others. To contact me my email is charliemeadows7@gmail.com. If you aren't sure which State Senate or House district you live in or Congressional district, that information is on the bottom of your voter ID card sent to you from your county election board.

Barton: Insurance Commissioner race matters more than most realize

Oklahoma’s Insurance Commissioner Matters More Than Most Realize

June 8th, by Brian Barton

During part of Marty Quinn’s time in the Oklahoma Senate, I worked in and around the Oklahoma Legislature and had the opportunity to observe his work firsthand. These are my personal observations about a man I respect.

Politics often focuses on speeches, advertisements, and campaign promises. My perspective is a little different. I had the opportunity to watch Marty work, interact with people, and serve in public office. What stood out to me wasn’t one particular moment. It was the consistency.

Whether working with constituents, fellow lawmakers, agency officials, or community leaders, Marty developed a reputation for being prepared, thoughtful, and willing to do the work required to solve problems. In my experience, consistency is one of the most underrated qualities in public service.

For those reasons, I believe Marty Quinn is the right person for the job.

Former AG O'Connor endorses Jeff Starling for Attorney General

Former Attorney General John O'Connor Endorses Jeff Starling

OKLAHOMA CITY (June 12th) — Former Attorney General and conservative champion John O’Connor endorsed Jeff Starling for Attorney General.

“I am honored to endorse my friend Jeff Starling for the very important office of Oklahoma Attorney General. As a former Attorney General, I know the experience and skills we need from our Attorney General.

We need an experienced attorney, not a career politician!

Jeff Starling is the person who is best qualified to serve Oklahoma in this office. He is a smart, gifted Attorney. He has the heart of a warrior and will stand firm for our rights. At the same time, he has the heart of a public servant. He is running for the right reason — to serve you and me.

Small: What causes inflation? Government.

What causes inflation? Government.

By Jonathan Small

The financial pinch families feel from rising prices is undeniable. Yet too few understand that government is responsible for soaring prices.

Consider college costs. The massive government subsidies provided to colleges, through free-flowing student loans, billions in state and local tax dollars, government’s cultural overemphasis on a college degree, and the complicit “paper ceiling” at many businesses, make students much less price sensitive. Colleges have responded by hiking tuition.

According to JP Morgan, the cost of clothing has increased 35 percent since 1983 while gas increased 182 percent. But college tuition has soared 914 percent.

Mazzei's Millions: nears $11M in personal campaign loans

Prepare to be flabbergasted. We have a new state record for most personal money loaned by a candidate to his own political campaign:

Mike Mazzei has loaned his campaign nearly 11 million dollars.

$11,000,000.00.

Eleven million dollars.

That is more any candidate has ever personally loaned his campaign during one election cycle in Oklahoma history. Governor Kevin Stitt loaned his 2018 campaign ~$5M, and another ~$2M in 2022, for a cumulative total of $7M. That seems to be the previous record. Combined with his 2018 loans, Stitt raised another $5M+ for a full total of $10.8M, another record at the time. Mazzei smashed both in just a few months with his personal bankrolling.

McCall's $5.6M loan is nothing to sneeze at, also one of the top in history, but Mazzei's millions blow that away.

Wow.

Early voting begins Thursday for June 16th election

Early Voting Begins Thursday for June 16 Election

(Limited-Edition “I Voted” Sticker Available) 

(June 8th, Oklahoma City) – In-person absentee voting (also known as “early voting”) for the June 16 Election begins Thursday across the state. Early voting locations will be open Thursday, June 11 and Friday, June 12 (8 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and Saturday, June 13 (8 a.m. – 2 p.m.).

State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax announced that, “In honor of America’s 250th birthday, limited-edition ‘I Voted’ stickers will be available at early voting locations and polling place locations across the state, while supplies last.” There are two different designs. A preview of the designs can be found on the State Election Board website.

Tonight: Muskogee's Symphony in the Park

This evening is one of my favorite community events of the year in Muskogee, the 36th annual Symphony in the Park. Featuring the excellent musicians of the Muskogee Community Band, a fireworks finale to Stars and Stripes Forever, concessions, and an art auction, this family-friendly event at Honor Heights Park is well worth attending. They have a special patriotic program planned for America's 250th birthday, and you won't want to miss it!

The weather last weekend forced a postponement, but things look great for this evening.

My Picks for the 2026 Oklahoma GOP Primary

Tuesday, June 16th is the Oklahoma Primary Election, and voters all across the state will be heading to the polls to decide nominees in many different races. Some are already voting via absentee ballot. Hopefully the information in this post will be helpful with your voting plans. If you don't know where to vote, or want to see your sample ballot, use this helpful link from the Oklahoma State Election Board to find out.

Below are a few of my voting picks. Work and other commitments prevented me from getting into more detail on most of these races, but here are some basic thoughts. If I have any additions or changes as we approach election day, I will clearly note them (6/11: I have updated my State Treasurer take). I have included links to additional helpful resources, endorsements, and voter guides at the bottom:

New post-Trump endorsement poll: Mazzei on top of Gov race, Merrick into 3rd

The first publicly-released opinion poll since President Donald Trump endorsed Republican candidate Mike Mazzei finds the former state senator (unsurprisingly) taking the lead, with Attorney General Gentner Drummond falling into second, and perhaps more surprisingly, former state senator Jake Merrick jumping into third over significantly more well-funded candidates, albeit a somewhat distant third. The same poll finds U.S. Rep. Kevin Hern with a massive lead in the race for U.S. Senate.

Here are the results from JMC Analytics:

Cong. Brecheen endorses Marty Quinn for Insurance Commissioner

Oklahoma's best, most conservative member of Congress endorses Marty Quinn for Insurance Commissioner. I concur. Marty Quinn is a great guy, and has the best private and public sector experience to do this job well.

Congressman Josh Brecheen: 

“I am proud to endorse Marty Quinn for Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner. I had the privilege of serving alongside Marty in the Oklahoma Legislature for eight years, where he consistently proved himself to be a principled conservative, a man of integrity, and someone who always kept his word. Marty never wavered in his commitment to doing what was right, even when it wasn’t the easiest path.

Small: Thomas’ warning should be heeded

Thomas’ warning should be heeded

By Jonathan Small

 

In April 15 remarks at the University of Texas at Austin, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas warned that progressivism threatens a core element of the United States’ founding—the belief that it is “self-evident” that “all men are created equal” and “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,” as described in the Declaration of Independence.

 

Americans need to take Thomas’ warning seriously.

Hilliary political machine dumps major money into SD32, backs Curtis Erwin over conservative Sen. Dusty Deevers

Candidate Curtis Erwin flanked by major donors Dustin (l) and Michael Hilliary (r)

There's a new big-time player on the Oklahoma political scene. The Hilliary family of southwest Oklahoma, known best for their broadband company (Hilliary Communications) and a growing statewide media network (Hilliary Media Group), rose in recent years from relative obscurity to being among the biggest political donors in Oklahoma and garnering appointments to key governmental roles and boards. 

Now, they are setting their sights on Lawton area's State Senate District 32, backing political blank-slate newcomer Curtis Erwin against one of the most conservative Republicans in the Oklahoma State Senate, Dusty Deevers. This is the second election in a row that they have heavily backed a candidate in this Senate seat, having flushed tens of thousands of dollars into a candidate who lost to Deevers in the 2023 special election.

Voters in Senate District 32 need to recognize this for what it is: a brazen attempt by powerful special interests to oust a vocal conservative reformer.