Debate set for five Republicans hoping to replace Sen. Jim Inhofe. Here's what to expect

Republicans vying to succeed U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe are set for their first debate this week, as a federal judge rejected a challenge to the special election and top candidates and outside groups continued to buy time on television.

Five of the 13 GOP candidates are scheduled to appear in the debate, which is airing at 7 p.m. Thursday on News 9 in the Oklahoma City viewing area and News on 6 in the Tulsa area.

The five are U.S. Rep. Markwayne Mullin; Oklahoma City bank executive and former state House Speaker T.W. Shannon; former Inhofe chief-of-staff Luke Holland; state Sen. Nathan Dahm; and former EPA administrator Scott Pruitt.

Candidate Randy Grellner is seeking an injunction in Oklahoma County District Court to force media company Griffin Communications to include him, claiming he met the criteria and would suffer irreparable harm without the exposure.

Federal politics: Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole says Democratic gun bills headed for House vote "deeply misguided"

The debate comes as Congress is considering gun restrictions in the wake of recent mass shootings — including one in Tulsa — that have claimed dozens of lives. The Oklahoma Republicans participating in the debate have all made protection of gun rights a top priority in their campaigns. Dahm co-sponsored the bill approved in 2019 that allows Oklahomans who are 21 and older to carry a firearm without a permit. He has sponsored bills to lower the age to 18 and to block federal “red flag” laws.

The debate also will be held at a time when Oklahoma has effectively barred women from having abortions and the U.S. Supreme Court may be poised to strike down the 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade. All of the top Republicans in the race oppose abortion.

The economy — including high energy costs — the McGirt decision and the war in Ukraine are also potential debate topics for the candidates.

The primary is June 28. A runoff — which likely will be necessary to pick a GOP nominee in the race — will be Aug. 23. The nominee will face former Democratic U.S. Rep. Kendra Horn, independent Ray Woods and Libertarian Robert Murphy in the Nov. 8 general election.

Judge Joe Heaton upholds election process challenged by Stephen Jones

Gov. Kevin Stitt called a special election to fill the last four years of Inhofe’s term after the longtime Republican senator announced in February that he would step aside when the current Congress ends early next year.

Stitt set the special election to coincide with the elections already scheduled this year. It is the same process that was used when former U.S. Sen. David Boren resigned in 1994 with two years on his term and in 2014 when former U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn resigned with two years left on his term; both senators remained in office during the special election process.

Enid attorney Stephen Jones asked the Oklahoma Supreme Court and, subsequently, U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton to block the election, arguing that the seat won’t actually be vacant until Inhofe leaves the Senate. Jones said Stitt should have to appoint a  successor until a special election could be held.

In written arguments, Jones said that he was interested in being appointed to the job and so had legal standing to try to block the special election, but the state Supreme Court rejected his claim that he had the standing to sue.

Heaton made the same determination last week but also addressed the broader question of whether Oklahoma could hold a special election  for Inhofe's successor before he had vacated his office.

Heaton noted that there had apparently been no previous case “which has addressed the constitutionality under the Seventeenth Amendment of a statutory special election procedure like that employed by Oklahoma, which permits the  vacancy-filling process to be triggered by the filing of an ‘irrevocable letter of resignation.’”

Heaton concluded that the 17th Amendment and the Elections Clause in Article 1 of the Constitution confer “reasonable discretion” and “broad power” sufficient to authorize Oklahoma’s procedure for filling the vacancy.

“In effect, the Oklahoma procedure commences the election procedure before the office becomes unoccupied but nonetheless fills the ‘vacancy’ through its control of the ‘time’ and ‘manner’ of the election,” Heaton wrote.

“In reaching that conclusion, the court notes that the Oklahoma procedure is fully consistent with the principal purpose for the Seventeenth Amendment’s adoption — the direct election by the people of the members of the Senate — and it is not inconsistent with the related purpose of assuring that each state is represented in the Senate by two members at all times.”

State politics: Oklahoma Republicans gave party a double-digit registration edge in all five districts

Candidate ads and outside groups

Mullin, Shannon and Holland have launched their own campaign ads on television and and have outside groups backing them with additional ad buys.

A group called the Oklahoma Conservative Alliance reported last week that it has now spent $383,000 in support of Shannon.

A group called Defend US reported spending $180,000 in support of Mullin last week; a dark money group named Oklahoma First has paid for ads touting Mullin’s candidacy but has not reported the spending to the Federal Election Commission. A group called Okie PAC has reported spending $474,000 on Holland’s behalf.

Protect Freedom, a group aligned with Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican, has reported spending more than $881,000 to support Dahm’s candidacy.

Pruitt, Grellner, Alex Gray, a member of former President Donald Trump’s National Security Council, and Paul Royse also have purchased air time, though in relatively limited amounts compared to Mullin and Shannon, who have been the frontrunners in early polls.

Trump has not endorsed a candidate in the race. Gray and Pruitt served in his administration, while the other top candidates have expressed strong support for Trump.

More: Inhofe asking for $550 million in Oklahoma projects as he nears retirement

Financial disclosures filed by some US Senate candidates

Some candidates running to succeed Inhofe have filed financial disclosure reports required by the Senate for those who have raised or spent at $5,000 for their campaigns. The reports are meant to show assets and liabilities only in broad ranges and are not reflective of net worth. The amounts shown reflect calendar year 2021 and the portion of 2022 before the report was filed. The information on Rep. Markwayne Mullin is from the report he filed last year with the U.S. House of Representatives.

Luke Holland

• Assets: $113,000 - $345,000

• Liabilities: $500,000 to $1 million (mortgage on apartment sold in 2021).

• Income: $27,200 to $81,000, rental income, dividends, capital gains.

• Holdings: Mutual funds, bank accounts, apartment (sold in 2021).

Oklahoma state Sen. Nathan Dahm

• Assets: Reported a state retirement plan but not the value.

• Income: Reported $47,500 in income as a state senator, $47,500 and $5,314 working at Broken Arrow cleaning business, The Green Broom.

U.S. Rep. Markwayne Mullin 

• Assets: $7.2 million to $29.9 million.

• Liabilities: $500,000 to $1 million for purchase of the plumbing company.

• Income: $4.8 million to $13 million.

• Holdings: Mullin reported ownership in plumbing, remodeling and environmental services companies, along with a restaurant; four of his companies were valued between $1 million and $5 million. The companies generated $2.3 million to $13 million in “ordinary business income.” Mullin also reported investments in banks and retirement accounts.

T.W. Shannon

• Assets: $1.5 million to $2.25 million.

• Liabilities: $415,000 to $900,000 (two student loans, two mortgages).

• Income: $1.9 million from Chickasaw Community Bank and $18,000 from Shannon Strategies;; $30,000 to $100,000 in dividends and rent.

• Holdings: Shannon Strategies, Inc.; mutual funds; primary residence; savings accounts; rental property.

Scott Pruitt

• Assets: $702,000 to $1.9 million.

• Liabilities: None reported.

• Income: $533,112 from ESP Consulting; $24,500 to $70,000 in capital gains, dividends.

• Holdings: Mutual funds; bank accounts; pension plan; stock.

Note: Pruitt reported that he received income from Automax Used Cars in Del City; Baker and Hosteler in Washington, D.C.; and Red Apple Group in New York.

Randy Grellner

• Assets: $100,000 to $250,000.

• Liabilities: None listed.

• Income: $527,064, wages at Stillwater Medical Center; $25,667 rental income; $31,294 oil royalties; $17,628 commodities/futures contracts.

• Holdings: Cattle

Kendra Horn

• Assets: $67,000 to $180,000.

• Liabilities: $15,000 to $50,000 (student loan).

• Income: $95,000, Chickasaw Nation Commerce Division; $20,000 Oklahoma Hospital Association; Third Way, $20,000; Oklahoma Women’s Coalition, $750; Interest, $5,000 to $15,000.

• Holdings: Mutual funds, retirement accounts, bank accounts.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Republicans vying for Inhofe seat set for debate as judge OKs election