A political newcomer has won the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in Oklahoma, vowing to prioritize impeaching President Donald Trump if elected.
N'Kiyla Jasmine Thomas, a nurse who has never held elected office, defeated Jim Priest in a runoff election for the Democratic Senate nomination. Thomas secured the highest percentage of votes in the initial June primary, which featured five candidates. Her victory sets up a general election contest against Republican Rep. Kevin Hern.
Oklahoma has not elected a Democrat to the Senate in over three decades. Thomas's campaign website lists policy proposals such as increasing teacher pay, codifying abortion rights, and expanding the Affordable Care Act.
During an interview with NPR affiliate KOSU, Thomas stated her intention to impeach, remove, and convict Trump within her first 100 days in office if she is elected. "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," she said.
Thomas faces a significant challenge in the general election. Trump won Oklahoma by nearly 35 percentage points in the 2020 election. Rep. Hern, the Republican nominee, has a substantial campaign fund, having raised close to $10 million this cycle, while Thomas has raised under $60,000. Hern also has Trump's endorsement and has expressed support for the SAVE America Act.
Hern commented on Thomas's candidacy, stating that Oklahomans "love President Trump and the America First Agenda." He added that "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." He contrasted this with the Republican focus on "delivering results" and accused Thomas and the "radical left" of focusing on "partisan politics against a president Oklahomans overwhelmingly elected."
