Oklahoma is one of three states holding key primary races next Tuesday, with newly appointed House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole‘s (R-OK) contest drawing more fireworks than the district has seen in years.
Oklahoma is one of several Republican strongholds with competitive primaries for House seats in 2024 as Democrats look to flip the lower chamber back to their side and the GOP seeks to expand its razor-thin majority.
Notable House races next week include Cole’s in the 4th Congressional District and Rep. Frank Lucas’s (R-OK) race in the 3rd District. Eyes are on the 4th District in particular, as Cole recently took the helm of one of the most powerful House committees.
Cole prepares for competitive primary fight
Cole, who has held his seat since the 2002 election, is one of the last remaining members of the Republican Party’s establishment wing. He took on the powerful role as the new chairman of the Appropriations Committee in April after outgoing Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) stepped down from the position, hours after the House passed the final set of appropriations bills for fiscal 2024.
The Oklahoma Republican has faced several primary challengers, some of them competitive, over the last two decades, but the congressman has always won by comfortable margins. Last election cycle, he defeated his opponent by over 40 points.
This year, Cole faces four GOP primary challengers, with the top opponent emerging as Paul Bondar. Bondar is a wealthy insurance broker who used to live primarily in Texas before registering to vote in Oklahoma in April, one day before he filed to challenge Cole in the primary, per the Cook Political Report.
The 4th District is drawing a flood of fundraising, as Bondar’s investment of $5 million of his own money into the contest has forced Cole and his allies to also spend heavily.
Americans 4 Security PAC, an outside group supporting Cole, is planning to spend nearly $4 million on the race as it prepares for Bondar to drop as much as $6 million, per Roll Call. Cole’s campaign has spent over $3 million on the race, and both American Action Network and Defending Main Street Super PAC have funneled money into the contest, as well.
Though Cole is highly favored to win the primary, it is shaping up to be one of the most expensive congressional races in Oklahoma’s history.
“It’s like an old-fashioned bar fight,” Cole told Roll Call. “The guy who wins a bar fight isn’t the guy with the most money, it’s the guy with the most friends. And I have a lot of friends in that district.”
However, whether Cole wins the primary outright remains to be seen. With three other GOP competitors up against Bondar and Cole, the congressman could see himself forced into a runoff. A runoff election would not take place until Aug. 27, meaning Cole and supporting PACs would likely spend even more money on the race.
Despite being a strong ally of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Cole has also maintained good working relationships with the Republican conference’s most hard-line conservative members — so much so that none of the House Freedom Caucus members have endorsed Bondar. Cole also has the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, who called the congressman a “fantastic Representative” in a statement in May.
Bondar told Roll Call that he already has future plans for politics even if he does not win the 2024 primary.
“Regardless of this outcome, I am going to run a reelection campaign in 2026,” Bondar said. “Tom is 75 years old. I think people are going to quickly understand that, at some point, either really soon or not too far off, I will be the next congressman of this district, based on my level of commitment to this state.”
Another longtime congressman faces GOP challengers
Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK) also drew primary challengers this year despite speculation that he might join the mass exodus of House members choosing to retire instead of seeking reelection in 2024. Lucas is currently chairman of the House Science Committee and the longest-serving Republican member on the House Agriculture and Financial Services committees.
Lucas has been in Congress since 1994 when he flipped the 6th District in a special election. He now represents Oklahoma’s 3rd District, as he has since 2003. 2022 marked the first time in decades that Lucas gained a strong primary competitor, but he still defeated Wade Burleson with over 60% of the vote.
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This year, Lucas is facing Robin Carder and Darren Hamilton in the primary. Compared to Cole’s race, the 3rd District primary is not drawing as much of a spending battle. Lucas has raised almost $1.2 million and spent nearly $638,000, while Carder’s and Hamilton’s campaigns have not broken $100,000.
The 3rd District is the only House seat this cycle that drew Republican challengers only. The solid red seat is listed as Republican +24 by the Cook Political Report.
