Oklahoma’s June 16 primary election did more than narrow crowded fields. It sent a message loud enough for every candidate, consultant, and lawmaker to hear: Oklahomans are tired of chaos. Across the state, voters chose between serious public service and another round of ideological warfare. I n race after race, they pushed back against candidates openly aligned with anti-public school rhetoric. For public education supporters, the results are worth celebrating. In legislative primaries, Oklahoma Freedom Caucus-aligned candidates and other hardline anti-public school candidates took it on the nose. For months, that faction aimed its fire not only at Democrats, but at fellow Republicans it deemed insufficiently pure — including sitting lawmakers, Senate leaders, and pragmatic conservatives trying to keep the Legislature functioning. Many of those same losing candidates voluntarily signed on to the 2026 OKGOP State Party Candidate Survey statement opposing “any increased funding for the government schools.” Most Republican candidates did not sign it. It was not mandatory. It was a choice.On June 16, Oklahoma primary voters said no. The Freedom Caucus wave crashed and burned. Sen. Dusty Deevers, a founding member and vice chair of the Oklahoma Freedom Caucus, finished last in his Republican primary and was shown the door. Other Freedom Caucus-backed efforts to punish legislative leaders failed, too. The seven targeted incumbents were all re-elected. Roughly 70% of candidates who signed the “oppose funding” statement lost outright, and a handful were pushed into runoffs against opponents who did not sign it. Voters soundly rejected the message that public schools are the enemy, teachers are the problem, and every challenge should be answered by starving local districts of resources. Culture-war politics and performative fights did not translate into broad electoral strength. Oklahoma is conservative, and no one should pretend otherwise. But there is a difference between conservatism and extremism, governing and grandstanding, asking serious policy questions and declaring war on schools that serve children in every county. Oklahoma’s children need lawmakers who understand real problems: teacher shortages, chronic absenteeism, special education needs, mental health concerns, transportation costs, and classrooms stretched too thin. Those problems require responsible leadership and a willingness to invest in kids. The governor’s race now moves to a critical August 25 runoff between Attorney General Gentner Drummond and former state Sen. Mike Mazzei. Both finished with just over a quarter of the vote, with Drummond narrowly ahead. The winner will face Democrat Cyndi Munson and independent candidates in November. Gentner Drummond For public school supporters, the contrast matters. Mazzei signed the “oppose funding” position. Drummond did not. In the televised Republican gubernatorial debate, Mazzei said Oklahoma’s public education system was “hijacked by the radical left” and claimed, “We’ve got 541 school districts that are run by liberal, left-leaning radical socialists.” Drummond drew a different line: “First, I’m going to defend the teachers,” adding that Oklahoma has “great teachers and great administrators” who need leadership from the governor’s office.After eight years of Gov. Kevin Stitt, this race will test whether voters want more combative, top-down politics or a different kind of leadership. But no race may matter more for Oklahoma public education than State Superintendent.On the Republican side, Robert Franklin and James Taylor advanced to the August 25 runoff. Franklin led the seven-candidate field with 22.6% of the vote, followed by Taylor at 19.7%. On the Democratic side, Jennettie Marshall defeated former El Reno Superintendent Craig McVay. But getting into a runoff is not the same thing as being prepared to lead Oklahoma’s public school system. This is not a symbolic office. The State Superintendent oversees the agency responsible for the largest share of the state budget, hundreds of employees, thousands of educators, more than 500 school districts, and more than 700,000 students. The job requires executive leadership, fiscal responsibility, policy knowledge, management experience, and understanding of school finance, accreditation, federal programs, teacher recruitment, special education, rural schools, and district pressures. That is where experience matters. Taylor has some classroom experience, but no clear record of administrative or large-scale leadership experience. He has aligned himself with the culture-war and government-dictated religious themes that defined Ryan Walters’ tenure, and his campaign team includes people directly aligned with Walters. He has also proposed consolidating Oklahoma’s 500-plus school districts — a sweeping idea with serious implications for rural communities and local control. Marshall has served on the Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education, but outside of that, her background as a pastor with work in funeral service and corrections does not demonstrate large-scale public education leadership or the administrative experience to lead OSDE. Both Taylor and Marshall are embroiled in lawsuits involving Oklahoma’s two largest school districts. At a time when the next State Superintendent must rebuild trust with local districts, restore credibility to OSDE, and repair damage done under Walters, Oklahoma does not need another superintendent who begins in conflict with the school communities they would serve. Franklin has the clearest education leadership background remaining in the race. He has spent more than four decades in public education, including public schools, career technology, and state-level service. He has worked with Sand Springs Public Schools and Tulsa Technology Center, served on the Statewide Charter School Board, and been inducted into the Oklahoma Educators Hall of Fame. From special education teacher to his current role at OU-Tulsa’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, he brings tested, statewide-relevant experience to the work ahead. Oklahoma is trying to climb out of Walters-era destruction and the bottom of national education rankings. That will not happen with more chaos, candidates who lack large-scale leadership experience, or a superintendent who treats public schools as political battlegrounds. The June primary gave public school supporters real hope. Extreme anti-funding candidates lost. Freedom Caucus-style politics took a serious hit. Several races rewarded experience over noise. But the work is not finished. Several “oppose funding” candidates are still headed to runoffs. The governor’s race is not settled. The State Superintendent race is alive. In low-turnout runoffs, every vote carries even more weight. August 25 is the next test. Voters will decide whether Oklahoma continues down a path of chaotic attacks on public schools — or begins rebuilding trust, stability, competence, and respect for the educators and communities holding this state together. The post Primary Recap appeared first on Oklahoma Gazette. ...read more read less