This Week in Oklahoma Politics

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and former state Representative Chairman Mark McBride about Governor Stitt signing a $12.8B budget for Fiscal Year 2027, the State Supreme Court limits a law blacklisting banks for discriminating against the oil and gas industry and a state lawmaker suspending his campaign after an artificial intelligence image. The trio also discusses the state Ethics Commission reprimanding a candidate for Lieutenant Governor and thousands of independent voters switching their party affiliation ahead of the partisan primaries in June.

This is a bonus episode of This Week in Oklahoma Politics. KOSU statehouse reporter Lionel Ramos recently sat down with Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt for a one-on-one interview to discuss immigration, the future of Medicaid and more. Listen to the full interview.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and Legislative Advisor Jennifer Monies about a federal judge rejecting a proposed settlement between Oklahoma and poultry companies in a decades-long lawsuit, State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd switched gears at the last minute to run for State Treasurer rather than Lieutenant Governor and a former cockfighting lobbyist is running for state house after pleading no contest to attending an game fowl event. The trio also discuses other thoughts on last week's candidate filing which saw the second largest participation since 2000 and the state Tax Commission alerting Oklahomans of a data breach between September and December of last year.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and Legislative Advisor Jennifer Monies about a new budget agreement between legislative leaders and the governor, the legislature passing a major bill deadline at the State Capitol and new social studies standards passed by the State Board of Education. The trio also discusses filling for public office to officially kick off the 2026 election season in Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Freedom Caucus gubernatorial debate with all the major Republican candidates for governor except the front-runner Gentner Drummond.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and former Republican State Senator Rick Brinkley about the confirmation of Markwayne Mullin as the new Homeland Security Secretary, Governor Stitt's pick of Tulsa energy executive Alan Armstrong to fill the rest of Mullin's term and the State Supreme Court siding with Attorney General Gentner Drummond n a fight over hunting and fishing on tribal lands. The trio also discuss Oklahoma handing over private voter information to the Trump Administration and Oklahoma County Commissioner Myles Davidson resigning his seat after sexual misconduct allegations.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and former Republican State Senator AJ Griffin about the confirmation hearing for Senator Markwayne Mullin to lead the Department of Homeland Security, the political fallout of Mullin's nomination and the disqualification of nearly 60,000 signatures on a state question to open primaries in Oklahoma. The trio also discusses a protective order issued against Oklahoma County Commissioner Myles Davidson and Oklahoma County taking the first steps to dissolving the trust over seeing its jail

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and former Republican State Senator AJ Griffin about the nomination of Senator Markwayne Mullin to lead the Department of Homeland Security, the political fallout with Mullin vacating his Senate seat and the failure of State Question 836 to open primaries in Oklahoma. The trio also discusses concerns from Attorney General Gentner Drummond after a board denies a second attempt to create a Jewish charter school and the governor's plans to use state funds to help unhoused individuals in Oklahoma City.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOCSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and former Republican State Senator Rick Brinkley about President Trump's Justice Department suing Oklahoma after refusing to share voter personal data, the State Ethics Board launching a temporary online portal for local candidates to report campaign finances and a new political party fails to get enough signatures to be officially recognized by the state. The trio also discusses Republican state lawmakers passing immigration bills backed by President Trump and a Senate Education Committee blocking legislation to add transparency to the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and Legislative Advisor Jennifer Monies about Senate leaders unveiling their $254M education plan using money from teachers' retirement, a look back at the first month of the 2026 legislative session and an audit of the State Department of Education under then-Superintendent Joy Hofmeister. The trio also discusses Attorney General Gentner Drummond providing $1M to five organizations helping victims of human trafficking and OKC Republican Representative Chris Kannady planning to run for attorney general.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and Legislative Advisor Jennifer Monies about new budget numbers for state lawmakers for the 2027 fiscal year starting in July, a fiscal impact for the House Speakers literacy legislation coming in at about $75M and Mustang Public Schools suspending 122 students for participating in I.C.E. protests. The trio also discusses the Trump Administration's Department of Justice asking Oklahoma election officials for confidential voter information and a new study showing state workers make 50% less in pay than their private sector counterparts.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and Legislative Advisor Jennifer Monies about a state board denying the application of a Jewish charter school, Governor Stitt signing legislation to ban protests at places of worship and President Trump calling Governor Stitt a Republican in Name Only over invitations to a White House summit. The trio also discusses Governor Stitt signing two executive orders impacting higher education in Oklahoma and a Republican rancher and businessman wins a special election in the northern Oklahoma House District 35.

Oklahoma City voters will have a chance to cast their ballots on Tuesday, Feb. 10 in the election for the city’s mayor, which is a nonpartisan and part-time position. KOSU’s Abigail Siatkowski spoke with the only two candidates in the race: incumbent mayor David Holt and challenger Matthew Pallares. You'll hear from both of them in this episode.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with legislative Advisor Jennifer Monies and Civic Leader Andy Moore about Governor Stitt's State of the State Address where he talked about making medical marijuana illegal again, changes to Medicaid Expansion, abolishing the Oklahoma Secondary School Athletic Association and more. The trio also discusses the leader of the Senate removing Shawnee Republican Senator Shane Jett from his leadership positions and Devon Energy's announcement to leave Oklahoma City for Houston, Texas.

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt kicked off the 2026 legislative session with his eighth and final State of the State address on Monday. After boasting about his accomplishments over the past seven years, the governor laid out his policy priorities for the session. Those include bolstering school choice by removing the cap on the Parental Choice Tax Credit, as well as eliminating the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA), which organizes and regulates secondary school athletics and activity competitions in the state. Stitt expressed his desire for the governor to appoint a superintendent of public education rather than the voters electing one, saying it is better for leadership alignment. It’s important to note that Stitt appointed Ryan Walters as his Secretary of Education before endorsing Walters in his race for Superintendent. Then, Stitt found himself at odds with Walters during his brief tenure in office. Stitt also called for the creation of three state questions: one to cap recurring spending growth, specifically making adjustments to Medicaid expansion. Another proposed state question would freeze property tax growth and a third would overturn State Question 788, which made medical marijuana legal in Oklahoma. The governor’s policy priorities are essentially his wish list. He still has to get lawmakers on board to accomplish these, but his priorities and those of state lawmakers don’t always align. Thank you to OETA for providing the audio feed of the speech. We’ll have more coverage and offer context on the radio, on this podcast, and online at KOSU.org.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and Legislative Advisor Jennifer Monies about supporters of a state question to open primaries in Oklahoma turning in their signatures, Governor Stitt's response to the violence from immigration enforcement agents in Minnesota and Stitt kicking off the 2026 legislative session with his final State of the State address. The trio also talks about Governor Stitt's plan to create an online school choice resource hub and OKC Democratic Representative Ajay Pittman resigning her seat after felony charges.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and Legislative Advisor Jennifer Monies about state lawmakers getting ready for the 2026 legislative session next month, Senator Lankford and local officials seeking answers about an I.C.E. detention center in Oklahoma City and the Islamic Society of Tulsa looking into possible legal action after development for a mosque was blocked in Broken Arrow. The trio also discusses a petition from State Treasurer Todd Russ to the Supreme Court to avoid a deposition of his office's use of a self-deleting app for messaging and Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt's support of State Question 836 to open primaries in the state.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill has decided to hang up the microphone after 27 years on KOSU. Morning Edition Host Michael Cross and Executive Director Rachel Hubbard talk to Neva about her time on our air as well as changes she has seen in politics since she began in 1998 Over the next several months, we'll have a rotating group of people sitting in the chair as we look for Neva's replacement. So, don't worry, the show isn't going anywhere. Also, if you have a special note you would like to share with Neva, please send it to us through our contact form at kosu.org/contact.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics is taking a break over the holidays and will return in the new year. You can stay up to date on the latest news at KOSU.org. You can listen on the NPR App or the KOSU Daily Podcast. You can also follow us on Facebook, TikTok or Instagram Have a safe and happy holidays and a Happy New Year

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civic Leader Andy Moore about the State Supreme Court ending controversial social studies standards, a new group forms to represent Oklahoma independent voters as they are getting left out of all political primaries for at least the next two years and the Oklahoma Corporation Commission allows OG&E to move forward with $506M in new projects. The trio also discusses Attorney General Gentner Drummond getting out of a lawsuit against ClassWallet and Governor Stitt criticizing President Trump's efforts to halt wind projects.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Republican Political Consultant Neva Hill and Civic Leader Andy Moore about Governor Stitt approving the deployment of 160 National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. and Corporation Commissioner Todd Hiett refusing to recuse himself from an OG&E case. The trio also discusses Stitt setting a special election to fill the seat of an OKC Democrat to coincide with next year's election dates and a delay by the Ethics Commission to launch a website to monitor campaign finances.