Mullin clinches Oklahoma GOP Senate nod

Oklahoma Rep. Markwayne Mullin is projected to win the state’s Republican Senate runoff on Tuesday, advancing to November’s general election. 

The Associated Press called the race at 8:35 p.m. EDT.

Mullin defeated former state House Speaker T.W. Shannon in the runoff after neither candidate received 50 percent of the vote outright in the June primary.

Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) announced in February he wouldn’t finish out his term, triggering a special election to fill the seat.

Polls going into the runoff showed Mullin leading Shannon. The runoff also marks a victory for former President Trump, who endorsed Mullin in the race. 

Mullin will go on to face former Rep. Kendra Horn (D-Okla.) in the general election, where he stands a strong chance of winning. The Cook Political Report rates the race as “solid Republican.”