(Update: The start time for this superintendent runoff debate has been changed to 7 p.m. View the livestream of this debate here.)
State superintendent of public instruction candidates Robert Franklin and James Taylor have agreed to participate in a public debate at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13, that will be broadcast live on KSWO-7 across southwest Oklahoma.
In partnership between NonDoc, KSWO and the Lawton Constitution, the debate will be held in the Cameron University Theater, on the southwest corner of 27th Street and A Avenue in Lawton. Those wishing to attend in person must RSVP using this Google form. In addition to airing live on Channel 7, the debate will be streamed on KSWO.com, KSWO’s YouTube page and the Facebook pages of KSWO and NonDoc.
Titled “School of Thought,” the debate will be co-moderated by Tres Savage of NonDoc and Jennah James of KSWO, all questions will be written and asked by professional journalists. The Oklahoma Public School Resource Center is the event’s presenting sponsor.
Franklin, a former Sand Springs educator and Tulsa Tech administrator, and Taylor, a history teacher and Norman pastor, finished atop a seven-candidate field in the June 16 Republican primary. Franklin led the field with 84,407 votes (22.6 percent support), while Taylor received 73,524 votes (19.7 percent support). The pair were two of six candidates who participated in a primary debate also co-hosted by NonDoc.
The runoff election between the pair will be on August 25. The winner of the runoff will go on to face Democrat Jennettie Marshall in the November general election.
The Frontier is also a media partner for the debate and will lead fact-checking efforts.
Public debate series rolls on
Sponsors of NonDoc’s 2026 debate series include Hilliary Communications, AARP Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Public School Resource Center, the Oklahoma Association of REALTORS, McSpadden, Milner & Rott, the State Chamber of Oklahoma, the Scholars Strategy Network, Civitas Strategies, Cornerstone Government Affairs and the ACLU of Oklahoma. Other charitable sponsorships for the debate series are available.
NonDoc has partnered with other Oklahoma media outlets and civic organizations to host and broadcast more than 40 public political debates since 2018. Ahead of this year’s June 16 primary election, NonDoc co-hosted debates among candidates for attorney general, governor, insurance commissioner and state superintendent of public instruction.
