(Update: On Tuesday, June 16, Brandon Wade won the Democratic nomination to represent Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional District. Suzie Byrd won the Democratic nomination to represent Oklahoma’s 3rd Congressional District. Mitchell Jacob won the Democratic nomination to represent Oklahoma’s 4th Congressional District.)
In Oklahoma’s 2nd, 3rd and 4th Congressional Districts, incumbent Republicans will face primary challengers this month before meeting their eventual Democratic opponents in November.
While Democrats face long odds to unseat any of the three Republican incumbents, each district features a head-to-head Democratic primary election June 16 to decide the nominees.
Erik Terwey and Brandon Wade are the Democratic candidates for Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional District, which encompasses nearly all of eastern Oklahoma and several sovereign tribal nations.
Suzie Byrd and Jules Roberson are the Democratic candidates running for Oklahoma’s 3rd Congressional District, which encompasses the panhandle, all of northwestern Oklahoma and parts of the Tulsa and OKC metro areas.
Mitchell Jacob and Jeff Pixley are the Democratic candidates running for Oklahoma’s 4th Congressional District, which covers large portions of central and southern Oklahoma, including all of Norman and Lawton, as well as much of the Chickasaw Nation.
Each district’s eventual Democratic nominee will face its Republican nominee in the Nov. 3 general election. The Republican primary for each of the three congressional districts features an incumbent facing one challenger.
The following cheat sheet covers candidates running in the CD 2, CD 3 and CD 4 Democratic primaries. The candidates are presented in alphabetical order within each seat, and all information has been compiled from online, publicly available sources.
2nd Congressional District
Erik Terwey
Age: 44
Profession/background: Raised in Bartlesville, Erik Terwey received a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in French studies from the University of Oklahoma, according to his LinkedIn. He previously worked as a high school teacher in Tulsa, a store manager at Jared’s Frozen Custard and an adjunct faculty member at the University of Tulsa.
According to his LinkedIn, Terwey has pursued community service roles for the past five years. After losing a 2020 election for Bartlesville City Council, he later served a two-year term as chairman of the Washington County Democratic Party. Terwey’s volunteer experience includes reviewing grant proposals for the Greater Bartlesville Boys and Girls Club and working as a court-appointed mediator for the State Supreme Court Early Settlement Mediation Program.
Platform: According to his campaign website, Terwey wants to “create better paying jobs for the future,” “expand health care access for all” and “increase educational opportunities.”
Terwey has posted on Facebook multiple times critiquing government spending and current political figures, including President Donald Trump and incumbent Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-OK2). When Trump said in an April 7 Truth Social post that a “whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran did not make a deal by his deadline, Terwey reacted on Facebook, calling Trump “unhinged.”
“In situations like this, we are supposed to be able to rely on a strong and independent Congress. Yet we can’t. And why not? Because Congressman Josh Brecheen has completely failed to discharge his duty to defend us and the Constitution,” Terwey wrote. “He must go.”
According to his website, Terwey is running for Congress because he believes representatives should be “regular Americans” rather than millionaires or billionaires.
“Only when we start electing people who experience firsthand what it is like to survive and struggle in today’s economy will we finally begin to see laws that truly help,” Terwey wrote.
Links: Website | Facebook | LinkedIn
Brandon Wade
Age: 49
Profession/background: Brandon Wade is a third-generation union worker from Copan, according to his campaign website. He was committee chairman and vice president of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 351 for 26 years. Wade is currently secretary of the Oklahoma Democratic Party Veterans Foundation. He is the son of a Vietnam veteran.
In seeking this year’s CD 2 nomination, Wade is making at least his third run for office. He finished fifth in the 2022 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate with 12.2 percent of the vote, and he received 21.4 percent support in the 2024 general election against Brecheen.
Platform: Wade wants to “modernize our immigration system,” “protect women’s health care choices,” “fully fund public schools” and “strengthen Social Security and Medicare,” according to his website.
In a May 17 Facebook post, Wade wrote that Republicans who voted for a failed amendment to H.R. 8469, a bill making appropriations for military purposes, had not put “America first” as they claimed.
“They say the(y) voted for America First. This was on redirecting funds to support NATO and send it to military construction instead. I don’t believe that is America First,” Wade wrote. “I believe in funding (…) a program that ensures our allies have our backs if needed. I believe if we are redirecting money for military assistance, how about redirecting that money to raise their pay, provide the medical care they deserve, and passing the Major Richard Star Act! That would be America First.”
The Major Richard Star Act would eliminate offsets that reduce retirement pay for certain wounded veterans.
On his website, Wade wrote that he envisions a future where every American can thrive.
“I will stand firm in defending the rights of women, LGBTQ+ individuals, immigrants, and minorities — rejecting discrimination, hate and attacks on equality,” Wade said.
3rd Congressional District
Suzie Byrd
Age: 71
Profession/background: According to her Facebook, Suzie Byrd was raised in Hennessey and graduated from Oklahoma State University. She has owned or been a partner in more than 12 businesses in Oklahoma and Florida.
Byrd last worked as a news reporter for Enid News and Eagle and currently resides in Enid.
Platform:Â According to her Facebook, Byrd prioritizes universal health care, affordable housing, immigration reform and education reform. She also promotes bipartisanship.
“I am tired of the division in our country and want us to work together to solve the problems. So, I am creating the Purple Campaign where the blue and red meet in the middle. People over party,” Byrd wrote in an April 9 Facebook post.
In a May 5 conversation with podcaster Rodd Duff, Byrd said she decided to file for CD 3 around 1 p.m. on the final day of the filing period.
“I don’t want the Republican ticket to be the only voice that we have,” she said. “We really need to have more people, more voices, I think, and more people need to get involved.”
Jules Roberson
Age: 37
Profession/background:Â According to her campaign website, Jules Roberson is an Anadarko native who received an associate’s degree in business from Oklahoma City Community College. She is currently an employee at an Amazon fulfillment center, according to her Facebook.
Platform: Roberson prioritizes implementing universal health care, abolishing ICE and raising the minimum wage, according to her website. She states that she is pro-choice, pro-Palestine, pro-union, pro-green energy and pro-national works projects.
In an April 7 Facebook post, Roberson wrote that Trump is a “catastrophically evil human being” who must be impeached.
“[A]s your congresswoman I will stand for you, fight for you, and live with purpose, for you! For too long, your society has split, degraded, and become ever more hateful. Civil rights have been rolled back, women have been demeaned, and those with the least have lost the most,” Roberson wrote via her website. “Today is the day you can join the fight and push back on the hate, fight for what you deserve and demand a government that works at the behest of its people.”
In a lengthy May 1 tweet, Roberson noted her alignment with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY14).
“Vote real, actual left, not Schumer ‘left’ Harris ‘left’ or Jeffries ‘left,'” Roberson wrote. “Vote Bernie left, AOC left, Summer Lee left. A left that will actually fight. That will come out and talk to you, no matter who you are. That advocates for policies that help everybody instead of one’s to hurt others. You matter, your life matters, there is no rule that says life has to be this hard. That says things have to get worse and that you must live in servitude to the wealthy and corrupt.”
4th Congressional District
Mitchell Jacob
Age: 34
Profession/background: According to his campaign website, Mitchell Jacob is a fourth-generation Oklahoman from Tulsa.
Jacob received his bachelor’s in government studies from Grand Canyon University, according to his LinkedIn. He was a U.S. Army sergeant for five years before receiving his juris doctorate from the OU College of Law. Jacob is currently a public defender in Cleveland County through the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System. In 2024, Jacob ran unsuccessfully for HD 20 in the Oklahoma Legislature, finishing with about 24 percent of the vote.
Platform: Now a candidate for Congress, Jacob’s campaign website states he prioritizes “quality education,” “access to health care,” “cruelty-free immigration reform” and “fiscally responsible solutions.”
“Ensuring individual rights, safeguarding liberties, and adhering to the rule of law are the minimum requirements for holding public office,” Jacob wrote on his website. “While some may flagrantly disregard these enduring principles, I remain steadfast in my commitment to preserving and honoring the Constitution as the cornerstone of our country’s future. Respect for this sacred document is not just a political stance — it is a responsibility we owe to every generation.”
Links: Website | Facebook | LinkedIn
Jeff Pixley
Age: 53
Profession/background: Jeff Pixley received a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Oklahoma and a master’s degree in national security policy studies from Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, according to his LinkedIn. He retired from the U.S. Air Force after 25 years of service.
Platform: According to his campaign website, Pixley wants to “restore constitutional balance,” “empower working families” and “defend national security.”
On Jan. 20, Pixley attended a “Free America” walkout, which is a national movement protesting the Trump administration. The OU Daily photographed him carrying an anti-ICE sign reading, “It was murder.”
In a March 2 Facebook post, Pixley reacted to the United States and Israel attacking Iran in late February.
“I did not retire from the United States Air Force after 35 years of service to watch Congress surrender its constitutional responsibilities. I stepped forward to run because leadership matters most in moments like this,” Pixley wrote. “Our troops deserve clarity of mission. Our families deserve transparency. And our Constitution deserves representatives who will defend it, regardless of party. Strength abroad begins with integrity at home. I will always stand for both.”
Links: Website | Facebook | LinkedIn
