Hello, John! It's Monday, January 26, 2026, and it’s COLD 🥶 in Oklahoma! I hope you’ve weathered the ❄️ winter storm ❄️ and even enjoyed some rest as we’ve been forced to slow down over the last few days. 

Despite the snow, Oklahoma Democrats have been busy, so hang with me through all of the important updates below! Let’s get to it:

I hope you heard the news that Rep. Ron Stewart has joined the OKDems as our new Vice Chair. A native of the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Rep. Stewart is a career firefighter, dad to four, and was named Freshman Legislator of the Year last session. We’re eager to have his commitment and energy leading our party!

Luke Kruse is on the ballot February 10 in a special election in House District 35. Not only is Luke exactly the type of leader you’d like to see at the State Capitol, he’s knocked over 4,000 doors since October. While Republicans think they have this in the bag, we know better. Republican turnout has been low and there are plenty of Democrats in the district to win outright. 

If we turnout local Dems, Luke wins! Just this past snowy weekend we rallied the hunkered down troops and held a virtual phone banking for Luke with nearly 30 volunteers! There's still time to join us in this monumental race and to make a difference either by chipping in or volunteering!

Stay organized and inspired all year! Your Dogs of Democracy calendar includes all the important election dates you need plus the friendly moral support of our dog pals. Order your calendar now!

2026 is a pivotal election year in our state. All statewide offices, half of State Senators, all State House Reps, two County Commissioners in every county + more county offices, all District Attorneys, and more are up for election. We’ve been focused on candidate recruitment for months. Already, more than 100 local Dems are stepping up to give Oklahomans a choice this fall – that’s more than double the number of candidates we’ve seen in years. 

On Saturday, we expanded this effort with a statewide push to recruit more Democrats for the November ballot in partnership with Contest Every Race. Are you ready to run? Do you know someone who should run? Let us know today! Complete our Interest Form and we’ll be in touch quickly to offer guidance, answers to questions, and support.

The news out of Minneapolis is heartbreaking and infuriating. ICE is out of control. OKDems continues to stand for our constitutional rights of due process, speech and assembly. We mourn the families torn apart and the lives lost. We demand that law enforcement both keep us safe and operate lawfully. As we see ICE activity in our own state with patrols along major highways and the possibility of detention centers opening in Oklahoma City and Durant, we are working on resources to speak up for our neighbors and communities.

Last week, we launched our new Call Hub that offers a simple click to find contact information for all your elected officials. We also provide scripts to guide your calls or emails. More actions and opportunities are in the works and we will be rolling those out very soon.

In the meantime, stay vigilant. Review these guides to your rights. Watch out for ICE activity near you and report abuse of power or unwarranted searches or arrests. 

What we’re hearing and seeing out of citizen-led protest and protection in Minneapolis should inspire us all. Neighborhood by neighborhood, ordinary Americans are coming together to protect each other, stand for liberty and justice, and prove that we are still a democracy by the people, for the people.

I’m proud to be on the right side of history with you.

Forward Together,

Erin

As Oklahoma Democrats, we are working every day to engage, connect, and orga nize Oklahomans to elect Democrats at every level of government.