John,

Here's what Oklahoma Speaker of the House Hilbert is hoping YOU don't know... There's a Special Election on February 10th, and a chance for Democrats to win. 

After receiving only 1,517 votes, Dillon Travis (the Republican running for HD35) is acting like he has already won the race. Leading up to the runoff election, Dillon Travis blanketed the district with more than a DOZEN mail pieces. That kind of operation takes serious Republican dough - the kind that doesn't come from within your own district. Now, his campaign has gone quiet, and this week he attended the Speaker's Ball hosted by Speaker Kyle Hilbert.  

 So while the GOP has flooded this district with dirty mailers...

...Teacher and football coach, Luke Kruse (seen below driving the school bus) has been demonstrating what a real people-first campaign looks like. His team, combined with our volunteers, officers, and staff have knocked on over 4,000 doors in rural Oklahoma, we've dialed 2,500+ phones, and texted nearly every Democrat in the district. 

We're just two weeks out, and we need your help. 

Today, we need to raise $3,840.97 to send out one last piece of mail to the voters of House District 35. It's that simple: every dollar we raise today goes straight to a once-in-a-lifetime shot at flipping a State House seat while the Republicans are asleep at the wheel.

If we elect Luke Kruse, we not only prove that Democrats can win in rural Oklahoma, but we also add a desperately needed vote to our caucus. 

Remember those 1,500 votes the Republicans won in the runoff? Well, we ran the numbers. And in the two competitive Republican runoffs in 2025, general election day turnout actually DECREASED from the runoff day turnout. 

This means the 8,000 registered Democrats and Independents in this district have the opportunity to send a monumental shock wave to extremist leadership at the State Capitol and to the out-of-touch Republicans in DC. This is your chance to help start the 2026 midterm year with HUGE Democratic gains and set the momentum for November. 

We'll keep you posted as we approach the election on volunteer needs, but today is the furthest your dollars will go to putting Luke Kruse in the State House.

The Oklahoma Democratic Party had the chance to start working with Luke at the very beginning of his campaign. It's been an incredible journey. Luke's enthusiasm and authenticity bring an energy to the campaign this district hasn't seen in years, and people are responding to it!

Thanks to Luke's amazing work, we've been able to supplement his campaign with additional training, resources, direct support in door knocking, volunteer recruitment, and more! That's the competitive campaign infrastructure we're building around the State. A special thank you to all of our volunteers, and especially our District and County Officers, who have taken the time to support Luke's campaign.

We know these programs work! Last November, we had the chance to deploy our canvassing team in Lawton and helped flip a Republican city-council seat by driving up turnout in the most Democratic precinct. Help us repeat this winning strategy for Luke, and strengthen it for all of our Democratic candidates running in November!

This is what rebuilding and renewing the Democratic movement in Oklahoma looks like. I couldn't be more grateful for all of the folks who have chipped in as we've contested every Legislative special election since 2024 and worked to engage and mobilize voters around the state. 

Let's win this Special Election, 

Lauren Craig

OKDEMS Executive Director

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