Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction election, 2026
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← 2022
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| Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction |
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| Election details |
| Filing deadline: April 3, 2026 |
| Primary: June 16, 2026 Primary runoff: August 25, 2026 General: November 3, 2026 |
| How to vote |
| Poll times:
7 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2026 Impact of term limits in 2026 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026 |
| Oklahoma executive elections |
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Oklahoma is holding an election for superintendent of public instruction on November 3, 2026. The primary is June 16, 2026, and a primary runoff is August 25, 2026. The filing deadline is April 3, 2026.
Candidates and election results
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
General election
The primary will occur on June 16, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. Additional general election candidates will be added here following the primary.
General election for Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction
Jerry Griffin is running in the general election for Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Jerry Griffin (Independent) | ||
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction
Jennettie Marshall is running in the Democratic primary for Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction on June 16, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Jennettie Marshall | ||
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction
John Cox, Ana Landsaw, and Rob Miller are running in the Republican primary for Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction on June 16, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | John Cox | |
| Ana Landsaw | ||
 | Rob Miller | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Riley Williams (R)
Candidate profiles
There are currently no candidate profiles created for this race. Candidate profiles will appear here as they are created. Encourage the candidates in this race to complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey so that their profile will appear here.
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Oklahoma
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Past elections
The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2014.
2022
General election
General election for Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction
Ryan Walters defeated Jena Nelson in the general election for Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Ryan Walters (R) | 56.8 | 650,310 |
 | Jena Nelson (D) | 43.2 | 495,031 | |
| Total votes: 1,145,341 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary runoff election
Republican primary runoff for Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction
Ryan Walters defeated April Grace in the Republican primary runoff for Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction on August 23, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ryan Walters | 53.4 | 149,147 |
 | April Grace | 46.6 | 130,168 | |
| Total votes: 279,315 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Jena Nelson advanced from the Democratic primary for Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction
Ryan Walters and April Grace advanced to a runoff. They defeated John Cox and William Crozier in the Republican primary for Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction on June 28, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ryan Walters | 41.5 | 142,630 |
| ✔ | | April Grace | 30.6 | 105,372 |
| John Cox | 24.1 | 83,065 | |
| William Crozier | 3.8 | 12,950 | ||
| Total votes: 344,017 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2018
General election
General election for Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction
Incumbent Joy Hofmeister defeated John Cox and Larry Huff in the general election for Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Joy Hofmeister (R) | 58.5 | 687,468 |
| John Cox (D) | 33.8 | 396,901 | |
| Larry Huff (Independent) | 7.7 | 90,510 | ||
| Total votes: 1,174,879 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary runoff election
Republican primary runoff for Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction
Incumbent Joy Hofmeister defeated Linda Murphy in the Republican primary runoff for Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction on August 28, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Joy Hofmeister | 56.7 | 167,117 |
| Linda Murphy | 43.3 | 127,732 | ||
| Total votes: 294,849 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction
John Cox advanced from the Democratic primary for Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction on June 26, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | John Cox |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction
Incumbent Joy Hofmeister and Linda Murphy advanced to a runoff. They defeated Will Farrell in the Republican primary for Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction on June 26, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Joy Hofmeister | 46.8 | 200,961 |
| ✔ | Linda Murphy | 31.0 | 133,230 | |
 | Will Farrell | 22.1 | 94,899 | |
| Total votes: 429,090 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2014
Republican Joy Hofmeister won the election on November 4, 2014.
| Oklahoma Superintendent, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Joy Hofmeister |
55.8% | 457,053 | |
| Democratic | John Cox | 44.2% | 361,878 | |
| Total Votes | 818,931 | |||
| Election results via Oklahoma State Election Board | ||||
Election analysis
Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.
- Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
- Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
- State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
- Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.
Cook PVI by congressional district
| District | Incumbent | PVI |
|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma's 1st | Kevin Hern | R+11 |
| Oklahoma's 2nd | Josh Brecheen | R+28 |
| Oklahoma's 3rd | Frank Lucas | R+23 |
| Oklahoma's 4th | Tom Cole | R+17 |
| Oklahoma's 5th | Stephanie Bice | R+9 |
2024 presidential results by 2026 congressional district lines
| District | Kamala Harris  | Donald Trump  |
|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma's 1st | 38.0% | 60.0% |
| Oklahoma's 2nd | 21.0% | 77.0% |
| Oklahoma's 3rd | 26.0% | 72.0% |
| Oklahoma's 4th | 32.0% | 66.0% |
| Oklahoma's 5th | 40.0% | 58.0% |
| Source: The Downballot | ||
2016-2024
How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:
| County-level voting pattern categories | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | |||||||
| Status | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | ||||
| Solid Democratic | D | D | D | ||||
| Trending Democratic | R | D | D | ||||
| Battleground Democratic | D | R | D | ||||
| New Democratic | R | R | D | ||||
| Republican | |||||||
| Status | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | ||||
| Solid Republican | R | R | R | ||||
| Trending Republican | D | R | R | ||||
| Battleground Republican | R | D | R | ||||
| New Republican | D | D | R | ||||
Following the 2024 presidential election, 100% of Oklahomans lived in one of the state's 77 Solid Republican counties, which voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election from 2016 to 2024. Overall, Oklahoma was Solid Republican, having voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016, Donald Trump (R) in 2020, and Donald Trump (R) in 2024. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Oklahoma following the 2024 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.
| Oklahoma county-level statistics, 2024 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Republican | 77 | 100.0% | |||||
| Total voted Democratic | 0 | 0.0% | |||||
| Total voted Republican | 77 | 100.0% | |||||
Historical voting trends
Oklahoma presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 10 Democratic wins
- 20 Republican wins
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | N/A | N/A | D | D | D | R | D | R | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.
U.S. Senate elections
The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Oklahoma.
Gubernatorial elections
- See also: Governor of Oklahoma
The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Oklahoma.
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of Oklahoma's congressional delegation as of October 2025.
| Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Oklahoma | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
| Democratic | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vacancies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 5 | 7 |
State executive
The table below displays the officeholders in Oklahoma's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.
| Office | Officeholder |
|---|---|
| Governor | Kevin Stitt |
| Lieutenant Governor | Matt Pinnell |
| Secretary of State | Benjamin Lepak |
| Attorney General | Gentner Drummond |
State legislature
Oklahoma State Senate
| Party | As of January 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 8 | |
| Republican Party | 40 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 48 | |
Oklahoma House of Representatives
| Party | As of January 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 19 | |
| Republican Party | 80 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 2 | |
| Total | 101 | |
Trifecta control
Oklahoma Party Control: 1992-2025
Five years of Democratic trifectas • Fifteen years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | S | S | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
The table below details demographic data in Oklahoma and compares it to the broader United States as of 2023.
| Demographic Data for Oklahoma | ||
|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | United States | |
| Population | 3,959,353 | 331,449,281 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 68,596 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 66.8% | 63.4% |
| Black/African American | 7.1% | 12.4% |
| Asian | 2.3% | 5.8% |
| Native American | 7.4% | 0.9% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.1% | 0.4% |
| Other (single race) | 3.4% | 6.6% |
| Multiple | 12.8% | 10.7% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 12.3% | 19% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 89.1% | 89.4% |
| College graduation rate | 27.8% | 35% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $63,603 | $78,538 |
| Persons below poverty level | 15.3% | 12.4% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2018-2023). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
See also
| Oklahoma | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
