Cole outlasts Bondar in 'bar fight' to take 4th District GOP primary; Lucas, Hern cruise

MOORE – More than once during the past few weeks, U.S. Rep. Tom Cole has likened his Republican primary race against Paul Bondar in Oklahoma’s Fourth Congressional District to a bar fight.

“In a bar fight, the guy with the most money doesn’t win, the guy with the most friends wins the fight,” Cole told supporters gathered at Nosh, a restaurant in his hometown, on Tuesday. “We have a lot of friends and a lot of you are here tonight.”

In one of the most expensive primary races in state history, Cole – who’s served in Congress since 2003 – posted a decisive victory over Bondar, an insurance salesman who only recently moved from Texas to Oklahoma. With all precincts reporting results, Cole had received 64.6% of the vote, compared to about 25.8% for Bondar.

Republican incumbents won with overwhelming numbers in the two other GOP congressional primaries, with U.S. Rep. Kevin Hern and U.S. Rep. Frank Lucas winning in the First District and Third District, respectively. Lucas, with no general-election opponent, already has sealed another two-year term in Congress.

Much of the state GOP focus on Tuesday was on the Cole-Bondar race. Federal Election Commission documents show Bondar raised about $13,000 from outside donors and lent his campaign $5.1 million. Bondar spent heavily on television and print advertising.

For his part, Cole raised $3,143,477.77 for the campaign and reported $1,303,788 cash on hand. Cole's filing shows his campaign has no debt, and Cole had not, as of June 11, loaned his campaign any funds.

Among those supporting Cole at his watch party were U.S. Rep. Stephanie Bice (who didn’t face a primary in the Fifth District), former U.S. Rep. J.C. Watts and former Gov. Frank Keating, under whom Cole once served as the Oklahoma Secretary of State. State Rep. Mark McBride, who’s represented Moore at the Oklahoma Capitol the past 12 years and is a good friend of Cole’s, also attended.

Cole has ascended to great heights in the GOP-controlled Congress and now serves as the chair of the House Appropriations Committee, one of the most powerful positions in Washington. That committee — along with its counterpart in the U.S. Senate — writes the federal budget.

“We always felt like we were in a good spot, but it’s the first time in my career I’ve had an opponent able to substantially outspend me,” Cole said. “Fair enough, I’m not complaining about that, but that’s when people have to step up and really help. I feel good about it. It’s a vote of confidence in the job that I’ve done through the years for my fellow Republicans and a sign that being chairman of (appropriations) is a good thing, not a bad thing, as some of my critics say. You don’t win like this if other people don’t do their job and I’ve got a great staff and a great campaign team.”

Election results: See Oklahoma primary 2024 results

In an unusual move, the three other candidates in the race endorsed Bondar in recent days in a television ad. None of the three – Andrew Hayes, Rick Whitebear Harris and Nick Hankins – received more than 4.1 percent of the vote.

Bondar, who grew up in Wisconsin, spent much of his adult life in Illinois. He owned the Bondar Insurance Group in Oak Brook, Illinois, and moved to Texas in 2020. Records show Bondar voted as recently as March 5 in a Texas election. Bondar was issued an Oklahoma driver's license in April. His campaign said he has owned property in Oklahoma since 2022.

“We did not make the runoff – but we did not lose,” Bondar said. “We laid the foundation for the future. This campaign has always been about a movement. That movement is just beginning. When we entered this race, the powers-that-be didn’t take us seriously. They didn’t take the people seriously. Now they do.”

Bondar said his campaign went “from a fringe campaign with a political outsider as a candidate, to commanding the attention of the country.”

Bondar said during the campaign he intended to stay in politics for the long haul and he reiterated that intent on Tuesday.

“This is not the last you will hear from Paul Bondar,” he said. "Our work in Oklahoma has just begun. American history teaches us – one defeat in battle does not signal the end of the war. We have not yet begun to fight. Thank you all. I will see you again in 2026.”

In November, Cole will face Mary Brannon of Washington, the winner of the Democratic primary in the Fourth District, along with independent James Stacy of Burneyville. Brannon won 60.7% of the primary vote in defeating Kody Macauley of Moore.

Lucas cruises in primary and, without a November opponent, is automatically re-elected

The Third District winner, Lucas, is a farmer and rancher from Cheyenne. He’s the dean of Oklahoma’s congressional delegation, having served since winning a special election in 1994. This year marked only the sixth time in 16 election cycles that Lucas has drawn a primary challenge, and he’s never received less than 61.1% of the vote in a primary.

That streak remained alive in 2024. Lucas took a little more than 73% of the vote for the Third District seat, beating Darren Hamilton of Fort Supply and Robin Lynn Carder of Sand Springs, who received 13.9% and 13.1%, respectively, while running to the political right of Lucas. The district covers almost half of Oklahoma’s land territory, including the Panhandle, most of western Oklahoma and north-central Oklahoma, and extends into the western portions of both the Oklahoma City and Tulsa metropolitan areas.

Lucas, a former chair of the House Agriculture Committee, long has been associated with promoting agricultural interests in Washington and still serves on that committee. He’s also currently the chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee and serves on the House Financial Services Committee.

“The thrill of election night, political adrenaline – it’s like a ball game or a horse race,” Lucas told The Oklahoman. “It’s thrilling until the voters have had the final say.”

Serving in Congress, he said, “never gets old. There are always new challenges back east and new issues at home. With the variety in our district – the suburbs of Oklahoma City and Tulsa, the northwestern half of the state – things are constantly changing and happening.”

No Democrat, Libertarian or independent filed for the Third District seat, meaning Lucas will automatically serve another two-year term. It’s the first time Lucas will run unopposed in the general election.

“It is an amazing thing. Every time I’ve been on the ballot, we at least had a general election,” Lucas said. “It will be nice to be able to start tomorrow focusing on the new session of Congress.”

Hern wins in dominating fashion in GOP primary in Tulsa-area district

Hern, who’s seeking a fourth consecutive term in Congress, easily prevailed in the race in the First District, which encompasses most of the Tulsa metropolitan area. With 87% of the vote, he downed Paul Royse of Tulsa, who ran on a platform to protect Social Security and Medicare from cuts, border control and reducing the national debt.

Hern has said he’s among the most conservative members of the House of Representatives.

"I’m humbled that the voters of Oklahoma's First District have put their trust in me," Hern said in a statement. "As we move forward to one of the most important elections in American history this November, it’s critical that we have leaders who will put America First. I'm ready to send Donald Trump back to the White House and I can't wait to work alongside him and his administration in our nation's capital. I’m honored to represent the heartland in Congress, and I’ll continue to fight every day to keep Oklahomans safe from federal overreach.”

Dennis Baker, who’s spent his professional career in law enforcement – including stints with the Tulsa Police Department and the FBI – beat frequent candidate Evelyn Rogers in the Democratic primary in the First District, taking 59.2% of the vote. One of Baker’s key issues is pushing for the construction of a high-speed passenger rail line between Tulsa and Oklahoma City.

It was Rogers’ fifth attempt to win a congressional seat. She ran as a Republican, losing in the primary in 2014 and 2016, and as an independent in 2020 and 2022, losing in the general election to Hern those two times. In 2014, she sought a Senate seat; all of the other races were for a House seat.

Hern and Baker will be joined by independent Mark Sanders of Tulsa on the November ballot.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Tom Cole wins 'bar fight' primary against Paul Bondar in Oklahoma