‘Sooner socialists’: Democratic socialism arrives in Oklahoma

Following high-profile races in Washington, D.C., Maine and New York, Oklahoma now has its own democratic socialist candidate.

N’Kiyla “Jasmine” Thomas beat moderate Democrat Jim Priest for the U.S. Senate nomination in the August runoff election, vying to represent Oklahoma in Washington. 

“You now have, what, the ‘Sooner socialists?’” Conservative radio host Dan Bongino said on Fox News Aug. 26. “That’s going to go over well.” 

With democratic socialists defeating moderates in primaries nationwide, November’s election will determine whether democratic socialism resonates with Oklahoma voters. As both parties shift in the state, analysts say there’s a chance. 

Thomas is a nurse, military spouse and mother of two running for public office for the first time. Her platform includes expanding healthcare access, supporting 2SLGBTQ+ Oklahomans and reestablishing constitutional rights to abortion. She also hopes to expand the number of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives to represent minority political groups and push for debt forgiveness, which are hallmark democratic socialist policies. 

“This is not about red or blue,” Thomas told OU Daily. “This is not about what letter you have that you represent behind your name. It's about up versus down. It's about the working class versus billionaires taking advantage of very vulnerable communities and people.”

Though not an official member of the Democratic Socialists of America nor endorsed by the organization, Thomas calls herself a democratic socialist. To establish socialism in America, DSA’s aims include restructuring the government by replacing the presidency and Supreme Court with people selected by Congress, enacting racial reparations and aggressively taxing the rich. Notable members include New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York). 

Thomas told the Daily she would be interested in becoming a DSA member in the future. 

“There's nothing that's saying that I'm not looking into it now,” Thomas said. “Right now, I just want to focus less on the buzzwords and I want to focus more on bringing us together.” 

Thomas said she agrees with most of DSA’s platform, mentioning free childcare and rent caps. She also backs its aim to abolish Immigration Customs and Enforcement, calling ICE agents “basically … modern-day lynchers.” However, being a military spouse, Thomas disagrees with DSA’s plan to dissolve the military and police, and said she believes in maintaining law and order. 

In November, Thomas will face Rep. Kevin Hern, a businessman and investor who has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2018. Building off of his work in the House, his Senate campaign platform includes securing the southern border, limiting abortion funding and backing President Donald Trump. 

In a statement posted on X, Hern wrote that Thomas’ socialism seeks to expand government control and rejects Oklahoma values like hard work and opportunity. On Tuesday, Hern joined all House Republicans and eight Democrats to pass a resolution stating the House condemns all kinds of socialism and opposes the DSA.

“The radical left wing of the Democratic Party is more determined than ever to advance destructive socialist policies, and Republicans must stand united and fight for the freedoms and principles that make our state and country strong,” Hern wrote in a separate statement on X. 

In response, Thomas said Hern should focus on rural Oklahomans, not culture wars. She said he has an “ego disorder.” 

“I think he’s afraid of being beaten by a girl, …” Thomas said. “Let's have a fair fight. Don't try to come at me with dirt and debris. Be real. If you don't have comebacks, if you don't have any type of real fight, just say that.”

A 2025 video of Thomas parodying the “Mean Girls” “burn book” scene resurfaced on X last week, drawing criticism. 

This is N’Kiyla Jasmine Thomas. She just won a runoff election in Oklahoma and is now the Democrat candidate for US Senate.

No. I'm not joking. I'm serious.

She makes AOC look like a freaking Mensa member. pic.twitter.com/p0Ms1bXUM4

— Kentucky Girl (@Kentuckygirl1) August 26, 2026

The video shows her pasting a photo of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, then an Oklahoma senator, in a burn book. She then says, “Markwayne Mullin is a terrible senator. Do not vote for him. He is a Christian nationalist and a mediocre white man.” 

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) wrote on X, “These people are cray-cray.” Libs of TikTok, a conservative commentary account, posted, “Seems totally normal and stable…”

In an interview on News24, Washington Examiner White House reporter Naomi Lim said Thomas is likely trying to gain notoriety online like Mamdani has through social media posts. Lim also noted that as a military spouse, Thomas is in tension with democratic socialists’ aim to dissolve the Department of War. 

“She’s sort of tying herself up in knots as she wrecks what I think is her bedroom,” Lim said. 

In response, Thomas said the video was filmed in a Regina George themed room in an Airbnb, and she does not have mental health issues. She said alleging mental health struggles contributes to stigma, deterring those who struggle with them from getting help. 

“They're going to find little things like mental illness to say that I'm unfit for office because of the fact that I use a ‘Mean Girls’ reference,” Thomas said.

Thomas said the outcry backfired on critics by putting Oklahoma in the spotlight. She said it garnered attention and campaign donations. 

“There's a lot of things that Oklahoma, and a lot of people that come out of Oklahoma, that does incredible deeds, good deeds,” Thomas said. “But we're always the butt of the joke, and now we're not the joke.”

‘We are the next leaders’

Democratic socialism has momentum with young Americans. A 2025 poll from The Heartland Institute found 51% of voters ages 18 to 39 want a democratic socialist president to win the 2028 election. 

Katie Guntorius, president of OU’s College Democrats, said she wouldn’t call herself a democratic socialist, though she does agree with most of their platform. She said Oklahomans hesitate to label themselves as democratic socialists, but their message resonates with young people concerned about housing and job markets. 

“Anyone who's right-wing just sees the word socialism and freaks out,” Guntorius said. “But I think when you actually understand and get a meaning of what democratic socialism is, most people are like, ‘Yeah, that makes sense.’”

Suzanna Medina, vice chair of OU’s College Republicans, said she disagrees with democratic socialists because she believes in limited government and protected constitutional values, and she is against restoring constitutional rights to abortion. Medina said voters should consider how costly the federal programs socialists propose are.

“If democratic socialism does become more prominent, I think conservatives should be prepared to explain why we believe what we do in limited government and individual liberty,” Medina said. “College should be a place where those different ideas can be challenged and openly discussed.”

The Daily contacted OU’s Student Socialist League and Oklahoma City’s DSA chapter but did not receive a response by the time of publication. 

Guntorious said Democrats no longer want moderate, safe options like Priest, who lost to Thomas. Guntorius met Thomas when she came to speak at a College Democrats event last semester, and said Thomas is a perfect candidate who would create needed change. 

“I really want more people … to understand that even if she is a little more left-leaning than Jim Priest or any other Democrat, that she has real solutions that she wants to implement to help the entirety of Oklahoma,” Guntorius said. 

Medina said Democrat primary voters clearly favor Thomas, but she doesn’t expect general voters will. Thomas’ policies don’t represent the entire state, she said, nor does she have the level of professionalism Oklahomans should expect in a Senate candidate. 

OU is home to students with diverse beliefs, Medina said, including a democratic socialist presence. She said OU’s diversity is a strength, and students should be comfortable to discuss their differing opinions on campus. 

“Students realize that decisions being made today are going to shape the country that we are inheriting, because we are the next leaders,” Medina said. “Whether they're conservative, liberal, somewhere in between, more young people want their voices to be part of that conversation.”

‘Fever may be breaking’

Scott Mitchell, a consultant and political analyst for News 9 in Oklahoma City, said it’s not Oklahoma Democrats who are changing as much as it is Republicans. 

Republican presidents have historically maintained high approval ratings in Oklahoma. But according to a poll from The Economist, as of Sept. 1, Trump’s net rating in the Sooner state was -5 — Mitchell said that’s abnormally low for a Republican president. 

According to The Economist poll, Trump’s disapproval rating now exceeds his approval rating in 46 states. Though it’s typical for disapproval to increase throughout a presidency, Mitchell said Oklahoma Trump supporters are frustrated with his policies.

“The fever may be breaking,” Mitchell said. 

All of Oklahoma’s senators in Washington have been Republicans for over 30 years. The state’s most recent Democratic senator, Sen. David Boren, left office in 1994 to become president of OU.

Mitchell said there’s room for Oklahoma Democrats to step in, but to succeed, they need to appeal to what he calls the “squishy middle.” If progressives go too far left, they’ll lose middle, undecided voters.

Of Oklahoma’s approximately 2.4 million registered voters, about 53% are Republicans, 25% are Democrats and 20% are independents. Democrats like Thomas need independent votes to win. 

“Moderate Democrats win national elections, …” Mitchell said. “Where do Democrats go to make the middle comfortable in taking back the reins of power in Washington?”

Michael Crespin, professor and director of the Carl Albert Center, said Oklahoma Democrats will likely back any Democrat on the ballot, regardless of democratic socialism. Still, he said Thomas’ win proves a larger group of Oklahoma Democrats feel represented by her than by any other candidate. 

In the Democratic primary runoff, Thomas received 61.2% of the vote, while Priest received 38.8%. Notably, Thomas’ campaign spent $57,639, and Priest’s spent $314,642 — over five times more than Thomas. 

There’s no sole factor in a vote, Crespin said. Thomas’ socialist-leaning platform may have earned her the win, though Crespin noted it may have been that she ran the stronger campaign or knocked on more doors. He recommended not reading too much into a single race. 

“If lots of the Democratic Socialist candidates win in competitive races, then that's going to give more power behind that movement,” Crespin said. 

This story was edited by Spencer Windholz. Lauren Brogdon, Andrew Higgins and Tori Pham copy edited this story.