For the fourth consecutive election, Rep. Tom Cole will face Democrat Mary Brannon. Each time they have faced off for Oklahoma’s 4th Congressional District seat, Cole has won decisively.
Rep. Tom Cole, Republican
Cole began his career in public office by succeeding his mother, Helen Cole, in the Oklahoma state Senate. He has represented Oklahoma’s 4th Congressional District since 2003. Cole has continuously risen through political ranks since. During his first year in Congress, Roll Call named Cole one of their five “freshmen to watch.”
Cole serves as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. The committee regulates the appropriation of federal funds alongside its Senate counterpart. He is the first Native American and the first Oklahoman to chair the House Appropriations Committee.
In the 2024 Republican primary, Cole faced businessman Paul Bondar. Despite outspending Cole, Bondar faced a decisive defeat in the primary, receiving 25.8% of votes, while Cole received 64.6%.
OU Daily contacted Cole’s staff on Sept. 30. A Cole staffer initiated the process to schedule an interview but did not respond to follow-up inquiries made by OU Daily.
Veterans
Cole, the son of an Air Force veteran, was honored by the Oklahoma Veterans Council and the Veterans of Foreign Wars of Oklahoma for his work to improve Oklahoma veterans' quality of life.
Cole’s House of Representatives website states he is committed to holding the Department of Veterans Affairs accountable.
“Our service members must have access to safe housing, good jobs, and the proper healthcare to support their unique needs,” the website reads.
Cole helped secure a 10% funding increase for veterans’ health and services amid reports of mismanagement at the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to his campaign website.
Tax cuts and benefits
In a 2017 interview with NPR, Cole said he was not opposed to tax cuts implemented by former President Donald Trump.
Cole has been a long-time advocate for Social Security reforms.
On his website, Cole states Social Security can only pay full benefits until 2035. After that, it will pay 80% of its promised benefits.
Cole has repeatedly introduced the Bipartisan Social Security Commission Act, which would create a commission that is bipartisan and bicameral, meaning composed of two separate legislative bodies. The commission would recommend reforms to keep Social Security solvent, or able to pay full scheduled benefits, for at least 75 years.
“No program does more to ensure that every American can have a decent retirement,” Cole’s website reads.
Abortion
Cole is a member of the pro-life caucus and has been endorsed by the National Right to Life Committee.
In 2022, Cole voted against the Women’s Health Protection Act and the Ensuring Access to Abortion Act. The Women’s Health Protection Act would have prohibited the government from restricting health care providers' ability to perform abortions and prescribe certain drugs. The Ensuring Access to Abortion Act would have prohibited anyone acting under state law from interfering with someone's ability to access out-of-state abortion services and impeding, restricting, preventing or retaliating against anyone assisting with or seeking access to out-of-state abortion services.
“I am deeply opposed to the legislation brought by House Democrats to codify and expand the misguided and unconstitutional abortion policy of Roe v. Wade," Cole said in a press release after voting against the bills.
Cole’s campaign website states he is committed to protecting the Second Amendment right to bear arms. He also has an “A+” rating from the National Rifle Association’s Political Victory Fund.
According to his campaign website, Cole believes in border security and supported Trump’s efforts to build a wall on the southern border. Cole’s official website states he supports comprehensive immigration reform.
”I will be guided by three basic principles: we must secure the border first; we must have tough sanctions for employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants; and we must not reward those who broke our laws by providing them with amnesty,” Cole’s official website reads.
Mary Brannon, Democrat
In the 2024 Democratic primary, Brannon defeated Kody Macaulay. Brannon received 60.7% votes, while Macaulay received 39.3%.
She has advanced in all four Democratic primaries in which she has run.
“I will run until Cole is gone,” Brannon said during a speech at a McClain County Democratic Party event in February.
According to her campaign website, Brannon has continuously run for the 4th Congressional District seat because of a promise she made to her brother while he was dying.
“I promised him on his deathbed I’d keep the (Department of Veterans Affairs) from going private because not only do the veterans need those hospitals, the people who love them need those hospitals,” Brannon said during an interview with KSWO.
Before her political career, Brannon was a teacher and counselor in Purcell Public Schools until retiring in 2013.
“I used to be a Republican until Republicans went crazy, and now I don’t recognize that party. So now I’m a Democrat, and I will always be a Democrat,” Brannon said in an interview with Kit Fairchild, an Oklahoma-based political activist and author.
Brannon did not respond to OU Daily’s interview requests for this story.
Veterans
Brannon has three issues listed on her campaign website, the first of which is honoring and prioritizing veterans. In addition to keeping the Department of Veterans Affairs public and avoiding hospital closures, Brannon promises to fight to roll back funding cuts and restore benefits.
“We need to treat our military as HEROES,” Brannon’s website reads.
In an interview with Fairchild, Brannon voiced concerns about the privatization of Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals.
“Anytime you make something private, the price goes up, the quality goes down,” Brannon said in the interview with Fairchild.
Reversing tax cuts and protecting benefits
Alongside her promise to fight for veterans, Brannon’s website lists reversing tax cuts for the wealthy and preventing cuts to Social Security and Medicare as top priorities.
“Medicare cannot negotiate cheaper lifesaving prescriptions,” her website reads. “Some seniors must choose food or medicine. Make insulin affordable.”
In the interview with KSWO, Brannon said she wants to fight to stop cuts to Social Security. On her website, she connects cuts to Social Security with tax cuts for the wealthy.
“Republicans want to take money from our Social Security, our earned benefit, to pay the shortfall. Reverse Republican tax cuts,” Brannon’s website reads.
In the same interview, Brannon said making the top 2% pay their fair share would help keep Social Security solvent.
“They keep saying Social Security is not viable. The only reason it’s not viable is because the rich are no longer paying their fair share,” Brannon said in the interview with KSWO.
Abortion
Brannon has also said she would work to codify abortion access at a federal level.
“I graduated in 1970 when abortion was still not legal because it didn’t become legal until 1973. I had an acquaintance, she had a back alley, unsanitary abortion and almost died. You can’t ban abortion, you can only ban safe abortions,” Brannon said during a speech at the McClain County Democratic Party event. “One of the reasons abortion went through is because people realized we are saving people’s lives.”
The general election is Nov. 5. The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Early voting will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday.
Kevin Eagleson is reporting from Gaylord News’ Washington bureau this fall as part of an OU Daily scholarship.
This story was edited by Anusha Fathepure, Ana Barboza, Ismael Lele and Peggy Dodd. Geethika Kollu, Gretchen Schultz, Avery Avery, Grace Rhodes and Mary Ann Livingood copy edited this story.
