In a rural Oklahoma district that backed President Donald Trump by nearly 60 points just two years ago, Republicans held the seat Tuesday night, but not without massive warning signs.
In a February 10, 2026, special election for Oklahoma’s House District 35, Republican Dillon Travis defeated Democrat Luke Kruse 64.2% to 35.8%, according to unofficial results from all 26 precincts. Travis received 2,907 votes to Kruse’s 1,624 in the reliably conservative district spanning portions of Creek, Noble, Osage, Pawnee, and Payne counties.
On paper, it was a comfortable Republican win. Travis carried every county in the district: Creek County (74.26% to 25.74%), Noble County (57.47% to 42.53%), Osage County (63.24% to 36.76%), Pawnee County (67.58% to 32.42%), and Payne County (53.85% to 46.15%). Kruse managed to flip five individual precincts in Noble and Payne counties.
Yet beneath the headline margin lies a more complicated picture for the GOP as it gears up for the midterm elections.
House District 35, centered on Pawnee County and including communities such as Cleveland, Hominy, Prue, Oilton, Drumright, Glencoe, Morrison, and Red Rock, has long been a Republican stronghold. It overlaps with portions of the Osage Nation, Pawnee Nation, and Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Indians. In the 2024 presidential election, the district supported Trump by approximately 58 points, noted Newsweek.
Kruse’s 35.8% showing stands out. It marks the strongest Democratic performance in the district in 18 years—roughly a 30-point overperformance compared to the area’s deep-red baseline. In a seat Republicans typically treat as safely out of reach for Democrats, that kind of movement is difficult to ignore.
Turnout also surged. A total of 4,531 voters cast ballots in the special election—a 133.7% increase from the 1,938 participants in the January 13 Republican runoff that selected Travis over former Pawnee County Sheriff Mike Waters. While special election dynamics often differ from general cycles, the spike suggests heightened engagement in a district not accustomed to competitive general contests.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt celebrated the result, writing on social media: “Dillon brings a strong commitment to conservative principles and serving his community, and I look forward to working together to keep Oklahoma moving forward.”
Join me in welcoming Dillon Travis to the Oklahoma Legislature as the new Republican leader for House District 35. Dillon brings a strong commitment to conservative principles and serving his community, and I look forward to working together to keep Oklahoma moving forward.… pic.twitter.com/pgK8isbefR
— Governor Kevin Stitt (@GovStitt) February 11, 2026
Results remain unofficial pending certification by the Oklahoma State Election Board. Once sworn in, Travis will join the Republican-majority Oklahoma House as the legislative session continues.
For Republicans, the immediate outcome is relief: the seat stays red. But the margin—and the Democratic overperformance in a district that gave Trump a nearly 60-point landslide—offers a reminder that even the safest political terrain can shift if conservatives don’t mobilize and vote in elections.
[Read More: Trump Gets Big Win]
