by Garrett FriskThe primary purpose of Diamond Eye Candidate Report is to bring attention to candidates who haven't otherwise received any news coverage, especially congressional candidates. But ironically, the people whose declarations of candidacy most often go unreported are the incumbent members of Congress themselves. Some incumbents send out a press release confirming their re-election plans, but most quietly file their paperwork without making an announcement; in many cases, nobody knows for sure that a member of Congress is seeking re-election until the final candidate list is released. That's why Diamond Eye Candidate Report emailed the office of every member of Congress who has yet to publicly announce whether they'll seek another term in 2024 to determine who has and hasn't made up their mind. This article will be continuously updated as more offices get back to us. As of now, these are the responses we have gotten: Running for re-election
Still deciding
by Garrett FriskRepublican Kevin Hern has represented Oklahoma's 1st district in the U.S. House since 2019. The previous year, he successfully claimed the seat of retiring U.S. Representative Tim Bridenstine, defeating former Tulsa County district attorney Tim Harris in the Republican primary runoff ahead of an easy general election win against the Democratic nominee, former Oklahoma State Board of Education member Tim Gilpin. Hern's time in office has been mostly uneventful, aside from receiving multiple protest votes during the contentious 2023 House Speaker election. Hern was re-elected with 61.9% of the vote in 2022, after which he was chosen to chair the Republican Study Committee. Two Democrats have already thrown their hat into the ring to challenge Hern in the 2024 election. The first is Sarah Gray, who describes herself as "a mom, auntie, small business owner, and relentless advocate for fairness, justice & community." Gray operates a public relations firm whose past clients include the Oklahoma Democratic Party. She would be the first Native American woman and first millennial to represent Oklahoma in Congress. Her campaign website can be found here. The second Democrat in the running is Dennis Baker, an attorney and former FBI agent. Baker lists his top priorities as "jobs that pay a living wage, good public schools, affordable college, access to health care for everyone, and a safe community." His website can be found here. |
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