This Week in Oklahoma Politics

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and former Republican State Senator AJ Griffin about Governor Stitt endorsing Mike Mazzei in the gubernatorial runoff against Gentner Drummond, an increase in money and endorsements for Republican runoff elections in state legislative races and Oklahoma hospitals raising concerns about cuts to Medicaid. The tri...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and former State Representative Chairman Mark McBride about the nomination of an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper to lead ICE, a new report adding details to alleged political influence by Gov. Kevin Stitt in regard to a friend and donor's drunk driving sentence and an Oklahoma City Democrat taking the Oath of O...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and Legislative Advisor Jennifer Monies about Attorney General Gentner Drummond filing a lawsuit against State Farm over fraudulently denied claims, Drummond announcing his campaign for governor raised more than $1 million in the first 48 hours after the primary election and Oklahoma's dismal voter turnout on J...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and former Republican State Senator AJ Griffin about Tulsa pastor Jackson Lahmeyer suspending his campaign for Congress after a texting scandal, State Question 832 to raise Oklahoma's minimum wage fails to get enough votes to pass and the Republican race for governor is heading to a runoff between Attorney Gene...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and former State Representative Chairman Mark McBride about June's primary election featuring State Question 832 to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2029, the governor's primary with nine Republicans and three Democrats and other statewide and local races of interest. The trio also discusses the Ethics...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics , KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and Legislative Advisor Jennifer Monies about Attorney General Gentner Drummond filing a petition to stop construction of an aluminum processing plant in Inola, a report showing gubernatorial candidate Mike Mazzei paid $75,000 to companies owned by close associates of President Donald Trump before Trump endors...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and former Republican State Senator A.J. Griffin about Attorney General Gentner Drummond and Gov. Kevin Stitt's continuing spat, which includes Drummond suing Stitt and the political action committee Club for Growth over negative gubernatorial campaign ads, Stitt calling for an audit of Drummond's office and St...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and Legislative Advisor Jennifer Monies about the early, contentious end of the 2026 legislative session, the failure to get Medicaid expansion changes to the ballot and the failure to override a veto by Governor Stitt on a bill to extend the life of OETA. The trip also talks about an firm tapped to run the Inv...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and former Representative Chairman Mark McBride about accusations of political favoritism from Governor Stitt when the wife of a friend and contributor gets released early after a DUI arrest, an Edmond educator files a lawsuit against former State Superintendent Ryan Walters and the State Department of Educatio...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and former State Representative Chairman Mark McBride about Attorney General Gentner Drummond refusing to approve a contract for an investment advisor with ties to Governor Stitt, Stitt and Drummond clashing over legislation to strengthen Oklahoma's Open Meeting Act and state lawmakers planning to end the 2026...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and former State Representative Chairman Mark McBride about a property tax ballot measure, questions over investments by Gov. Kevin Stitt and comments from an outgoing Republican lawmaker on the State House Floor. The trio also discusses an endorsement from the State Republican Party chairperson in the crowded...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and Legislative Advisor Jennifer Monies about the failure of legislation to allow for sports betting in Oklahoma, Speaker Kyle Hilbert banning Cherokee Nation Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr. from speaking on the House Floor after Hoskin made comments in support of Medicaid expansion and Gov. Kevin Stitt vetoing a bill...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and former state Representative Chairman Mark McBride about Governor Stitt signing a $12.8B budget for Fiscal Year 2027, the State Supreme Court limits a law blacklisting banks for discriminating against the oil and gas industry and a state lawmaker suspending his campaign after an artificial intelligence image...

This is a bonus episode of This Week in Oklahoma Politics. KOSU statehouse reporter Lionel Ramos recently sat down with Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt for a one-on-one interview to discuss immigration, the future of Medicaid and more. Listen to the full interview.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and Legislative Advisor Jennifer Monies about a federal judge rejecting a proposed settlement between Oklahoma and poultry companies in a decades-long lawsuit, State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd switched gears at the last minute to run for State Treasurer rather than Lieutenant Governor and a former cockfig...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and Legislative Advisor Jennifer Monies about a new budget agreement between legislative leaders and the governor, the legislature passing a major bill deadline at the State Capitol and new social studies standards passed by the State Board of Education. The trio also discusses filling for public office to offi...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and former Republican State Senator Rick Brinkley about the confirmation of Markwayne Mullin as the new Homeland Security Secretary, Governor Stitt's pick of Tulsa energy executive Alan Armstrong to fill the rest of Mullin's term and the State Supreme Court siding with Attorney General Gentner Drummond in a fig...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and former Republican State Senator AJ Griffin about the confirmation hearing for Senator Markwayne Mullin to lead the Department of Homeland Security, the political fallout of Mullin's nomination and the disqualification of nearly 60,000 signatures on a state question to open primaries in Oklahoma. The trio al...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and former Republican State Senator AJ Griffin about the nomination of Senator Markwayne Mullin to lead the Department of Homeland Security, the political fallout with Mullin vacating his Senate seat and the failure of State Question 836 to open primaries in Oklahoma. The trio also discusses concerns from Attor...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and former Republican State Senator Rick Brinkley about President Trump's Justice Department suing Oklahoma after refusing to share voter personal data, the State Ethics Board launching a temporary online portal for local candidates to report campaign finances and a new political party fails to get enough signa...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and Legislative Advisor Jennifer Monies about Senate leaders unveiling their $254M education plan using money from teachers' retirement, a look back at the first month of the 2026 legislative session and an audit of the State Department of Education under then-Superintendent Joy Hofmeister. The trio also discus...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and Legislative Advisor Jennifer Monies about new budget numbers for state lawmakers for the 2027 fiscal year starting in July, a fiscal impact for the House Speakers literacy legislation coming in at about $75M and Mustang Public Schools suspending 122 students for participating in I.C.E. protests. The trio al...

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with Civic Leader Andy Moore and Legislative Advisor Jennifer Monies about a state board denying the application of a Jewish charter school, Governor Stitt signing legislation to ban protests at places of worship and President Trump calling Governor Stitt a Republican in Name Only over invitations to a White House summit. The trio also dis...

Oklahoma City voters will have a chance to cast their ballots on Tuesday, Feb. 10 in the election for the city’s mayor, which is a nonpartisan and part-time position. KOSU’s Abigail Siatkowski spoke with the only two candidates in the race: incumbent mayor David Holt and challenger Matthew Pallares. You'll hear from both of them in this episode.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics, KOSU's Michael Cross talks with legislative Advisor Jennifer Monies and Civic Leader Andy Moore about Governor Stitt's State of the State Address where he talked about making medical marijuana illegal again, changes to Medicaid Expansion, abolishing the Oklahoma Secondary School Athletic Association and more. The trio also discusses the leader of the Senate removing...