Overview
- Governor Kevin Stitt appointed Alan Armstrong to fill Markwayne Mullin’s vacant Senate seat and Armstrong was sworn in this spring to serve until a successor is chosen by law.
- Representative Kevin Hern’s team argues Oklahoma law lets an election winner assume the seat upon certification and has retained attorney Glenn Coffee to prepare to be seated in November if he wins.
- Armstrong’s camp sent a formal letter asking for legal guidance on whether his appointment runs through the end of the term in January, and State Senate Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton has asked Attorney General Gentner Drummond for a formal opinion.
- Multiple sources say Gov. Stitt has not requested an attorney general opinion, leaving no binding legal answer and increasing the chance the dispute will be resolved by Drummond’s opinion or by the courts.
- The outcome affects short‑term Senate power in any lame‑duck session, with Armstrong citing permitting reform as a reason to remain and Hern saying delaying seating would subvert voters and state law.