Justin Wood fell less than 5 percentage points short of avoiding a runoff in June. Abby Thompson secured the second spot by 10 votes.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Justin Freeland Wood came within 5 percentage points of winning the Senate District 17 Republican nomination outright in June, while Abby Thompson reached the Aug. 25 runoff by 10 votes.
Now voters will decide whether to send a former lawmaker and tribal chief back to the Capitol or elevate a county commissioner whose campaign points to her experience with roads, budgets and local services.
The special election will fill the final two years of Sen. Shane Jett’s term. Jett will leave the Legislature at the end of the year after reaching Oklahoma’s 12-year lifetime limit on legislative service.
The Republican winner will face Democrat Ed Bolt in the Nov. 3 general election.
Wood led the four-candidate primary with 4,226 votes, or 45.3%. Thompson received 1,761 votes, finishing just 10 ahead of Steve King for the second runoff position.
The contest is among six Republican Senate runoffs outlined earlier by OK Politics Today.
Wood submitted written answers to 10 questions. Thompson did not respond to two emails, two text messages and a voicemail seeking answers to comparable questions. Her positions in this story come from her public record and campaign materials.
Experience is Wood’s argument
Wood’s case begins with his résumé.
He represented House District 26 from 2012 to 2016, then served as principal chief of the Sac and Fox Nation from 2019 to 2022. He now works as communications director and internship and college coordinator for Tecumseh Public Schools.
Wood said the June result showed that voters value experience and “results over rhetoric.” Asked for the clearest difference between himself and Thompson, he returned to the same point.
“The clearest difference is proven legislative and executive experience at both the state and tribal levels, combined with deep roots in our local schools and law-enforcement community,” Wood said.
Thompson brings a different kind of government experience. She has served as Pottawatomie County’s District 3 commissioner since 2023, overseeing roads, bridges and other county services.
Her campaign website emphasizes infrastructure, public education, property-tax relief and support for law enforcement. It also points to her completion of Oklahoma State University’s Roads Scholar program, an eight-course training series covering the planning, maintenance and construction of local roads and bridges.
Considerable overlap on policy
On the issues both candidates have addressed publicly, there is considerable overlap.
Both support property-tax relief, public schools, CareerTech, law enforcement and improvements to rural infrastructure. The differences are more apparent in the details and in the experience each says would guide those decisions.
Wood said his first legislative proposal would strengthen the relationship between public schools and Oklahoma’s CareerTech system. He wants students to have broader access to career programs beginning in ninth grade, giving them more time to explore potential jobs and develop workplace skills.
“The Oklahoma CareerTech system is one of Oklahoma’s strongest assets,” Wood said. “We can give students a jump-start at success by broadening access beginning in the ninth grade.”
He also called for greater local control, parental rights, better teacher recruitment and retention, classroom discipline and closer partnerships between schools and employers. Wood said success should be measured through reading and math proficiency, graduation rates, CareerTech credentials, teacher retention and readiness for work or college.
Thompson’s campaign says she supports stable public-school funding, CareerTech and higher education. Her website says she has worked with education, business and community leaders to secure permanent local funding for schools through a countywide vote.
Both candidates have also placed property taxes near the top of their agendas.
Wood said he would consider assessment freezes or “circuit breaker” protections designed to keep seniors and other fixed-income homeowners from being taxed out of their homes. Any reduction, he said, should be matched with spending discipline and economic growth rather than simply shifting the bill to someone else.
Thompson’s campaign says property-tax changes should prioritize seniors and veterans without leaving public schools, CareerTech centers, county government or emergency services short of money.
On infrastructure, Wood said projects should be ranked by safety, need and potential economic return, with particular attention to rural roads, bridges, water systems, broadband and emergency response.
“It’s 2026 — the fact that my cellphone signal constantly drops as I drive through south Pottawatomie County is unacceptable,” Wood said.
He said the state should first use existing revenue, turning to targeted bonds or grants only when they provide a clear benefit without creating a permanent tax increase.
Thompson’s campaign cites her hands-on experience with road and bridge planning and construction as a county commissioner. She did not respond to questions asking how state infrastructure investments should be prioritized or financed.
Tribal experience adds another dimension
Senate District 17 includes several tribal nations and communities, making state-tribal relations more than an abstract Capitol debate.
Wood, a Sac and Fox citizen, said state and tribal governments should settle questions involving taxation, law enforcement, economic development and shared services through negotiated agreements.
He called for “mutual respect for sovereignty” and written compacts that provide certainty and accountability.
“Strong tribes and a strong state can and should work together for safer communities and broader opportunity,” Wood said.
Thompson did not provide answers addressing state-tribal relations.
Wood says he has no formal Jett endorsement
Wood said he has not received a formal endorsement from Jett, whom he described as a longtime personal friend.
“I haven’t received a formal endorsement from Senator Jett,” Wood said. “He is a longtime personal friend, and I value that friendship.”
Wood also said he is not a member of the Oklahoma Freedom Caucus and did not commit to joining or formally aligning with the group if elected.
Rather than identify a Freedom Caucus tactic he would continue or reject, Wood emphasized working within the broader Senate Republican Caucus and building relationships with other members.
“We get the most done when we edify each other and build on Oklahoma’s success,” he said.
Early voting is available Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Election Day is Tuesday, Aug. 25.
