N'Kiyla Thomas is running as the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Oklahoma. She faces Republican Kevin Hern.
The general election is Nov. 3.
Thomas, 31, is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and a military spouse who won the Democratic primary runoff in August. NonDoc reported that she appears to be Oklahoma’s first self-identified democratic socialist to win a major party’s nomination. Thomas said she self-identifies as a democratic socialist but is not a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, according to NBC News. She said she does not support defunding the Defense Department. Thomas said she is running a grassroots campaign that is AIPAC and corporate PAC free, according to her campaign's Instagram account.
Candidate information
- Party: Democratic
- Age: 31 (as of August 2026)
- Hometown: Ardmore, Oklahoma
- Tribal citizenship: Chickasaw Nation
- Education: High school diploma, Ardmore High School
- Family: Military spouse; her husband was stationed near Fort Campbell in the Kentucky/Tennessee area
Experience
- Nurse (current), according to BallotReady
- Community health worker, according to Ballotpedia
- Stay-at-home parent, according to Ballotpedia
On the issues
The following positions are drawn from Thomas' campaign website, her responses collected by BallotReady and her statements to NBC News. All statements reflect the candidate's own claims.
Healthcare: Thomas said she supports Medicare for All and wants to protect and expand the Affordable Care Act. She said she would expand rural healthcare, including OBGYN access, pediatric specialists and emergency services. She said she supports restoring Roe v. Wade federally and protecting women from prosecution for miscarriage or pregnancy complications.
Military and veterans: As a military spouse, Thomas said she wants to ensure fair military pay that reflects real family costs. She said she supports fixing inaccurate Basic Allowance for Housing and Basic Allowance for Subsistence calculations. She also said she would expand childcare access during deployments.
Workers and economy: Thomas said she supports a living-wage minimum wage, paid family and medical leave, and full-pay workweek pilot programs at 32 hours. She said she favors strong price-gouging protections and strong protections against exploitative landlords.
Immigration and civil rights: Thomas said she favors abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She said she supports codifying marriage equality, expanding anti-discrimination protections and expanding autism and disability services nationwide.
Environment: Thomas said she would strengthen the Clean Water Act, protect tribal water sovereignty and hold polluters accountable.
This profile is based on public records, the candidate's campaign materials and reporting by NBC News and NonDoc. Voters can find more detail on Thomas' full platform at jasmineforok.com/policies.
