Republican Mark Tedford defeated Democrat John Croisant on Tuesday, Nov. 3, to win Oklahoma's 1st Congressional District seat.

With 94% of precincts reporting, Tedford had 114,503 votes to Croisant's 103,414, according to the Tulsa Flyer. Tedford declared victory after 9 p.m. at the Tulsa County GOP watch party in Jenks.

The 4.5-point margin was the narrowest in the district since the current Republican winning streak began in 1986, according to the Tulsa World.

According to unofficial results from the Oklahoma State Election Board, Tedford beat Croisant by less than 5 points, Public Radio Tulsa reported.

Results (94% of precincts reporting)

Candidate

Party

Votes

Pct.

Mark Tedford

Republican

114,503

52.54%

John Croisant

Democrat

103,414

47.46%

Total


217,917

100%

Source: Unofficial results via the Tulsa Flyer, reported election night, Nov. 3, 2026. Official results are expected from the Oklahoma State Election Board at oklahoma.gov/elections.

How we got here

The seat was open because Hern chose to run for the U.S. Senate rather than seek House reelection. President Donald Trump had named Sen. Markwayne Mullin as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, according to Oklahoma Voice.

Tedford, 56, a state representative from House District 69 and CEO of Tedford Insurance in Jenks, led a 11-candidate Republican primary on June 16 with 32.2% of the vote, according to NonDoc. His closest primary competitor, Jackson Lahmeyer, withdrew the next day. Trump then shifted his endorsement to Tedford.

Croisant, 49, serves on the Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education and owns an Allstate insurance agency. He ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.

Tedford told the Tulsa Flyer he believed voters responded to his message because they are tired of "partisan politics."

"I think my message of being a statesman and tackling some of the everyday issues was what they want to hear," Tedford said.

What's next

The district covers Tulsa and Wagoner counties and parts of Creek, Rogers and Washington counties, according to NonDoc's primary coverage. Newly elected members of Congress are set to be sworn in Jan. 3, 2027, according to The Hill.

Voters can track official results on the Oklahoma State Election Board's website at oklahoma.gov/elections.