Talking to Oklahoma Republicans these days, the mood is usually hopeful for the party's future and its agenda. But it's also urgent.
At a meeting in Sapulpa this summer, the state GOP chair, Charity Linch, spoke to a crowd of about 50 Republicans about party unity heading into future elections.
"I would just ask for you guys to come together and get on the same page and fight, because we're at war," Linch said.
The war she speaks of is multifaceted. She called out the constant threat of liberalism and the Democratic Party.
But also looming is the possibility of open primaries in Oklahoma via State Question 836, during a time when the Republican Party is fracturing, and far-right Christian Nationalists hope to seize political control in the state while their party is divided.
"We do not have the luxury of hurt feelings and offense," Linch told the group. "That is a luxury we do not have. We are at war."
She put it another way on the phone months later.
"There's a shift happening," Linch said. "And I personally think that this is a reformation. And I don't believe that it's led by man. I believe it is led by God."
The goal is to rid the state of liberalism, which she said leads to compromise and corruption, and replace it with more God-driven Nationalism. That includes ousting "liberal Republicans," or many establishment politicians allegedly bought out by lobbyists for state agencies and corporate interests.
"Some of them figure, 'I can get more done if I compromise here. So I'm going to do it for the greater good,'" she said. "And others just end up getting greedy. Regardless, we're tired of the compromise."
In the previous version of politics, Linch said, liars and the people with the most money were guaranteed to win. But no longer, she said, and the newly established far-right Freedom Caucus in the legislature is here to help with its grassroots campaign tactics.
The Oklahoma Freedom Caucus purports to fight for "grassroots families" and the "core constitutional values of limited government, lower taxes and personal accountability," on its Facebook page. In practice, the coalition's focus is much more God-centered, right where the folks leading the state GOP platform prefer.
"I back what the Freedom Caucus is doing," Linch said. "The Republican Party is begging for politicians with a backbone that will stand for what's right. And the Freedom Caucus is doing that, and we support them wholeheartedly."
How opening Oklahoma's primaries can stop a far-right takeover, according to Republicans
During last year's primaries, nine incumbent Republican lawmakers were replaced by candidates further to the right. Many of the winners joined the Freedom Caucus.
There are 12 public members of the Freedom Caucus in the legislature, and — their leaders claim — an untold number of anonymous members who won't disclose their names for fear of internal retaliation.
Shawnee Republican Sen. Shane Jett chairs the caucus.
"The grassroots around Oklahoma have never been more organized, have never been more unified, have never been more enabled than they are right now and we saw that in the 2024 election cycle," Jett said in an October interview with KOSU.
He said those wins started a powerful movement.
"We have this crazy idea that you should actually legislate the way you promised you would when you were, when you were knocking on doors," Jett said. "And if you're not, then we're going to provide real-world data for their constituents see, 'Oh, wow. They lied to us.'"
The plan is to track House and Senate floor votes and ensure politicians who call themselves Republicans actually vote in line with the state party platform. And it's working, Jett said.
"I can tell you that some of the colleagues up here have got the message," he said. "They're running a little bit scared because they realize they can't hide."
Jett and Linch both said open primaries are the one thing that could get in the way of a far-right GOP takeover in Oklahoma. Both the Freedom Caucus and the Oklahoma Republican Party have active social media campaigns against the state question.
Current state party leaders fear allowing anyone but their own to vote in their party's primaries. State Question 836 could realize that fear, if passed by popular vote in November next year.
Supporters are in the midst of collecting signatures from across the state to get the state question on the ballot. They have until Jan. 26 to collect 172,993 signatures.
"If we allow Democrats and independents to vote in our elections, they will vote for the guy we don't want on purpose to control who our Republican candidate is," Linch said. "We cannot allow it. You might as well move to California."
Open primaries have widespread support across party lines in Oklahoma.
Right now, the state operates on a partially closed system in which the major parties can choose to allow Independents and Libertarians to vote in their primaries, or shut them out completely. In 2026, independents won't be able to vote in primary elections after years of being able to do so.
Kris Steele calls himself a Christian Conservative Republican. He's a former State Representative and served as House Speaker until 2012.
"I believe in the sanctity of life, smaller government, local control and personal responsibility," Steele said. "My faith guides how I approach every issue."
He also supports open primaries, knowing what Republicans have to lose.
"I was elected and reelected through the current closed primary system," Steele said. "I have personally benefited from it, but…in my estimation, closed primaries disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of taxpayers who fund our elections but are barred from participating in them."
Democrats have historically allowed Independents — about 20% of all registered Oklahoma voters — to help pick their candidates for the statewide general election; Republicans have not.
And that, Steele said, "looks an awful lot like taxation without representation" within the GOP.
"Which should concern every conservative who cares about fairness, accountability, and limited government," he said.
For Steele, opening primaries to all parties aligns with Republican values.
For Jett, that idea makes Steele — his constituent — a liberal.
"We say trans-Republicans because they're only identifying as Republican," Jett said. "And they, from their behavior, don't actually like Republicans or the Republican platform or Republican principles."
A real conservative Republican in Oklahoma, Jett said, would see things differently."Those who are pushing the open primaries… want to dilute the differentiation between conservatives and liberals so that you can't hold accountable, and you can't actually elect people that reflect your values," he said.
He says if primaries in Oklahoma open up, the Republican Party in this state will become obsolete. Steele disagrees.
"You know. Labels can limit us," Steele said. "The reality is, Oklahoma is a deeply conservative state. Republican ideas are popular in Oklahoma. Republican candidates will continue to win elections under an open primary system."
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