Politics — East Oklahoma Coverage of elections, legislation, and political developments affecting communities across eastern Oklahoma. EastOklahoma.com reports on local, state, and federal politics — from city councils and county commissioners to the Oklahoma Legislature and Washington — keeping readers in Green Country informed on the decisions that shape their lives.
Tulsa
The Congressman Who Trades Millions: Kevin Hern, Oklahoma’s Stock-Market Senator-in-Waiting In the spring of 2026, as Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK) cruised toward the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, a familiar pattern reemerged. Financial disclosure reports showed the multimillionaire congressman and businessman had once again
Muskogee
In a packed council chamber on a warm June evening in Muskogee, Oklahoma, the city's political and community worlds collided. The agenda was short but explosive: a legal opinion questioning whether Deputy Mayor Derrick Reed could continue serving as both an elected city official and the longtime director
Pawhuska
In Osage County, Oklahoma, the path to public office is supposed to run through the voters. But a detailed timeline of documents, meeting minutes, internal communications, and public records reviewed by EastOklahoma.com raises serious questions about whether Shawna Myers — a Republican Party insider and current county employee — has been
Claremore
Claremore, Oklahoma, is the kind of place where neighborly disputes are supposed to stay small. A dispute over a property line, some loud music, or kids cutting across lawns. The sort of thing that might end with a terse conversation or a call to the local police, who then mediate
Crimes
He ran for sheriff on a promise to restore law and order to Coal County. Less than a year into office, Jason Smith stood accused of being the county's most prominent lawbreaker — drunk on duty, violent toward his own wife, sexually harassing female deputies, and allegedly aided in
Tulsa
Who Has the Right to Put You in Prison? Inside the Legal War Tearing Eastern Oklahoma Apart There is a child pornographer sitting in a federal prison cell serving 50 years. There is also a drug trafficker whose case may be thrown out because the wrong court filed the charges.
Broken Arrow
A chemical exposure at Google's Pryor facility, a blanket refusal to disclose what workers breathed, and the hidden hazards inside the data centers sweeping across Green Country An investigative report by EastOklahoma.com The Document They Didn't Expect You to See On May 13, 2026, attorneys
Sallisaw
"Student Safety" for Some But Not Others Connected To My Friends: The Selective Crusades of Sean Buckner and Ron Durbin An investigation into how Oklahoma's most vocal "student safety" advocates go silent when misconduct involves their friends The Brand They Built They burst into
Sallisaw
The $0 Campaign: Sean Buckner's Senate Bid Raises Questions About Intent A candidate with a documented history of unpaid obligations launches a campaign that has yet to raise a single dollar When William Sean Buckner filed paperwork on March 16, 2026, to run as a Republican challenger for
Tulsa
The Trust Deficit: Can Oklahomans Believe Kevin Stitt's Data Center Promises When Todd Hiett Still Votes on Their Energy Bills? An investigation into Oklahoma's data center boom, rising electricity costs, and the scandal-plagued regulator who controls your power bill The Promise On May 11, 2026,
Tulsa
An Investigation into the Policies, Politics, and Pollution Threatening Oklahoma's Future The Question Nobody Wants to Answer Drive through rural Oklahoma, and you'll see what state leaders promote as economic development. A hazardous waste landfill accepting toxic materials from across the nation. Data centers consuming millions
Politics
The state spent years ending contracts with private prisons over violence and deaths. Now the same company is reopening those facilities—this time for immigration detention. It's a backdoor return that should alarm every Oklahoman. WATONGA, Oklahoma — On a cold morning in early 2026, the first buses rolled