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<\/a><\/p>\nDemonstrators march against President Donald Trump on June 20, 2020 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Brett Deering\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The two candidates are battling at the ballot box for the second time this summer after neither of them secured the needed majority to win the June primary contest. Thomas, a nurse who has been vocal against AIPAC, earned 45% of votes in the June five-person matchup, while Priest, a lawyer and ordained minister, accrued 24%.<\/p>\n
Both Thomas and Priest would be underdogs in the general election against Republican candidate Rep. Kevin Hern, who swept his primary and clinched the endorsement of President Donald Trump. Oklahoma hasn\u2019t sent a Democrat to the Senate in more than three decades.<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, Tuesday\u2019s runoff will serve as a referendum on the potency of progressivism in a deep-red state, just a week after democratic socialist Angie Nixon knocked out her moderate opponent in Florida\u2019s Democratic Senate primary.<\/p>\n
Unlike Nixon, Thomas is not a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. She has, however, openly identified with socialist policies, while her opponent, Priest, calls himself a moderate.<\/p>\n
Neither candidate has a wealth of political experience. Priest, 70, made a failed bid for Oklahoma attorney general in 2010 and was previously the CEO of two nonprofit organizations. His campaign priorities center on reducing the cost of living, making healthcare more accessible and inspiring confidence in government.<\/p>\n
Thomas, meanwhile, is a 31-year-old citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, who says she represents \u201cthe next generation of leaders.\u201d Among her key focuses are women\u2019s health and safety, civil rights and LGBTQIA+ protections. She has also repeatedly pledged to never take money from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.<\/p>\n
Although the pro-Israel lobby has not been involved in this race, a November social media reel showed Thomas pulling a giant red trash bin, adorned with the labels \u201cAIPAC Funds\u201d and \u201cCorporate PAC Funds.\u201d Alongside the reel is a caption that reads, \u201cJust taking out the trash.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am a sole grassroots candidate,\u201d she said in the reel. \u201cAnd we are not accepting AIPAC or corporate PAC funds. It\u2019s garbage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked about her rhetoric on AIPAC, Thomas told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that \u201cMy concerns have NEVER been about Jewish people, Judaism, or Israel\u2019s existence,\u201d saying that she instead prioritizes human rights, civilian lives and the accountability of all governments.<\/p>\n
Some voters see it differently. David Howman, a 30-year-old Jewish banker in Tulsa, said that although he\u2019s \u201ca fairly progressive Democratic voter,\u201d he considers Thomas\u2019s usage of AIPAC to be \u201ca pretty cheap political tactic.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s kind of like a little grenade you get to toss out in there,\u201d Howman told JTA.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf AIPAC were funneling a bunch of money into the Jim Priest campaign, maybe that\u2019s a conversation that is worth having,\u201d he added. \u201cBut they\u2019re not even touching this race.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though Howman voted for Priest in Tuesday\u2019s runoff, he noted that a different candidate, Troy Green, was his favorite in the June primary.<\/p>\n
When asked at a Saturday debate about Israel\u2019s military actions, both candidates confirmed their belief in the existence of a \u201cgenocide\u201d in Gaza. Only Priest, however, linked the word to Israel, while Thomas connected it to the actions of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.<\/p>\n
Priest recognized that Hamas \u201ccommitted atrocities,\u201d noting that \u201cthey kidnapped people, they killed people, they tortured people\u201d and that \u201cthey should be held accountable.\u201d But he also deemed Israel\u2019s retaliation \u201cdisproportionate to the threat.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn response, Israel is committing genocide,\u201d he said, accusing the Jewish state of preventing medical supplies and food from getting to people.<\/p>\n
Expressing skepticism about both one-state and two-state solutions, Priest declared that \u201cwhat\u2019s needed is a 24-state solution,\u201d in which the whole Middle East unites \u201cin something like the Abraham Accords.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Priest campaign did not respond to JTA\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n
Thomas, meanwhile, emphasized that \u201cwe can be for our Jewish brothers and sisters, and we can be against Netanyahu and what he is doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is committing genocide. He is absolutely murdering children,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cWe have to stop providing funding for these wars.\u201d<\/p>\n
She also backed the International Criminal Court\u2019s decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, noting that the U.S. should \u201cnot be on the side of another country that we don\u2019t even have any ties to, outside of allyship.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas had previously refrained from using the word genocide in public statements, instead expressing \u201csolidarity with Palestine\u201d and calling for an end to \u201cunconditional funding of Israel\u2019s military.\u201d<\/p>\n
In her response to JTA\u2019s request that she clarify her stances on AIPAC and Israel, Thomas provided a lengthy written statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cI stand with my Jewish brothers and sisters against antisemitism, hate and discrimination in all forms,\u201d she said, referring to Judaism as one of the \u201cmost enduring faith traditions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reiterating remarks she made at the debate, Thomas noted that \u201ctwo things can be true at the same time,\u201d and advocated for both the security of the Jewish people and a willingness to criticize \u201cany government, including the current leadership of Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas also voiced support for a two-state solution, explaining that \u201cboth Israelis and Palestinians deserve the opportunity to live in peace, security and self-determination.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I discuss political influence or organizations, my focus is on the broader role of money, lobbying, and special interests in our political system, not on any one religion or community,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Regardless of who comes out victorious on Tuesday, Howman said that many Democrats will be heading to the ballot box this November with a pessimistic outlook.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s kind of the challenge that we have here in Oklahoma,\u201d he added. \u201cThere\u2019s definitely a sense of defeatism on the Democratic side.\u201d<\/p>\n