Rep. Markwayne Mullin defeats TW Shannon in Oklahoma GOP Senate runoff

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Rep. Markwayne Mullin touts Trump endorsement, business background ahead of Oklahoma Senate runoff

Trump-endorsed Rep. Markwayne Mullin has won the Republican nomination for Senate in a runoff against T.W. Shannon, the Associated Press projects.

Mullin had over 60% of the vote to when the AP called the race. 

Mullin will advance to the November midterm election where he will face Democratic nominee Kendra Horn, libertarian candidate Robert Murphy and Ray Woods, who is running as an independent, for the unexpired term of Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., who is retiring at the end of the year.

OKLAHOMA SENATE RUNOFF: T.W. SHANNON SEEKS UPSET OF TRUMP-BACKED REP. MARKWAYNE MULLIN

Trump endorsed Mullin in June, shortly before the Oklahoma primary election, where he won 43% of the vote, forcing a runoff election. "I won Oklahoma twice, by record margins, and Markwayne will be doing the same thing for many years to come," Trump said in his June 9 endorsement. He also mentioned Mullin's experience running a business, and his stance on the Jan. 6 committee investigating Trump's role in the Capitol Riot in 2021 as reasons for his support.

"There's a reason why President Trump endorsed us because we know we're fighting for his agenda. But at the same time, one man can't do it by himself. It takes a whole bunch of like-minded individuals, which is why it's time we changed resume. Because if your background is politics, you're always going to make a political decision when push comes to shove," Mullin told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview ahead of the election.

Rep. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., has won the GOP nomination for Senate in Oklahoma (Courtesy of Rep. Mullin's office.)

Shannon, a former state legislator turned banker, said he had a strong record of standing for America first principles, and served as a coordinator for Black outreach on Trump's campaign. He contrasted his own record with Mullin, whom he hinted had become too comfortable with the Washington, D.C. establishment.

"The problem with being in the swamp for 10 years — after you've been there for a long time, it doesn't stink to you," Shannon told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. "We've got a country to save, and in order to save people we've got to send people who are willing to fight not just for the sake of fighting, but who will stand up and be a disruptor, and will remind this country of what made it great to start with — capitalism, Christianity and the Constitution."

Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives T.W. Shannon departs after meeting with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, U.S., November 20, 2016. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)

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Shannon also said Trump's endorsements do not always result in the most America first candidates. "[Trump] also endorsed Mitt Romney in 2016. In 2020. So the president's endorsement doesn't always produce the most America first candidate. And that's certainly the case in this race. That's how we make America great again is not through fighting just for the sake of fighting or through personal insults," Shannon said.

The midterm special election for Senate to fill Inhofe's seat will be held Nov. 8.