Trump taps Markwayne Mullin for Cabinet, sets up uncertain Senate race
- Nondoc
- Mar 5
- 1 min read
President Donald Trump has named U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin as his new Cabinet secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. If confirmed by his colleagues in the U.S. Senate, Mullin will fill the post held by Kristi Noem for the past 14 months.
Mullin (R-OK) has long been linked to Cabinet openings, but politicos had previously questioned whether the close Trump ally would be willing to give up a seat in the Senate and sow succession chaos in his home state. Elected in 2022 to fill the unexpired term of former U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, Mullin was already facing reelection this year, and the normal 2026 election cycle will ultimately decide who claims the seat’s next six-year term.
When a U.S. Senate vacancy occurs, Title 51, Section 10 of state statute requires the governor to appoint someone to fill the remainder of the unexpired term within 30 days. The appointee must sign “an oath affirming that the person will not file as a candidate for the office when it next appears on the ballot,” although the constitutionality of that statute — passed by the Legislature in anticipation of Inhofe’s resignation — has long been questioned.
Comments