Grassroots conservatives take another shot at GOP incumbents

Andy Dossett | The Wiley Post
Published June 12, 2026

Recent campaign finance reports show who has the money and where it is coming from in the Bartlesville-area GOP House races ahead of the June 16 primary.

With no Democratic candidates in either House District 10 or House District 11, the primary winner will secure the seat. If no candidate earns more than 50% of the vote, the candidates will compete in a runoff election on Aug. 25.

Political mailers sent to Washington County voters in the lead-up to the June 16, 2026, primary election.
Andy Dossett | The Wiley Post

House District 10: The grassroots take another swing

For longtime observers of local Republican politics, the House District 10 race may feel familiar.

In 2024, Washington County voters rejected several grassroots-backed challengers who opposed Republican incumbents. Now, many of these activists and party leaders are rallying behind Jake Bair to unseat incumbent Rep. Judd Strom.

Whether voters are ready for a different result remains one of the biggest questions heading into primary day.

Strom reported raising $5,650 during the pre-primary reporting period while spending $6,074.87.

Nearly all of Strom's fundraising came from fellow Republican officeholders and political allies. His largest donors included Sen. Julie Daniels' campaign committee, which contributed $2,500, Rep. Anthony Moore's campaign committee, which gave $1,500, and Rep. Ken Luttrell's committee, which added $1,000.

Together, those three political committees accounted for $5,000 of the $5,650 Strom raised during the reporting period.

Challenger Jake Bair, meanwhile, reported raising $8,320.00 and $1,617.90 of his own money. He reported spending $6,477.38.

Bair's largest contributions came from members of the grassroots conservative faction that took control of the Washington County Republican Party in 2023. Washington County GOP Chairman Victor Severin contributed $2,000 through two $1,000 donations. John Nettles,a member of the Washington County GOP leadership, gave $1,000.

Wayne Hill,a prominent voice in the Oklahoma grassroots movement andthe Oklahoma Republican Party's vice chairman, gave $1,000. Together, these three donors accounted for half of the money Bair reported raising so far.

The Wiley Post was unable to locate campaign finance filings for Republican candidate Cuen Funderburke.

House District 11: Same names, different year

While House District 10 is about the future direction of the local GOP, House District 11 is about familiar faces.

Incumbent Rep. John Kane and challenger Wendi Stearman are facing off again, four years after Kane unseated Stearman in the 2022 Republican primary. Since then, Stearman has mounted an unsuccessful bid for the Oklahoma Senate and is now seeking a return to the House.

The campaign finance reports highlight differences between the candidates, showing Kane with a clear financial lead heading into the primary compared to Stearman.

Kane has raised more than $170,000 during the 2026 cycle. This includes nearly $95,200 carried over from previous campaigns, more than $50,700 from individual donors, and nearly $25,000 from political action committees. A continuing report filed shows Kane collected another $12,500 between June 2 and June 10, including $9,000 from PACs.

Stearman's campaign reported $200 raised from two individual donations during the reporting period. Filings also show she invested approximately $1,200 of her own money into the campaign and later contributed another $2,500 to her committee.

The gap in campaign resources between Kane and Stearman has only grown. In the 2022 campaign that defeated Stearman, Kane raised over $140,000 while Stearman raised approximately $46,000. Stearman's failed 2024 State Senate campaign raised roughly $22,000.

The rematch also continues a familiar pattern for Washington County voters. For much of the past six years, local Republican primaries have revolved around the same candidates and competing factions within the party. Grassroots conservatives secured two seats on the Bartlesville City Council in 2024 and expanded their influence within local and state party leadership. However, they have not elected one of their preferred candidates to Bartlesville state legislative seats since Stearman's defeat in 2022.

Ultimately, this year's House races will either mark a shift or reaffirm the ongoing preference among Washington County voters for established incumbents in Oklahoma City.