Redistricting has made the path to victory steeper in Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional District since the last time a Democrat was elected to the seat in 2018.

Now, with two distinct candidates, Jena Nelson and Trey Martin are making their cases as the June 16 primary approaches. Democratic voters are being asked to make a calculation: Which is best positioned to oust Republican incumbent Stephanie Bice in November?

Both Nelson and Martin say they want to protect Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. And both support lowering prescription drug prices and raising the minimum wage. 

Oklahoma Democratic Party Chair Erin Brewer told The Frontier the race reflects a broader conversation happening across the country about what kinds of candidates can compete in conservative-leaning areas and what voters are looking for after the 2024 election cycle.

She said that dynamic mirrors larger debates inside the party about electability, messaging and coalition-building.

“Our huge class of candidates speaks to Oklahomans’ broader desire for better government and frustration with the failing Republican policy of the last 15-plus years,” Brewer said.

The conversation unfolding in CD-5 is part of a larger national reassessment among Democrats following the 2024 election, Brewer said, particularly in districts and states where the party has struggled to consistently compete. Brewer said voters have shown continued interest in candidates focused on day-to-day economic concerns like healthcare costs, education and affordability.

The primary has implications beyond just Oklahoma, Brewer said. The district flipped during the first Trump administration. Why can’t Democrats do it again? 

“CD-5 is absolutely flippable,” Brewer said. “A win here not only shifts the power dynamic in our state, it would also expand the votes in Congress to hold the President in check.”

Competing definitions of ‘working class’

Both Nelson and Martin describe themselves as working class. An ironworker and union leader, the tattooed 39-year-old Martin frames his campaign around experience — decades spent on job sites, working long hours, rising through the ranks to lead crews and eventually represent fellow workers.

“I can speak to working people because I am one,” Martin, who lives in Edmond, said in an interview with The Frontier. 

That background shapes his political beliefs. He says his focus is on “kitchen table” issues, like the cost of groceries, gas, and rent. And he draws a distinction between those concerns and what he sees as a political system distracted by less relevant debates.

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“There’s a lot of fluff,” he said. “Things that may be important, but get too much focus. I care about policy and what actually affects people here at home.”

His pitch is straightforward: A blue-collar candidate can connect with voters, including Republicans and independents, in a way that he believes a more traditional Democrat cannot. Oklahoma is still Oklahoma, he said, and a Democrat who leans too far into partisan or ideological fights will struggle to win.

“If you’re a hardline Democrat … you’re going to have a hard time getting elected here,” Martin said. “I try to appeal to everybody. I don’t even like thinking about it in partisan terms.”

Nelson, meanwhile, pushes back on the idea that her opponent has a monopoly on that identity.

“I am working class, full stop,” she said.

Nelson, a 48-year-old former teacher who lives in Edmond and ran unsuccessfully for state superintendent in 2022, said she frames her experience less around a single profession and more around a lifetime of work. She said she grew up in a blue-collar family, holding multiple jobs, and navigating the same financial pressures she says voters face now.

“I know what it’s like,” she said, pointing to rising costs of living and essentials. A working-class identity alone is not enough, Nelson told The Frontier. Experience, consistency and engagement matter just as much.

Martin takes issue with Nelson’s remarks about U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, where she criticized his lack of a college degree, referred to him as a “plumber,” and questioned if someone with that background was interested in “protecting civil rights.” Martin said Nelson’s remarks were dismissive of blue-collar workers and part of what drew him to run for office.

“She chose to attack his education and profession,” Martin said. “That really bothered me.”

Nelson strongly rejects that characterization.

Her comments, she said, were about qualifications for a national security role rather than Mullin’s background as a plumber.

“Anyone can run for Congress,” Nelson said. “But when we’re talking about roles like Homeland Security, qualifications matter.”

The electability question

Both candidates say they think they can win in the November general election

Martin believes talking to voters across the political spectrum — something he says he does every day in his union — is the key to flipping the district.

“Our membership is split politically,” he said. “But I’m able to communicate with all of them.”

Nelson told The Frontier she was focused on “organization and turnout.” She emphasized the wide range of her outreach — calling hundreds of voters a day, hosting town halls, building relationships across the district — and the idea that voters are looking for someone who will show up consistently.

“They’re tired of having someone represent them that doesn’t even talk to them,” she said, referring to Bice. “You show up and talk to people,” Nelson said. “That’s how you connect.”

Nelson also pointed to her past performance and contrasted it with Martin’s campaign. She performed well among voters in the 5th Congressional District when she ran for superintendent.  

“I’m the only Democrat who can win CD-5 because I’m the only Democrat who already has,” she said.

Regardless of who moves on to the general election, Brewer said the job then becomes convincing voters to mobilize behind the winner, regardless of who their preferred candidate was.

“Once we’re through the primary, it’s critical that Democrats, Independents and frustrated Republicans coalesce around the Democratic nominee,” Brewer said.