U.S. House, Oklahoma 2nd Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Oklahoma's 2nd Congressional District?
Josh Brecheen has the strongest record in Oklahoma's 2nd Congressional District. Josh Brecheen scores 71 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Josh Brecheen's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Ronnie Hopkins (0 of 15 criteria) and Brandon Wade (6 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Republican · incumbent
Strongest record
Josh Brecheen
71 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 65
- Qualifications
- 85
- Performance
- 63
Independent
Ronnie Hopkins
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 0 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- NR
- Performance
- NR
Democratic
Brandon Wade
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 6 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 60
- Performance
- NR
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Josh Brecheen
- On the record2026-08-27
Asked at a McAlester town hall whether Joe Biden won the 2020 election, he said he believes it was rigged to benefit Democrats; he took office after the 2021 electoral count and cast no certification vote.
Source: KJRH, Aug. 2026
- On the record2026-08-21
Publicly criticized the president's decision to import beef in an August 2026 Facebook post, as reported by KJRH.
Source: KJRH, Aug. 2026
- On the record2023 to 2024
Voted against his party's Speaker on the 2023 debt limit deal, the April 2024 Ukraine aid bill and the December 2024 American Relief Act.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 243, 2023, House Clerk Roll Call 517, 2024
- Credit2025-08
KXII reported he held his 127th town hall meeting in August 2025, in Durant, and he held another series of district town halls in August 2026.
Sources: KXII, Aug. 28, 2025, KJRH, Aug. 2026
- Credit2024
Was the primary sponsor of the DHS Border Services Contracts Review Act (H.R. 4467), enacted in the 118th Congress.
Source: GovTrack, enacted legislation
- Credit2010 to 2018
Kept a self-imposed term limit pledge in the Oklahoma Senate, leaving after eight years, and has pledged to serve at most eight years in Congress.
Source: NonDoc, June 1, 2026
Ronnie Hopkins
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Brandon Wade
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Josh Brecheen. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 filed May 13, 2026; no periodic transaction reports on the Clerk index. Kept a self-imposed term limit pledge in the state Senate. No House Ethics Committee matter or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: NonDoc, June 1, 2026, House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10077410, House Committee on Ethics site search, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00812974
Ronnie Hopkins. No public record found.
Brandon Wade. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00846857
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Josh Brecheen. Voted against his party's Speaker on the 2023 Fiscal Responsibility Act, the September 2023 and September 2024 stopgap bills, the April 2024 Ukraine aid bill and the December 2024 American Relief Act.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 243, 2023, House Clerk Roll Call 151, 2024, House Clerk Roll Call 517, 2024
Ronnie Hopkins. No public record found.
Brandon Wade. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Josh Brecheen. Holds regular open in-person town halls across the district; KXII reported his 127th in August 2025, and he held a further series in August 2026.
Sources: KXII, Aug. 28, 2025, Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise, Aug. 27, 2025, KJRH, Aug. 2026
Ronnie Hopkins. No public record found.
Brandon Wade. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Josh Brecheen. State senator from 2010 to 2018 and in Congress since January 2023, with no censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee matter found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Josh Brecheen, House Committee on Ethics site search
Ronnie Hopkins. No public record found.
Brandon Wade. No public record found.
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Josh Brecheen. Took the oath as a state senator and as a U.S. representative from January 2023; he was not in Congress for the January 2021 electoral count and is not on the Texas v. Pennsylvania amicus list. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Josh Brecheen
Ronnie Hopkins. No public record found.
Brandon Wade. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Josh Brecheen. In the U.S. House since January 2023, in his second term, after eight years in the Oklahoma Senate.
Source: Ballotpedia, Josh Brecheen
Ronnie Hopkins. No public record found.
Brandon Wade. Oil industry laborer who was committee chairman and vice president of IUOE Local 351 for 26 years. Has not held public office.
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Josh Brecheen. Chairs the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability and serves on the Budget Committee; a bill he sponsored was enacted.
Source: GovTrack, committee membership
Ronnie Hopkins. No public record found.
Brandon Wade. Publishes policy pages on health care, wages and veterans in general terms.
Source: Campaign site
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Josh Brecheen. Offers a newsletter, publishes legislative priority pages and holds regular town halls. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, home page, KXII, Aug. 28, 2025, Ballotpedia, Josh Brecheen
Ronnie Hopkins. No public record found.
Brandon Wade. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022, 2024 and 2026 and publishes policy pages and campaign statements.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Brandon Wade, Campaign site
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Josh Brecheen. Born in Pontotoc County and a Coalgate High School graduate; represented a southeastern Oklahoma Senate district. FEC by-state totals show about 66 percent of itemized contributions by state from Oklahoma ($69,082 of $104,657).
Sources: Ballotpedia, Josh Brecheen, FEC contribution totals by state
Ronnie Hopkins. No public record found.
Brandon Wade. Born in Bartlesville and raised in Copan; works in Bartlesville. FEC by-state totals show all $500 of his itemized contributions by state from Oklahoma.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Brandon Wade, Campaign site, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Josh Brecheen. Ran a heavy equipment and trucking business. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC with no administrative fine found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Josh Brecheen, FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00812974
Ronnie Hopkins. No public record found.
Brandon Wade. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC with no administrative fine found.
Source: FEC administrative fines search, committee C00846857
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Josh Brecheen. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.640 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 1.190, rated meets expectations; his DHS Border Services Contracts Review Act was enacted.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, enacted legislation
Ronnie Hopkins. No public record found.
Brandon Wade. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Josh Brecheen. Missed 48 of 1,917 roll call votes, 2.5 percent, from January 2023 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Ronnie Hopkins. No public record found.
Brandon Wade. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Josh Brecheen. His office reports 32,000 completed case files and 125 town hall meetings, and keeps a district office in Claremore.
Sources: Office site, home page, KXII, Aug. 28, 2025
Ronnie Hopkins. No public record found.
Brandon Wade. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Josh Brecheen. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -2.00003 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 430 of 436, in the bottom quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Ronnie Hopkins. No public record found.
Brandon Wade. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Josh Brecheen. No public record found.
Ronnie Hopkins. No public record found.
Brandon Wade. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 9, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Oklahoma's 2nd Congressional District?
Josh Brecheen has the strongest record in Oklahoma's 2nd Congressional District. Josh Brecheen scores 71 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Josh Brecheen's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Ronnie Hopkins (0 of 15 criteria) and Brandon Wade (6 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Oklahoma's 2nd Congressional District in 2026?
Josh Brecheen (Republican, incumbent), Ronnie Hopkins (Independent), Brandon Wade (Democratic). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Josh Brecheen a good candidate for Congress?
Josh Brecheen scores 71 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 65 of 100, qualifications 85 of 100, performance 63 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Ronnie Hopkins a good candidate for Congress?
Ronnie Hopkins has public evidence on 0 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Brandon Wade a good candidate for Congress?
Brandon Wade has public evidence on 6 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Oklahoma race scored, the trailing candidate's path to victory, and the Oklahoma 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.