U.S. Senate and Congress

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt on March 24 appointed Alan Armstrong, executive chairman and former CEO of Tulsa-based Williams Companies, to serve out the remainder of Republican Markwayne Mullin’s U.S. Senate term through the end of 2026 after Mullin was confirmed as Homeland Security secretary. State law requires Armstrong, who has never held elected office, to pledge not to run for the full term in November, effectively making him a caretaker senator while the race to permanently fill the deep-red seat moves to the campaign trail. Republican Rep. Kevin Hern quickly launched his Senate bid and touted an endorsement from President Donald Trump, positioning himself as the early favorite in the fall contest. Armstrong is a longtime Stitt donor and a major natural-gas pipeline executive, and former Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett Jr. said his expertise is particularly relevant as the Iran war disrupts global energy flows and gas markets. The appointment underscores how Trump’s cabinet shuffle at DHS is rippling into Senate membership and highlights the growing presence of fossil-fuel industry leaders in key federal posts at a moment of volatile energy prices.