Sanders Endorses Trey Martin to 'Fight for Working People' of Oklahoma in Congress

Amid a wave of progressive primary victories and growing support for working-class congressional candidates—from Democrat Graham Platner in Maine to Nebraska Independents Austin Ahlman and Dan Osborn—US Sen. Bernie Sanders on Thursday threw his support behind Trey Martin in Oklahoma.

"Now more than ever, Oklahoma needs leaders willing to fight for working people and take on the powerful corporate interests that are making life harder for families across the state," Sanders (I-Vt.) said in a statement. "Trey understands these struggles firsthand and is running a campaign focused on raising wages for working people, expanding healthcare, protecting Social Security, and building a strong labor movement. That's why I'm proud to endorse Trey Martin for Congress in Oklahoma's 5th District."

An eighth-generation Oklahoman who has served as the president of Ironworkers Local 48 for nearly a decade, Martin is facing off against fellow Democrat Jena Nelson in the June 16 primary. In addition to the policies Sanders highlighted, he is campaigning on a congressional stock trading ban, honoring tribal sovereignty, funding public schools, ending blank-check wars, and more.

Martin welcomed the support of Sanders, who twice sought the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, has traveled the country for his Fighting Oligarchy Tour over the past year, and has been using his national platform throughout this election cycle to promote progressive and working-class candidates running for federal, state, and local offices.

"Sen. Sanders has spent decades fighting for working families in Washington," said Martin. "Sen. Sanders has been one of the loudest, strongest voices in our country's most important fights—from making the most wealthy in this country pay their fair share, to standing up to corporate power, to bringing down healthcare costs. It's a true honor to have his support."

In a social media post, Martin added that "I remember sitting on the couch with my wife in 2016, hearing Bernie for the first time. It inspired me to get more involved in my local, to organize and build power for working people in Oklahoma. He was the first politician who made me truly believe someone in Washington was genuinely committed to standing up for the working class."

Martin and Nelson are competing to challenge Republican Congresswoman Stephanie Bice, who is seeking a fourth term in November—after considering a run for the Senate seat vacated by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.

As The Frontier executive editor Dylan Goforth reported last week, "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."

However, Oklahoma Democratic Party Chair Erin Brewer told Goforth that "CD-5 is absolutely flippable," and "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."

Polling by CNN on the first year of President Donald Trump's second term showed a majority of Americans were dissatisfied with his mass deportations, aggression toward other countries, and gutting the federal workforce rather than cutting costs. More recent surveys have made clear that the US public is frustrated with the high prices stemming from Trump's tariffs and Iran War.

Last week, when Trump told reporters that he does not think about Americans' financial situation "even a little bit" when it comes to his illegal war on Iran, Martin responded, "That tells you everything you need to know about where his priorities are, and that's exactly why I'm running to focus this conversation on working-class issues and real relief for families, not endless wars."

Earlier this week, another working-class champion and union leader, Bob Brooks, won a Democratic primary for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District, setting up the retired firefighter to challenge Republican Congressman Ryan Mackenzie in the midterms.

Congratulating Brooks, Sanders noted that "his win follows the recent progressive victories of ironworker and union leader Brian Poindexter in Ohio, and union organizer Analilia Mejía in New Jersey. We're making progress!"

On the other side of Pennsylvania, in the 3rd District, democratic socialist Chris Rabb also won his primary on Tuesday. After his win, Kendra Brooks and Nicolas O'Rourke, co-chairs of the state's Working Families Party, stressed that "the question in this race was not whether we would elect a Democrat, but what kind of Democrat we would choose."

"The people of Philadelphia made their choice clear: Bold, working-class leadership, and an end to the broken status quo," the pair continued. "They chose a message of real affordability that resonated with working-class voters. They chose a fighter who is not afraid to ruffle feathers and stand up for working people to fight back against Trumpism."