OKLAHOMA CITY — Navy pilot Jim Bridenstine has defeated five-term incumbent John Sullivan to capture the Republican nomination in Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District.
Bridenstine, who had tea party backing, is a political newcomer who ran a campaign that attempted to paint Sullivan as a career politician who had grown out of touch with working-class Oklahomans. He also criticized Sullivan for missing votes; the incumbent missed votes in 2009 while being treated for alcoholism.
