Republican Robert Franklin will be Oklahoma's next Superintendent of Public Instruction after defeating Democrat Jennettie Marshall on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

The Associated Press called the race at 8:31 p.m., KJRH reported. With 99% of precincts reporting, Franklin held 722,340 votes, or 66.18%, to Marshall's 369,113 votes, or 33.82%, according to unofficial results compiled by KFOR. All results are unofficial until certified by the Oklahoma State Election Board, NonDoc noted.

Candidate

Party

Votes

Percent

Robert Franklin

Republican

722,340

66.18%

Jennettie Marshall

Democrat

369,113

33.82%

Unofficial results, 99% reporting. Source: KFOR/AP.

The win was never close. Franklin opened with a nearly 30-point lead after early and absentee ballots were counted and held it through the night, KRMG reported.

Franklin will replace interim Superintendent Lindel Fields, whom Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed after Ryan Walters resigned in 2025, according to News 9.

What Franklin ran on

Franklin, 67, has spent 45 years in Oklahoma public education. He started as a special education teacher at the Hissom Memorial Center, a hospital for individuals with disabilities, KRMG reported. He held teaching and leadership positions at Sand Springs Schools for 29 years, then spent 14 years on the executive leadership team at Tulsa Tech, according to KFOR.

He also served with the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board from 2018 to 2024, including four years as chair, OKC Fox reported.

Franklin campaigned on a back-to-basics approach built around reading and math, expanding career tech pathways and adding behavioral support staff in schools, according to KOCO. He identified rebuilding the teacher workforce as his top priority, NonDoc reported during the GOP primary season.

In an October interview with KGOU, Franklin said he wants the Legislature to consider tax incentives to recruit and retain teachers. He also said he plans to revisit how the state's recess rules are being carried out in schools and to examine implementation of the third-grade Strong Readers Act.

Marshall concedes

Marshall, 68, a former Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education member and pastor, conceded on election night. She served eight years on the Tulsa board representing District 3, starting in 2017, KRMG reported.

After conceding, Marshall said she remained encouraged by voter turnout. She told KRMG that better teacher pay and getting prepared, competent teachers into classrooms should remain priorities regardless of who holds the office.

What's ahead

The race drew statewide attention after Walters' tenure brought national scrutiny to the office. Neither Franklin nor Marshall waged a culture-war campaign. Both said they wanted politics out of the classroom, according to KOCO.

Oklahoma ranked 48th among states in education in 2026 in the Annie E. Casey Foundation's rankings for low reading and math proficiency, The Frontier reported. The National Education Association pegged Oklahoma's average starting teacher salary at about $41,294 a year, below Texas at about $49,465 and Arkansas at about $50,076 for 2024–25, according to News 9.

Fields' tenure ends in January. Unofficial returns are available on the State Election Board's 2026 results page.