Cole takes on well-financed challenger in race for Oklahoma’s Fourth Congressional District

Paul Bondar is hoping to take U.S. Rep. Tom Cole's seat to represent Oklahoma's 4th Congressional District. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma airwaves have been filled with a smackdown between an incumbent political legend and a newcomer with deep pockets who recently moved into the state.

Paul L. Bondar said he’s willing to spend millions in his bid to unseat incumbent U.S. Rep. Tom Cole in the June 18 primary.

Cole, an influential Republican who has represented Oklahoma in Congress for over two decades, has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on his own television advertisements.

Both men are trying to convince voters who live in the sprawling Fourth Congressional District that they’re the better conservative choice.

Cole actually faces three additional Republican primary challengers, including Andrew Hayes, of Lawton, Nick Hankins, of Moore, and Rick Whitebear Harris, of Norman. All five men want to represent the district, which runs from south Oklahoma City down to the Texas border. 

Bondar has emerged from the crowded field because of the amount of money he’s willing to spend to influence the outcome, Cole said.

“We are in a serious fight when somebody shows up with this kind of resources,” Cole said.

Bondar, who lists his residence as Stonewall, recently moved to Oklahoma from Texas.

State Election Board records show he registered to vote in the state on April 3, a day before filing to run for Oklahoma’s congressional seat.

“We know he moved to Texas recently,” Cole said. “We found out obviously that he voted in Texas. Then all of a sudden, he registers in Oklahoma.”

Bondar has never voted in any Oklahoma election, according to the agency.

But a federal constitutional provision does not require candidates to live within a district in order to run for Congress.

A person must be 25, a U.S. citizen for seven years and an inhabitant of the state in which he was chosen, according to the U.S. Constitution.

Bondar said he is leasing a residence in Stonewall and owns property north of Durant where he is building a house.

But none of that matters because you do not have to own land in the district, Bondar said.

“If I lose the election, I’m running again, and I’m staying in Oklahoma,” Bondar said. 

“That’s right. That’s right. This is not one and done. I’m here to stay.”

Spending big to win

Bondar wouldn’t say how much he’s spent on his candidacy because he doesn’t “really necessarily want to publicize for my opponent to know that exact figure.”

“I will just say it’s seven figures that it’s going to take,” he said. “It’s going to be a seven-figure race.”

An Oklahoma Voice analysis of Federal Communications Commission filings show Bondar has spent at least $2 million to purchase thousands of commercial television spots at stations in Oklahoma City, Lawton and Wichita Falls, Texas.

Cole has responded with at least $563,835 in his own commercial television ads, according to the analysis.

The figures do not include the tens of thousands of dollars that political action committees have spent trying to influence the outcome or other forms of advertising, such as direct mail and social media.

Who are the candidates?

Cole, who lives in Moore, said Bondar is someone who couldn’t find his way around the district without a map.

Bondar played football in college. He has a bachelor’s in political science and a master’s in public administration.

Bondar said he decided to run against Cole because Cole “turned his back” on the district and hasn’t had “conservative values” in a long time.

Bondar, who worked in insurance, said commercials accusing him of trying to buy the seat are “laughable.” He said he is running to create a fair fight.

Cole has unlimited access to special interest funds and dark money, Bondar said.

“So, I find it quite funny that he says I’ve come to buy his seat,” Bondar said.

Cole, a Chickasaw citizen, is the first Oklahoman to chair the powerful House Appropriations Committee and has served 22 years in the House. He formerly served as Oklahoma Republican Party chairman, Oklahoma secretary of state and in the state Senate. He also worked for former Gov. Frank Keating.

He said Former President Donald Trump has endorsed him. 

Can an outsider upset a popular incumbent?

The race is one many political observers are watching closely.

Democratic political consultant and lobbyist Pat Hall said turnout in the June primary could be a factor. Hall, who has contributed and voted for Cole previously, said it could be low because there are not a lot of contested races in the district.

“Are Oklahomans going to be stupid enough to blow it?” Hall asked.

Fount Holland is a Republican political consultant who previously worked for Cole.

He said the high-dollar spending could impact the outcome.

“Anytime that kind of money is spent, you have to be concerned,” Holland said.

Oklahoma Voice Editor Janelle Stecklein contributed to this report.

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