TULSA, Okla. — March 05, 2026 (The Oklahoma Post)
President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he intends to appoint Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin as the next Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, replacing Secretary Kristi Noem. The change is expected to take effect March 31, 2026, pending Senate confirmation.
Trump made the announcement on his Truth Social platform, describing Mullin as a “highly respected” senator and a “MAGA Warrior” who “knows the Wisdom and Courage required to Advance our America First Agenda,” saying he would help advance the administration’s security priorities, including border enforcement and combating illegal drug trafficking.
Noem, who has served as DHS secretary since early 2025, will transition to a newly created role as Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, a Western Hemisphere security initiative the administration plans to formally unveil Saturday at Trump’s Doral, Florida resort. She is the first cabinet secretary to depart the Trump administration during his second term.
Her departure follows months of mounting controversy over the department’s immigration enforcement policies, including the deaths of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, killed in separate incidents by federal agents enforcing immigration law in Minnesota in January. Noem faced pointed criticism during congressional hearings in early March over DHS operations and spending, including a multimillion dollar advertising campaign promoting self deportation. At the time of her firing, DHS was in its third week of a partial government shutdown, with approximately 100,000 employees furloughed.
Mullin, a Republican from Oklahoma, has served in the U.S. Senate since November 2022, when he won a special election to replace longtime Senator Jim Inhofe. Before that, he represented Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2013 to 2023.
If confirmed, Mullin would resign from the Senate to lead DHS, a department responsible for border security, immigration enforcement, cybersecurity, and disaster response through agencies including ICE, Customs and Border Protection, FEMA, and the Secret Service.
The move marks one of the most significant cabinet changes in Trump’s current term and could reshape both federal immigration policy and Oklahoma’s political landscape if Mullin vacates his Senate seat
Mullin’s Departure Scrambles Oklahoma’s 2026 Senate Race
Mullin had filed to seek his first full six-year Senate term in the November 3, 2026 general election, with the Republican primary scheduled for June 16. The candidate filing deadline is April 3, 2026, just days away.
In deeply Republican Oklahoma, Mullin was not considered vulnerable. No major election forecaster rated the race as competitive, and a Democratic challenger defeating a sitting Republican senator in Oklahoma would have been the first such upset in decades. The Democratic primary field currently includes attorney and ordained minister Jim Priest, martial arts instructor and anti-trafficking advocate Troy Green, and N’Kiyla Thomas. We believe Thomas was polling well and posed a significant threat to the seat.
His confirmation as DHS Secretary changes the math entirely. If Mullin vacates his Senate seat, Governor Kevin Stitt would appoint a replacement, who would be required under state law to sign an oath promising not to run for the seat in the 2026 election, though legal experts have noted that federal law may prevent enforcement of that oath.
The open seat scenario reshapes the race in ways that benefit Democrats. Running against an incumbent senator in Oklahoma is one thing. Running in a suddenly chaotic open seat, against an appointed placeholder who may or may not honor their pledge not to run, in a political climate already roiled by DHS controversies and furloughed federal workers, is a different contest altogether. Whoever emerges from the Democratic primary in June will be running against a question mark rather than a known quantity.
Mullin’s confirmation is not guaranteed. The Senate must vote to confirm him, and he has already drawn bipartisan scrutiny during his time in the chamber. The timeline, the open seat uncertainty, and the April 3 filing deadline mean Oklahoma’s political landscape could shift dramatically within the next 30 days.
Writing By: Robbie Robertson | Editing by Robbie Robertson
Editor’s Note:
Sources
Associated Press / NBC News Live Updates, March 5, 2026 https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/live-blog/trump-congress-war-powers-dhs-funding-ballroom-elections-live-updates-rcna261251
ABC News, “Trump fires DHS secretary Kristi Noem, replaces her with Sen. Markwayne Mullin,” March 5, 2026 https://abcnews.com/Politics/trump-privately-expresses-frustration-noem-after-senate-hearing/story?id=130794961
CNBC, “Trump taps Sen. Markwayne Mullin to replace Kristi Noem as DHS secretary,” March 5, 2026 https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/05/trump-kristi-noem-markwayne-mullin-dhs.html
Axios, “What to know about Markwayne Mullin, Trump’s new Homeland Security pick,” March 5, 2026 https://www.axios.com/2026/03/05/markwayne-mullin-homeland-security-secretary-nominee
NPR / KUT, “Trump fires Kristi Noem as DHS chief, names Sen. Markwayne Mullin to replace her,” March 5, 2026 https://www.kut.org/politics/2026-03-05/trump-fires-kristi-noem-as-dhs-chief-names-sen-markwayne-mullin-to-replace-her
CBS12 / TNND, “Kristi Noem to step down as DHS Secretary; Trump names Sen. Markwayne Mullin successor,” March 5, 2026 https://cbs12.com/news/nation-world/trump-names-oklahoma-sen-markwayne-mullin-as-next-dhs-secretary-effective-march-31-kristi-noem-homeland-security-trump-administration-immigration-minnesota-shield-of-americas
5 News Online, “Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin named DHS Secretary amid Trump Cabinet shakeup,” March 5, 2026 https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/national/oklahoma-senator-markwayne-mullin-dhs-secretary-trump/527-613a9abd-fd72-4e9f-963b-8ddde3de66fa
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