Markwayne Mullin Bio
Markwayne Mullin (born July 26, 1977) is an American politician and businessman who has served as Oklahoma’s junior United States senator since 2023. A Republican and an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation, he is the first Native American to serve in the U.S. Senate since Ben Nighthorse Campbell retired in 2005, and only the second Cherokee citizen elected to the Senate since 1925.
Before entering public service, Mullin built a career in the private sector, running several family businesses, including a plumbing company, and briefly hosting a home improvement radio program in Tulsa. In March 2026, President Donald Trump nominated him to be Secretary of Homeland Security. He lives in Westville, Oklahoma, with his wife Christie Renee Rowan, and they have six children.
Early Life and Background
Markwayne Mullin was born on July 26, 1977, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and raised in Westville. He is the youngest of the seven children of Jim Martin Mullin and Brenda Gayle Morris Mullin. His unusual first name is a tribute to two of his paternal uncles, Mark and Wayne, with his mother placing both names on his birth certificate while intending to later shorten the name, which she never did.
He grew up around family trades and entrepreneurship, an environment that shaped his early interest in building and business. Mullin graduated from Stilwell High School in Stilwell, Oklahoma, before heading off to college.
Path to US Politics
Mullin attended Missouri Valley College, but left school at the age of 20 to take over the family plumbing business after his father fell ill. He later returned to education and earned an associate degree in construction technology from Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology in 2010, all while continuing to grow his commercial ventures.
By the time he ran for Congress in 2012, Mullin owned multiple businesses, including Mullin Plumbing, Mullin Properties, Mullin Farms, and Mullin Services, and hosted House Talk, a home improvement radio program that aired on KFAQ in Tulsa. He also trained as a mixed martial arts fighter, competing in three professional bouts between November 2006 and April 2007 and winning all three. His experience as a businessman and community figure in eastern Oklahoma prepared him to enter the political arena.
Markwayne Mullin Career
Early Career (2012)
Mullin launched his political career in 2012 after incumbent U.S. Representative Dan Boren announced his retirement from Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional District. Branding himself as a rancher and businessman rather than a career politician, Mullin finished first in a six-candidate Republican primary with 42 percent of the vote and then won the runoff with 57 percent.
In the general election, he defeated Democratic nominee and former district attorney Rob Wallace, 57 percent to 38 percent, becoming the first Republican to represent the district since Tom Coburn in 2001.
U.S. House Breakthrough (2013-2022)
After his initial victory, Mullin won re-election in 2014 with 70 percent of the vote, easily dispatching Democrat Earl Everett. In 2016, he won the Republican primary by 27 percentage points and the general election by 47 points, extending his hold on the 2nd District seat.
In 2017, Mullin released a video announcing that he would seek a fourth term in 2018, reversing an earlier promise to serve only three terms. He won a four-way Republican primary with 54 percent of the vote and was re-elected in November with 65 percent. In 2020, he won the Republican primary with 79.9 percent of the vote and was re-elected with 75 percent. During the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, Mullin helped Capitol Police build barricades and protect the doors to the House Chamber. He also drew attention for continuing to bounce a pink bouncy ball through the halls of the Capitol, a practice he has kept since middle school that he says keeps him in a rhythm.
U.S. Senate Era (2023-Present)
In February 2022, Senator Jim Inhofe announced he would resign at the end of the 117th Congress, triggering a special election for the remainder of his term. Mullin entered the crowded 13-candidate Republican field and finished first with 44 percent of the vote, short of the 50 percent required to win outright. He then defeated former state House Speaker T. W. Shannon in the August runoff and went on to defeat former 5th District Congresswoman Kendra Horn in the November general election with 61.8 percent of the vote.
Since taking office in 2023, Mullin has served on committees including the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and has been described as one of President Trump’s closest allies in the Senate on immigration policy. In 2025, he voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill championed by the Trump administration, a major tax and border security package. He has also pushed to extend federal boxing regulations to mixed martial arts organizations such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Notable Events and Milestones
In March 2023, Mullin drew national attention during a Senate HELP Committee hearing on the PRO Act when he clashed with Teamsters president Sean O’Brien, eventually telling O’Brien to shut his mouth. The two later challenged each other to a fight for charity, and in November 2023, Mullin again confronted O’Brien in a committee hearing, standing up and moving toward him before being stopped by committee chair Bernie Sanders. The two have since reconciled at the encouragement of President Trump. On March 5, 2026, President Trump nominated Mullin to be Secretary of Homeland Security.
Markwayne Mullin Career Wins
Throughout his career in public service, Markwayne Mullin has compiled a strong record of electoral victories, winning every general election he has contested and consistently building his share of the vote with each cycle.
U.S. House Highlights
Mullin won his first race for the U.S. House in 2012 with 57 percent of the vote and never dropped below 65 percent in any of his subsequent re-election bids. In 2014, he won with 70 percent, in 2016 with 67 percent, in 2018 with 65 percent, and in 2020 with 75 percent of the vote.
He was the first Republican to represent Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional District since Tom Coburn in 2001.
Other Wins and Achievements
Mullin won a competitive Republican primary in 2022 to advance to the U.S. Senate special election runoff, then defeated former state House Speaker T. W. Shannon before winning the general election against Kendra Horn with 61.8 percent of the vote. He has also won recognition as the first Native American U.S. senator since 2005 and the second Cherokee citizen elected to the Senate since 1925.
| Position | Wins | Year |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Representative, Oklahoma 2nd District | 5 | 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020 |
| U.S. Senator, Oklahoma | 1 | 2022 |
Markwayne Mullin Family
Family Background and Heritage
Markwayne Mullin is the youngest of the seven children of Jim Martin Mullin and Brenda Gayle Morris Mullin, of Westville, Oklahoma. He is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation and is one of four Native Americans serving in the 119th Congress.
Personal Life
Markwayne Mullin married Christie Renee Rowan in 1997, and the couple live in Westville, Oklahoma, near the Arkansas border. They have six children, including twin girls adopted in August 2013. In 2021, Mullin reported personal assets of between $31.6 million and $75.6 million, a sum that grew after the sale of his plumbing-related companies to HomeTown Services in early 2021.