Not long after rising to one of the most influential positions in Washington, House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., is facing a surprisingly lively primary against a deep-pocketed challenger.
Paul Bondar, a businessman largely self-financing his campaign, is portraying himself as the true conservative and the real “Trump Republican” in the race, despite former President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Cole. The Oklahoma primaries are being held June 18; Cole’s heavily Republican 4th District backed Trump by 32 percentage points over President Joe Biden in 2020.
But Bondar is facing residency questions as he voted in Texas’ Republican primary in March. And he had an awkward interview with a local TV station last week in which he repeatedly declined to answer if he was currently in Oklahoma — at one point saying his connection was cutting out during the exchange — before admitting he was not in the state.
