Molly Jenkins

1. You won election to House District 33 in 2024 and serve on the Common Education and Elections and Ethics committees. What do you consider your most significant accomplishments in your first term, and what work remains unfinished?

My most significant accomplishment is that I kept the two promises I made at the door: to vote the conservative values of House District 33 and to refuse lobbyist money and gifts. I earned a 100% Oklahoma Conservative Index score, and was one of three state representatives who refused lobbyist gifts and contributions.

Substantively, I helped revive efforts to repeal outdated laws, advanced repealer legislation that was signed by the governor, was one of the few legislators to vote against the newest of the costly insurance mandates that drive up premiums, and opposed the bill that allows utility companies to pass speculative costs on to ratepayers. I also filed legislation to give voters more control over legislative pay raises and rural land-use decisions.

Perhaps the most impactful accomplishment was finding, exposing and stopping a plan, buried in administrative rules, that would have forced real estate property appraisers to undergo DEI training related to race-based property valuations. This could have potentially resulted in property values being influenced by the race of the owners — an absurd example of DEI carried out to its fullest effect.

The unfinished work: protect property owners from private eminent domain abuse, pass meaningful property-tax relief with an eye toward the complete elimination of the tax on homestead properties, keep cleaning up bad laws, and force more transparency at the Capitol.

Stillwegian fact-check: Jenkins' 100% score on the 2025 Oklahoma Conservative Index is confirmed; the index listed her among seven House members with a perfect score. On lobbyist gifts, Jenkins provided the Oklahoma Ethics Commission's 2025 Lobbyist Contribution Report, which lists totals for meals, gifts and other items provided to legislators by registered lobbyists. Jenkins does not appear among the 104 House members listed. The only other House members absent from the report are Rep. Rick West, R-Heavener, and Rep. Tom Gann, R-Inola. Both West's and Gann's official House biographies state they do not accept lobbyist or political action committee money.

2. What are the most significant challenges the district and the Legislature will face over the next two years, and how do you plan to address them?

The biggest challenges are affordability and trust. Property owners are being hit by property taxes, insurance costs, utility bills and inflation, while too much of the Legislature still operates around lobbyists, agencies and insiders. It is completely out of touch.

I will keep pushing for full homestead property-tax relief, oppose utility schemes that shift speculative costs onto ratepayers, vote against mandates that raise insurance premiums, and use audits and waste reduction to fund reforms responsibly. I will also keep refusing lobbyist money, reading the bills, explaining my votes and holding public meetings so voters can see exactly who I work for. I want to set an example that can be followed in other districts, so other voters will insist that their representative stop taking lobbyist money and stop playing the out-of-touch insiders' game.

3. You have made rejecting lobbyist money a central feature of your campaign. Stillwater Mayor Will Joyce recently challenged that claim publicly, noting that Make Liberty Win — a political action committee you thanked publicly for its endorsement — spent tens of thousands of dollars on mailers, text messages, and door knockers on your behalf, with its contributions coming almost entirely from out-of-state donors. How do you respond, and how do you define the line between lobbyist money and outside PAC spending on your behalf?

My pledge is about my campaign, not other groups that are beyond my control. I do not accept lobbyist contributions, lobbyist gifts or contributions from political action committees, or PACs, that employ lobbyists. This means I am rejecting tens of thousands of dollars in lobbyist-directed PAC contributions, and hundreds, if not thousands, more that are routinely offered in personal gifts to incumbent officeholders.

And while I can reject this money, and will continue to do so, I do not control the spending of what are known as "unlimited" PACs. Under the law, candidates for office are prohibited from coordinating with these groups or being involved in their activities.

As of the time of this response, I am aware that two unlimited PACs have spent thousands of dollars attempting to defeat my re-election: one identified group, a wind-energy unlimited PAC from the Washington, D.C., area, and one dark, unknown entity mailing from a Denver, Colorado, postal permit.

I am also aware that a third unlimited PAC, a student group known as Young Americans for Liberty, was tied to door-to-door campaigners, who on at least one occasion, canvassed the homes of voters and encouraged them to re-elect me. But I do not know whether these students were compensated or volunteers. I could not be privy to those details because coordination is not allowed.

Asked specifically about Make Liberty Win — the PAC named in this question, which is the political action committee arm of Young Americans for Liberty — Jenkins said: "I appreciate their endorsement, as I do other grassroots-oriented groups who have endorsed, but I am not soliciting for any monetary support on my behalf."

4. Oklahoma lawmakers and voters are debating proposals to limit property taxes. What is your position on property tax reform, and how would changes affect funding across House District 33?

I support serious property-tax reform, specifically relief for homesteaded and agricultural property. People should not be taxed out of homes, farms or land they already own. My goal is to move toward a full homestead exemption while keeping local governments whole through ad valorem reimbursement.

This reimbursement would be funded by ending pork earmarks and acting on state audit recommendations to eliminate waste and inefficiency in government. In 2025, a single bill earmarked $250 million. Had this money instead gone through ad valorem reimbursement, a considerable amount of property-tax reduction could have already occurred.

Stillwegian fact-check: The $250 million figure matches HB2773, a 2025 bill that appropriated $250 million from the Legacy Capital Financing Fund for construction and expansion of veterinary teaching hospitals at Oklahoma State University. The bill's authors included Sen. Chuck Hall, R-Perry, and Rep. Trish Ranson, D-Stillwater. It passed the House 83-7 on May 20, 2025, and became law without the governor's signature on May 29, 2025. Jenkins confirmed this is the bill she was referring to, and described it as a "pork earmark."

Responses have been lightly edited for grammar, spelling, and AP style. Substance and positions have not been altered.

Molly Jenkins knocked on our door twice before she was elected the first time and has exceeded our high expectations. She is 100% genuine, conservative, honest and pro-life. She is one of only two Representatives who have voted on 100% of bills before the House. She has accepted NO lobbying money. And she will not.

She again knocked on our door recently and also communicates clearly through her newsletter and responds to voter's questions and wishes. There are many reasons to vote for her and continue her service on our behalf. She truly represents what is good for our District. – James William Carley

Molly Jenkins, where do I begin! The first time Molly knocked on our door, the questions started. She answered every single one of them. The questions started about where our country was headed. After we talked about all that, we got into more things. Things like gun laws and where she stands. We agreed on a lot of it, like criminals will always get a gun and the government does not get it. They want to take from the citizens who have them legally and have a permit. That was the main part from our first visit.

More recently, she has supported Parents for Payne County's efforts around a grand jury petition calling for review of the local justice system. She also encouraged me to take the time and meet with our new district attorney. Molly has done all she said she would do and then some. Molly Jenkins checks all my boxes, and I hope she does yours. – Christina Witt

I met Molly the night before Election Day two years ago. We don't see eye to eye on every issue, but I have the utmost respect for her. Over time, I've spoken with her at length about challenges facing many of her constituents — issues that never made it into the 1,500-plus pieces of legislation considered in the last session. These are the concerns of people who may never attend a candidate forum or a civic club meeting, yet Molly made the time to listen. More importantly, she didn't just listen — she heard, and she acted.

Molly has stepped into meetings she had no obligation to attend. She has gone above and beyond to support families in our district. A voting record is only one part of a representative's story. What she does behind the scenes matters just as much. She answers calls and emails. She helps people find solutions. She shows up. She represents you. – Sherrie Bean

As a Payne County landowner, I appreciate Representative Molly Jenkins' stand to put private landowner rights above those of corporate interest. She is an advocate of our property rights and represents us, not merchant companies.

Representative Jenkins has a direct approach to meeting with constituents, both in the community and at the state capitol. She attended Payne County Save Our Sunsets community meetings and stood with us to stop the HVDC transmission lines threatening the use of eminent domain to take our land. She works for us and with us, the citizens, and not for special interest groups. – Rebecca Bostian Parrack

(The author is the media contact for Payne County Save Our Sunsets.)

Background: Payne County Save Our Sunsets is a grassroots property-rights group that formed in late 2024, initially organizing against a proposed high-voltage transmission corridor under the U.S. Department of Energy's National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor program. The group circulated a model county resolution opposing the NIETC plan, though Payne County commissioners never took up the proposal; commissioners later said the assistant district attorney had advised against it over legal concerns. The group has since broadened its focus to other transmission and renewable-energy projects proposing to cross private land in the county, and supported Resolution 2026-04, approved by Payne County commissioners on Jan. 30, 2026, which urges state lawmakers to require decommissioning bonds for wind, solar, data center and transmission infrastructure projects.