Morrison Educator Luke Kruse Seeks House District 35 Seat as Democrat

The Educator Turned Candidate

Luke Kruse, 40, is seeking the Oklahoma House District 35 seat as the Democratic candidate in the Feb. 10 special election to replace former Rep. Ty Burns.

A 19-year educator and Morrison resident, Kruse graduated from Stillwater Public Schools before earning degrees from Northern Oklahoma College, Oklahoma State University and Northwestern Oklahoma State University, where he completed a master's in Educational Leadership. He currently serves as a faculty member at Northern Oklahoma College.

Kruse and his wife Ashley are raising two children in Morrison. The couple previously operated Kruse's Caribbean Ice, a Stillwater snow cone stand they ran for more than a decade to help pay their way through college.

Kruse's career in education spans nearly two decades across multiple roles. He has taught history, government and math at various levels, drove school buses for Morrison Public Schools, and coaches youth sports including fifth and sixth grade football.

"I've been a 19-year educator," Kruse said at his campaign kickoff event at The Vintage Steakhouse in Morrison. "Education in this state is my number one, far and away, reason why I'm running."

Beyond the classroom, Kruse mentors college students and volunteers extensively in his community, including at Hilltop Country Church in Morrison.

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Policy Priorities

Education

Kruse has made education his primary campaign focus, citing Oklahoma's 50th-place national ranking as unacceptable.

"We need to invest in quality education in this state," Kruse said. "The superintendents that I visited with and talked with have all said the same thing. It comes down to teachers. We have to recruit and retain the best possible quality teachers to get in front of our kiddos every single day."

He advocates for increased per-pupil funding and competitive teacher pay to prevent educators from leaving for higher salaries in neighboring states.

Foster Care and Social Services

Kruse and his wife are former foster care parents, and he has made reforming Oklahoma's Department of Human Services system a central issue.

He highlighted the CARE Portal program, which connects churches with foster families needing supplies like beds, dressers and clothing for children entering the system.

"We've got to invest in our social workers," Kruse said. "If people are making this their full-time job to go take care of kids in crisis, I want the state to be there to support those social care workers."

He cited conversations with local DHS officials who described social workers sleeping in offices for multiple consecutive nights when foster homes are unavailable. Kruse advocates for competitive pay and hazard or trauma pay for DHS workers.

Infrastructure

Rural road conditions represent a significant concern for Kruse, who said poor county roads force school districts to replace buses more frequently, diverting funds from classrooms.

"I literally never drove a bus that had more than 100,000 miles on it," Kruse said of his time driving for Morrison Public Schools. "Morrison had to invest in new buses, because they're getting beat to heck out on these bad county roads."

He emphasized the need to bring rural voices to the state legislature on infrastructure issues.

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Economic Concerns

In an interview with The Stillwegian following his kickoff event, Kruse identified cost of living as a recurring concern among voters, particularly rising insurance rates during the fall enrollment period.

"Cost of living keeps coming back up again and again and again," Kruse said. "Especially with so many people having their insurance option period just in October and November, I think the rise in insurance rates is absolutely top of mind."

He advocates for maintaining current tax levels rather than cutting them, pointing to the state's rainy day fund of $3 billion to $5 billion as evidence Oklahoma can afford to invest more in social services.

Energy Development

Kruse noted that recent wind turbine installations in Noble County should benefit Morrison Public Schools through property tax revenue, though he acknowledged some residents dislike the red blinking lights now visible across the nighttime skyscape.

"From everything that we've heard, especially with them being built in District 35, it should be great for Noble County," Kruse said, adding that the property taxes would help the school district without taking it off the state funding formula.

Building a Coalition

Kruse described his decision to run as something he initially resisted multiple times before feeling called to the race.

"Running for office was never really a plan of mine," Kruse said. "I thought maybe, just maybe, one of these days I might step out on a limb and run for a school board seat."

He acknowledged concerns about the political climate's impact on his family but said he felt "God was opening too many doors."

Despite being a registered Democrat in a heavily Republican district, Kruse said he has historically voted for Republican candidates in District 35 based on personal character and relationships.

"I have voted, well, I basically voted for our Republican candidate in District 35, going back to Coach Hayson," Kruse said. "I have put, essentially, the man over the party in a lot of cases there."

When asked how he plans to appeal to Republican voters, Kruse said his local reputation provides an advantage.

"People in my local community that know me, I know that I'm overwhelmingly outnumbered by Republicans, but they also know my true character," Kruse said. "We go to church together. I coach the kids on the football and basketball teams."

For voters who don't know him personally, Kruse said he focuses on finding common ground.

"I think most people share 80 to 90 percent of their opinions in common," Kruse said. "It's really easy to find common ground, especially whenever I start with, I'm a 19-year educator. Education has been my life. The fact that, you know, we're 50th in the nation in education now. I think we need more teachers from the state capitol."

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Faith and Service

Kruse attends Hilltop Country Church in Morrison with his family and cited his Christian faith as central to his political philosophy.

"My faith is a huge part of the reason why I'm running," Kruse said. "I'm a Democrat. And that means that I would be in favor of a little bit bigger government that especially invests more in social services. I think that's what we're called to do. We're called to take care of the orphan and the widow."

He draws parallels between biblical teachings on giving and government investment in social programs.

"If we see a homeless person or a person in need on the side of the road, we give with an open hand and we give without requirements," Kruse said. "I want that to be our mindset about paying taxes and then investing in social services."

Kruse volunteers regularly in his community, including mowing the church lawn and coaching youth sports.

Campaign Approach

Kruse said his campaign is funded through individual donations and does not accept money from lobbyists or special interest groups.

"I'm not in a position to be taking contributions from lobbyists," Kruse said when asked about campaign financing. "And honestly, I don't even know that I want to."

He acknowledged the financial challenges of running in a competitive district, noting that walk cards alone cost 28 cents each to print, with about 9,000 registered Democrats and Independents in the district.

Oklahoma Roots

Kruse shared details of his upbringing in poverty at his campaign kickoff, describing being born in a Stillwater trailer park to a family that couldn't afford film for a camera.

"We were so poor whenever you were born that we could not afford the film that goes into a camera," Kruse recounted his mother telling him. "And so the first picture of me as a newborn was whenever my grandma actually showed up from Bessie, Oklahoma, and she had film in the camera to be able to take a picture of me in my granddad's office."

He credited social programs including food stamps, public education and affordable junior college with enabling his success.

"Because of social programs like food stamps, and because of public education, and because of affordable junior college, I'm able to be the man that is standing before you today," Kruse said.

Despite having opportunities to leave Oklahoma for higher-paying teaching positions, Kruse said his love for the state kept him in Oklahoma.

"I've had every opportunity to leave Oklahoma professionally. I mean, pick a direction. I could drive to any other state and make more as a teacher," Kruse said. "I've had every reason to leave Oklahoma, but I haven't. And the reason why is because I love Oklahoma."

What's at Stake

House District 35 covers portions of Pawnee, Noble, Payne, Osage and Creek counties. The district is described as Republican plus 17, meaning Republican candidates typically win by 17 percentage points.

Kruse said the district includes about 9,000 registered Democrats and Independents, and he plans to focus on those voters first before reaching out to persuadable Republicans.

"Even though I know it's going to be an uphill climb, having over 9,000 registered Democrats and Independents in this district means that it's definitely going to be good, especially in a special election," Kruse said.

He emphasized the importance of competition in the political process, citing his support for State Question 836, a proposed ballot initiative that would replace closed partisan primaries with a "top-two" open primary system. Under the proposal, all candidates would appear on a single primary ballot regardless of party affiliation, with all registered voters eligible to participate. The top two vote-getters would advance to the general election, even if both belong to the same party.

"Why are we scared to compete?" Kruse said. "Put all of our names out there and let's go see who the best two are. Competition brings out the best in us. And in theory, that should give us the best form of government because iron sharpens iron."

Kruse will face Republican Dillon Travis in the Feb. 10 general election. Travis, a sixth-generation Oklahoma farmer and rancher from Maramec, won the Republican nomination on Jan. 14 with 78.28 percent of the vote, defeating former Pawnee County Sheriff Mike Waters in a special election runoff.

The winner will serve the remainder of the unexpired term in House District 35. The seat became vacant after Rep. Ty Burns resigned in August 2025, two days after pleading guilty to misdemeanor domestic abuse and assault charges.

Voters can participate in the special election through three options: absentee ballots must be mailed by Feb. 3, early voting will be held Feb. 5-6 at county election boards from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Election Day voting will occur Feb. 10 at regular polling places from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.