Former federal prosecutor Nick Coffey, pictured Wednesday in Oklahoma City, entered the 2026 race for Oklahoma attorney general as a Democratic candidate. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice)
OKLAHOMA CITY — Drawing on his experience as a federal prosecutor, the first Democrat to enter the 2026 race for attorney general said he views the role as a nonpartisan leader that will “call out illegal and unethical behavior” where he sees it.
Nick Coffey, 34, spent seven years as an Oklahoma City-based assistant U.S. attorney prosecuting criminal organizations, drug conspiracies, illegal firearms, immigration cases, fraud and more.
Coffey, of Oklahoma City, said he thinks the election will come down to which candidate has the right experience, rather than the preferred party affiliation, to become the top law enforcement officer in the state. He said most Oklahomans want an attorney general who’s familiar with a courtroom and who’s worked closely with law enforcement.
“I think that I have a lot of faith that they’re going to say that, regardless of party, this is the guy that we can trust and will get the job done,” Coffey said in an interview with Oklahoma Voice.
He described the attorney general’s race as “a career prosecutor versus individuals that have been either in politics and never done a jury trial before or just have been a member of the political elite.”
Former House Majority Floor Leader Jon Echols and Oklahoma Energy and Environment Secretary Jeff Starling, both Republicans, are the only other candidates who have entered the race, so far.
Attorney General Gentner Drummond, also a Republican, is running for governor.
This is the first political campaign for Coffey, a fifth-generation Oklahoman and graduate of the University of Oklahoma College of Law.
He left the U.S. Attorney’s Office last month to launch his campaign and is now working as a trial attorney at the Crowe Dunlevy law firm. It’s his second stint in private practice after starting his career at the Oklahoma City firm McAfee & Taft.
If elected, he said he would prioritize public safety, consumer protection and positive partnerships with tribal nations. Coffey pledged to hold the political elite equally accountable to the law.
“I have no history in or experience in politics,” Coffey said. “I’m just a guy like millions of Oklahomans that went to work every day and tried to do the best that they could do. Now, my job entailed, as a federal prosecutor, holding people accountable. And that’s what I would do as attorney general. I want to bring a sense of independence to the office.”
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