merrickfiles.com / public records
RECEIPTS/The Merrick Files
Everything Jake Merrick hopes you don't bother to look up.
Somebody had to do it. Jake Merrick is running for governor on faith, family, and fiscal responsibility — while losing a house to foreclosure, expensing Halloween candy to his campaign, and calling Elon Musk a stud. The receipts are all public record. We just put them in one place.
Great Plains National Bank is suing Merrick for defaulting on a $259,404 construction loan.
Plus $3,786 in unpaid property taxes and two prior state tax warrants. He wants to run a $12 billion state budget.
See Section 8 →01
Background
Before he was running for governor, he was running for a lot of other things.
A 44-year-old serial campaigner with a long list of side businesses and a longer list of past job titles.
02
Fourth Campaign in Six Years
When at first you don't succeed, file again.
Lost congress. Won a state senate seat because two opponents got kicked off the ballot. Then lost his re-election. Now wants to be governor.
03
The "Conservative" Whose Positions Changed Right Before the Election
You'll never guess what Jake Merrick believed five minutes ago.
His 2026 campaign positions directly contradict his 2020 campaign positions on the issues conservative voters care about most.
04
Picked Stitt Over Trump
When Trump and Stitt fought, Jake Merrick made his choice.
When forced to pick a side between Donald Trump and Kevin Stitt, Merrick kept picking Stitt.
05
Anti-Woke Now, Pro-"Diversity of Ideas" Then
A two-paragraph blog post from 2020 says the quiet part out loud.
Defended the open promotion of progressive ideas in 2020. Now claims to oppose them.
06
COVID Conspiracy Theories on Campaign Letterhead
Things he wrote down and posted to his own campaign website.
Spread debunked conspiracy theories about COVID and the 2020 election from his own campaign blog.
07
Family Values
Runs on a "Family First Agenda." Posts that match.
Builds his campaign brand around Christian family values while publicly praising a man with 14 children by 4 different women.
08
Wants to Run a $12 Billion Budget. Can't Pay His Own Bills.
Court records do most of the work in this section.
Being sued for defaulting on his construction loan, owes back property taxes, and has a history of state tax warrants — all while asking voters to trust him with Oklahoma's checkbook.
09
Used His Senate Office to Help His Own Construction Business
A state investigation that conveniently lined up with his side hustle.
Joined a Senate request asking the state Attorney General to investigate rising building material prices — while operating two active construction companies.
10
Free Meals From Lobbyists
Self-styled "outsider." Lobbyist filings say otherwise.
Accepted free meals, gifts, and Top Golf outings from a long list of registered lobbyists during his Senate term.
11
Campaign Funds for Personal Expenses
The Oklahoma Ethics Commission filings are public. So are the receipts.
Reimbursed himself out of his campaign account for clothes, art, candy, and hundreds of dollars in cash withdrawals.
12
Built His Podcast Business With Senate Campaign Money
The Jake Merrick Show was paid for by people who thought they were funding a Senate race.
Used donor money from his 2021 Senate campaign to build the podcast he now uses to run for governor.
13
Spending Campaign Money He Doesn't Have
Same financial discipline at home and at work.
One of only two GOP gubernatorial candidates currently spending more than they've raised.
14
Killed the Biggest School Choice Bill in Oklahoma History
The vote that ended his Senate career.
Cast the deciding vote that killed Oklahoma's largest-ever school choice expansion — then lost his primary over it.
15
Voted Against Pro-Life Bills
Calls himself an "abolitionist." Vote record tells a different story.
Voted against multiple anti-abortion bills, including the strictest abortion ban in the nation at the time of passage.
16
A Pattern of Skipping the Important Votes
Hard to vote wrong if you don't vote at all.
Did Not Vote on multiple high-profile conservative bills — including bills protecting women's sports, school bathrooms, and Oklahoma energy.
17
Pledged No PAC Money. Already Took $19,000 Of It.
A pledge about the future, made by someone with a past.
Currently promises no PAC or lobbyist money in the governor's race — already accepted $19,000 in PAC donations across his Senate runs.
This site is a public-records project. Every claim is sourced. None of it is private, hacked, or leaked — Jake Merrick filed most of it himself. The rest is in court documents, lobbyist registries, and his own posts.