U.S. Representative James Lankford has won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Oklahoma, according to the Associated Press. By winning over 50 percent of the vote, Lankford avoided an August runoff.

Lankford is currently the chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee, making him the fifth-ranking member of the GOP caucus. His chief rival for the nomination was T.W. Shannon, a former state House Speaker who was endorsed by Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Mike Lee (R-UT), as well as former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

This story will be updated.

Photo: House GOP via Flickr