Who Is Paul Bondar? Why Is He Running For Congress?

Oklahoma's primary election is less than a month away. But an unfamiliar name, Paul Bondar, is seeking the attention of Oklahoma's voters in an aggressive ad spending campaign.

Bondar hopes to unseat incumbent Rep. Tom Cole, who has held the office for almost 22 years. Three other names will be listed on the ballot, but none have the same resources as Cole or Bondar.

Cole's campaign and supporters have countered Bondar's ads with their own, calling into question his background and residency.

"I think it's unusual for somebody to come into a district and run when they've never voted in that state before," Cole said in an interview with News 9, referring to Bondar. "They don't know the district."

Bondar has a home in a Dallas suburb. According to public records, he most recently cast a ballot during the early voting period for the Texas March 5 Republican primary election.

"The fact that we're talking about this issue instead of real issues is nothing more than a distraction," Bondar said in reference to his Texas voting history. "Because I have a clean bill of health, I have a perfectly good record."

Later in March, Bondar filed his statement of candidacy to become Oklahoma's next Representative for House District 4.

Does Paul Bondar Live in Oklahoma?

There are four known properties in Oklahoma with ties to Bondar.

In Atoka and Johnston Counties, county land records certify that a LLC belonging to Bondar owns more than 500 acres of land in Oklahoma.

However, his voter registration lists an address in Stonewall as his current residence. His campaign says he is currently renting that home.

But his campaign filing with the state lists a different home in Norman.

"The Norman address was going to be utilized as an office for me because, as you know, Cleveland County and Norman and this area is extremely important," Bondar said. "So, I was given the opportunity to not have to spend thousands of dollars initially to put up an office."

Despite owning property and renting a home in Oklahoma, he admittedly is still spending time in Texas.

"Why? Because I go home and see my kids once in a while, and I don't want to bring my kids into the election because I've had threats of violence against my family, because I'm getting strange calls, because my wife is being followed, and I don't want to bring my family into the election," he said.

When pressed if it would be realistic to assume it will ever be safe for his family to move to Oklahoma, Bondar felt certain.

"Yes. When we win the election," he said. "When this whole thing dies down, it will be. And that's exactly what it's going to be. We just have to get through the next 20 some days."

How did he make his money?

Bondar began an insurance company in 2008, which he later sold in 2021. He told News 9 at the time of the sale it was bringing in more than $100 million annually in revenue.

Before working in insurance, he was a city manager in Marquette Michigan for a year in the early 2000s. He has never held any elected office before.

"I wrote the rental code enforcement policy, which was an ordinance, and got into some different things and worked with some teams," he said about his experience in municipal government. "But, what I really learned quickly in government was I was a go getter."

What are his policy initiatives? 

On his campaign website, Bondar lists 6 issues: spending, immigration, Ukraine, FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act), Chinese land acquisition, and the Biden impeachment.

Cole lists 8 issues: the economy, debt and spending, border security, second amendment rights, abortion, national security, energy policy, and veterans.

On the subject of Oklahoma's recently passed House Bill 4156, Bondar said he strongly supports it. It's been opposed heavily by members of the Hispanic community, and workforce leaders. 

"I think that our federal government has turned their back on responsible immigration policy," he said.

When asked which workers are needed in Oklahoma, Bondar said there's too much of a bias against people working in trades. He cited plumbers, carpenters, mechanics and agriculturalists.

"Would you support an extension of the H-2A visa program to continue bringing foreign workers in to work on America's farmlands?" News 9 asked Bondar.

He responded, saying no. 

"At times, because we've had such an influx of so many people that have immigrated here to this country, I think we need to close it down for a while and be selective," he further explained.

What comes next?

Bondar is "not going away." While his campaign prefers to take down Cole, he promised "regardless of us winning this time or not, I'm not going away."

At the same time, Cole is trusting the same voters he has relied one for more than two decades.

"We'll make our case to the voters, he'll make his," Cole said. "And on June 18th, we'll see how it turns out."