I’ve known Markwayne Mullin for more than a decade.

I met him when he was first thinking about running for office, long before the national spotlight. What stood out then still defines him today. He’s real.

In a town where most elected officials hide behind staff and schedules, Markwayne is the most accessible leader I’ve ever met. You call him, he answers. No layers. No act. Just Markwayne.

That tells you a lot.

He’s a fighter. Not the kind who talks tough for the cameras, but the kind who shows up and stands firm when it matters.

He’s also loyal to a fault. I say that as someone who ran against him in 2022. Campaigns can ruin relationships, but not with him. He made it a point to keep our friendship intact, and he did. That’s character you can’t fake.

This is a man who has sat at my kitchen table and prayed with me. The same way he leads in public is how he lives in private. With faith, humility, and conviction.

Every Wednesday, no matter where he is, he does Bible study with his kids. Think about that. In a world where people chase power and forget what matters, Markwayne has never lost sight of his priorities.

He’s built a successful life through hard work and discipline. Nothing was handed to him.

That’s also why the people who look down on him don’t understand him.

You see it every time the liberal elite start talking. They mock his background. They question his education. They underestimate him.

What they don’t understand is that Markwayne Mullin represents something bigger than himself.

He represents the kind of Republican Party that Donald Trump built. A party rooted in the working class. A party of people who build businesses, fix equipment, raise families, and keep this country moving.

That’s who Markwayne is. And that’s who he fights for.

Right now, America needs that kind of leadership.

We’ve watched a border crisis spiral out of control. Millions have crossed illegally under the Biden administration, and many have been released into communities across this country. Americans are right to ask who is going to step up and fix it.

Markwayne Mullin will.

He’s not afraid to say what needs to be said. He’s not afraid to act. And he’s not distracted by the noise coming from people who ignored the problem for years.

Some critics call him rough around the edges. I call it real.

Leadership is not about having the perfect résumé. It’s about having the courage to act when it counts.

I’ve seen Markwayne in every setting. In public office, in private moments, as a competitor, and as a friend.

He’s humble. He’s never forgotten where he came from. He loves his wife and his kids deeply. He prays. He works. He fights.

And he shows up.

That’s the kind of leadership America needs more of, not less.

That’s why his confirmation is not just justified. It’s necessary.

Washington may not always understand him, but the American people do.

And that’s exactly why he’s the right man for this moment.

T.W. Shannon is the former Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.