‘I have a very hard time with mandates’: Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma) on #COVID19 Posted: Tuesday, January 12, 2021 Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma) questions the effectiveness of coronavirus protocols during a telephone town hall on January 4, 2021. "I have a very hard time with mandates," Mullin, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, told constituents from Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district. According to Mullin, Oklahoma is doing better at slowing the spread of COVID-19 when compared to California, whose population is nearly 10 times as large. He said Oklahoma has managed to stay "open for business" while California has "shut down the state" with mask-wearing, stay-at-home orders and other directives.