Former Oklahoma state Sen. Mike Mazzei emerged victorious Tuesday night in the Republican runoff for governor, defeating Attorney General Gentner Drummond and securing the GOP nomination for the state’s top elected office. Even though the official results haven’t been announced, as of Tuesday night, Mazzei raked in 186,678 (50.28%) votes and GentnerDrummondreceived 185,631 (49.72%).
Mazzei’s victory sets up a November general election showdown with Democratic nominee Cyndi Munson. The winner will succeed Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, who is barred by term limits from seeking another term.
Mazzei entered the runoff after narrowly trailing Drummond in the June Republican primary. Drummond received 26.25% of the vote compared with 25.97% for Mazzei in the nine-candidate GOP field.
The Tulsa-area Republican built his campaign around a conservative, business- oriented approach to state government and received the endorsement of President Donald Trump. Mazzei has described himself as a strong supporter of the Trump agenda and has pledged to move Oklahoma in a more conservative direction.
Mazzei served in the Oklahoma Senate from 2004 through 2016, representing Senate District 25. During his legislative career, he became chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and developed a reputation for focusing on state finances and budgeting.
He later served as Oklahoma SecretaryoftheBudget under Gov. Kevin Stitt from 2019 to 2020. Mazzei also built a career in financial planning and wealth management, which has been a central part of his argument that his financial experience would bring a different approach to the governor’s office.
Mazzei's campaign has emphasized lowering taxes, improving government efficiency and strengthening Oklahoma's economy. One of his major proposals is eliminating property taxes for Oklahoma seniors and veterans.
His campaign says the plan would be accomplished through conservative budgeting and economic growth without raising income taxes or shifting the burden to working families. He has also called for protecting Oklahoma land from foreign ownership, improving education through greater accountability and flexibility, creating more high-paying jobs and demanding greater transparency from state government.
Mazzei has campaigned on reducing or eliminating the state income tax as well, making tax relief one of the defining issues of his campaign.
On education, Mazzei has said Oklahoma needs a system focused on results, higher standards, accountability and giving families and teachers greater flexibility. His campaign has also made illegal marijuana operations and Oklahoma's medical marijuana system a major issue. Mazzei has argued that the state's marijuana industry has grown far beyond legitimate medical demandandhasconnectedillegal operations to organized crime and land-use concerns.
With the Republican nomination secured, Mazzei now turns his attention to the general election and a statewide campaign against Democrat Cyndi Munson. Republicans have controlled the Oklahoma governor's office for more than two decades, making the November election an important test of whether the GOP can maintain its hold on the state's executive branch.
For Mazzei, Tuesday night's victory represents the culmination of a campaign centered on conservative government, lower taxes, financial discipline and a strong alignment with Trump's political agenda. The new Republican nomineewillnowattempt to carry that message to voters across Oklahoma as he seeks to become the state's next governor.