Former Oklahoma state Sen. Mike Mazzei is projected to win the Republican nomination for Oklahoma governor, giving President Donald Trump, who endorsed him, a win in one of his favorite states.
Mazzei defeated Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, who has faced criticism from Trump and Gov. Kevin Stitt, in a primary runoff Tuesday. He will face the Democratic nominee, Oklahoma state House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson, in November — but given the state’s red tilt, Mazzei is all but assured to win the governor’s mansion.
Mazzei entered the race in 2024 as an underdog compared to candidates such as Drummond, former state House Speaker Charles McCall and former Secretary of Public Safety Chip Keating. Compared to them, Mazzei had much less name recognition and a much smaller role in state politics.
However, after he spent millions of his own money and rose in the polls, he was endorsed by Trump just weeks before the initial June primary. This helped Mazzei advance to the runoff. That he’s won the nomination will give Trump a boost after a recent losing streak in gubernatorial primaries.
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Stitt also chose to endorse Mazzei in the runoff. The governor’s relationship with Drummond grew toxic over their time in state politics.
Drummond and Stitt have publicly taken stabs at each other, including in court on tribal sovereignty and private charter schools receiving taxpayer funding.
This wasn’t always the case. At one point in their careers, the two had a good working relationship — both were wealthy men from the Tulsa area who ran in similar circles.
The relationship soured after Stitt picked John O’Connor over Drummond to fill what was left of former Attorney General Mike Hunter’s term after he resigned in 2021. O’Connor lost to Drummond two years later.
The animosity led to Stitt and much of his political team working to ensure Drummond didn’t become governor. While Stitt waited until the runoff lineup was set to endorse in the race, many of his staffers worked for other candidates in the primary.
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