There were no upsets or turning of the red tides in Oklahoma. Former Tulsa state lawmaker Mike Mazzei will be Oklahoma’s next governor after a resounding win against Democratic lawmaker Cyndi Munson and three independent candidates Nov. 3.
“It’s a tough night for Republicans across the country, but thank the Lord for Oklahoma,” Mazzei said at his Tuesday night watch party inside Tulsa’s Arvest Convention Center.
Mazzei focused his platform on lowering taxes and loaned himself more than $11 million to his campaign. Munson was focused on education and workforce development, drawing from a campaign budget of less than $2 million.
Munson is the first Democratic candidate to receive more than 43% of the vote since Brad Henry was re-elected for governor in 2006 by a 66% margin. Mazzei garnered nearly 52% of Oklahoma votes compared to Munson’s 46%, with about 98% of precincts reporting.
President Trump endorsed Mazzei after he backed the proposed aluminum smelter in Inola. That proved effective as Mazzei narrowly won the runoff race against Attorney General Gentner Drummond, pulling in 50.28% of the votes — a margin of about 2,000.
Mazzei reiterated his goal to hire a statewide literacy director and eliminate income tax ahead of his first day at the governor’s mansion. He campaigned on creating a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and stopping foreign ownership of Oklahoma land. Emirates Global Aluminium is behind the Inola smelter. Read more about his stances here.
After his one-year stint serving in the Agriculture Department during the Trump administration, former Republican lawmaker T.W. Shannon returned to Oklahoma’s ballot eyeing lieutenant governor. He left Tuesday night Mazzei’s right-hand man in a decisive win against doctorate-level educator Kelly Forbes, the Democratic candidate.
Shannon campaigned on an Oklahoma First platform with promises to shrink the government and grow the economy. He is a former Oklahoma House Speaker and ran for a U.S. Senate seat in 2014 and 2022.
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