Mike Mazzei, a Tulsa businessman and former state senator, won Oklahoma’s Republican primary runoff for governor on August 25, narrowly defeating Attorney General Gentner Drummond by about 2,000 votes—a margin of just 0.6 percent. Mazzei captured 50.27 percent of the vote to Drummond’s 49.73 percent, securing the GOP nomination for the state’s top office and setting up a general election showdown against Democrat Cyndi Munson in November.
The two Republicans had advanced to the runoff after neither secured 50 percent of the vote in the initial June 16 primary, when Drummond narrowly led with 26.25 percent to Mazzei’s 25.97 percent. The close results reflected a deeply divided Republican field: the June primary had nine candidates competing for the nomination to succeed term-limited Governor Kevin Stitt.
Mazzei, 61, served 12 years in the Oklahoma State Senate, where he chaired the Senate Finance Committee for a decade, and later served as Governor Stitt’s Secretary of Budget from 2019 to 2020. He founded Trinity Strategic Wealth, an investment management firm, in 1996. His campaign focused on fiscal discipline and property tax reform.
President Donald Trump endorsed Mazzei in May and actively campaigned for him in the runoff, attacking Drummond on social media. The endorsement proved significant: Trump-backed candidates have won 97 percent of their races in 2026 Republican primaries where he was not backing an incumbent, according to Ballotpedia. However, Trump’s support has faced mixed results in open gubernatorial primaries this year, with his endorsed candidates losing in 42 percent of such races where no incumbent was running.
The Oklahoma Republican Party State Committee had endorsed Mazzei on August 22, days before the runoff vote, citing his fiscal record and conservative values. Drummond, who served as Oklahoma’s Attorney General, had emphasized his law-and-order background and executive experience.
The runoff race was closely watched nationally as a test of Trump’s endorsement power heading into the general election season. Mazzei now faces off against Munson in the general election, which will determine who succeeds Stitt in a state that has voted solidly Republican in recent cycles. Other Oklahoma runoff races for state offices also concluded on August 25, including the Republican nominations for superintendent of public instruction, insurance commissioner, and labor commissioner.
Sources
- AP News — Mazzei’s narrow victory, Trump endorsement, and path to general election
- KOSU — Election results and runoff background
- KOCO — Final vote margin of 0.6 percent, approximately 2,000 votes
- NBC News — Mazzei’s 50.27 percent to Drummond’s 49.73 percent
- Ballotpedia — Mazzei’s Senate service, Trump endorsement record in 2026 primaries
- ABC News — Mazzei’s background as founder of Trinity Strategic Wealth, 12-year Senate tenure, May 2026 Trump endorsement
- The Hill — Trump’s endorsement and its significance in the race
