We will only publish the governor and lieutenant governor’s races this week due to space constraints. The other races will be published in subsequent weeks.
The candidate filing period for offices for the 2026 Oklahoma elections will be April 1-3, and numerous candidates have already announced for the various offices. In non-presidential election years, a host of state offices are up for election. The list includes the offices of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, State Auditor and Inspector, Attorney General, State Treasurer, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Labor Commissioner, Insurance Commissioner, and one of the seats on the Corporation Commission. The Republican candidates won all of these statewide races in 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022. The Primary Elections will be held on June 16, 2026, and the Runoff Primary Elections on August 25, 2026. The General Election will be on November 3, 2026.
GOVERNOR
Republican Governor Kevin Stitt is serving his second and final four-year term. Due to Oklahoma term-limits, Stitt cannot run for another term in 2026. Seven Republicans and one Democrat have filed with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission for the governor’s race.
Leisa Mitchell Haynes, 60, was the first Republican candidate out of the gate, announcing her campaign last year. She has a background in media and positions in city and state government. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Communication from East Central University and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Central Oklahoma. She has worked as a city manager in Mangum, Tuttle and also a city in New Mexico. She later worked as a Main Street Manager in Purcell and Shawnee. She continued work in the Main Street program at the Oklahoma Department of Commerce and served as assistant director at the agency from 1989 to 2001. She has also had experience in small business as owner of Gas-n-Snak in Choctaw. She has been a candidate for office before, running unsuccessfully for Oklahoma County Clerk and Harrah mayor.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond announced on January 13 that he will be a Republican candidate for governor. Drummond, 60, served as an Air Force pilot during the Gulf War, and is an attorney, rancher, and businessman. He is the principal owner of Blue Sky Bank. He was elected Oklahoma Attorney General in 2022 after losing the GOP nomination in 2018 to former Attorney General Mike Hunter. Before running for AG, he had not previously been active in the Republican Party and had contributed to Democrat candidates who ran against Sen. Jim Inhofe, Sen. Tom Coburn, and Rep. Jim Bridenstine. He also contributed to Joe Biden in August of 2020. Drummond’s campaign has a head start in funding with funds rolled over from his Attorney General campaign account.
On February 18, former Speaker of the Oklahoma House, Charles McCall of Atoka, announced he would be a candidate for the GOP nomination. McCall, 55, was elected to represent District 22 in the House of Representatives in 2012 and served as Oklahoma’s 48th Speaker of the House from 2017-2024, the longest tenured Speaker in Oklahoma history. He was term-limited in 2024 and could not run again. After earning a degree in finance and economics from the University of Oklahoma, McCall built his career as president and CEO of AmeriState Bank, expanding it to serve broader regions of Oklahoma and Texas. McCall’s political career began locally as a city councilman and later as mayor of Atoka. During his legislative career he was consistently one of the more politically moderate Republicans, earning a 63% cumulative average on the Oklahoma Conservative Index.
Former State Senator Mike Mazzei, 60, announced April 3 his run for the Republican nomination for Oklahoma governor in 2026. Mazzei is the Founder and CEO of Trinity Strategic Wealth, a financial management firm. He was elected to the Oklahoma State Senate in 2004 and served Senate District 25 for 12 years and could not run for reelection in 2016 due to term-limits. He chaired the Senate Finance Committee for a decade and pushed for tax cuts, pension reform, and ending ineffective tax credits. He was one of the more politically moderate Republicans in the Oklahoma Legislature, earning just a 64% cumulative average on the Oklahoma Conservative Index. After leaving the Senate, Mazzei joined Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt as his Secretary of Budget from 2019 to 2020.
Former State Senator Jake Merrick, 43, of Tuttle was next to join the race. He won a special election to fill the remainder of the vacant Senate District 22 seat in central Oklahoma following the resignation of Senator Stephanie Bice after she won the Fifth District Congressional seat in 2020. He served from 2021 to 2022, but was defeated for reelection to a full term in 2022. Merrick is a seminary graduate, college professor, business owner, and former pastor. He has been adjunct professor of Biblical Studies and Philosophy at Southwestern Christian University. Until leaving for the campaign, he was the radio host of the popular Jake Merrick Show on Freedom 96.9-FM talk radio. He also does the Jake for the State Podcast. During his time in the Senate he earned a 76% cumulative average on the Oklahoma Conservative Index. His announced intention that he will limit accepting campaign contributions might also limit the success of his campaign.
Chip Keating, a businessman and longtime public servant, announced October 1 that he is entering the race. Keating, 45, is the youngest son of former Republican Gov. Frank Keating who served two-terms (1995-2003). He is a former Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper, he was appointed Secretary of Public Safety by Gov. Stitt at the start of his administration, and has spent more than two decades in the private sector working in Oklahoma’s oil and gas industry.
The remaining Republican to announce for the race is Kenneth Leroy Sturgell, 62, of Goldsby. He is an HVAC/Mechanical Contractor.
State Representative Cyndi Munson, the Minority Leader of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, announced on April 15 that she will seek the Democratic nomination for governor in 2026. She is the first, and so far the only, Democrat to declare for the 2026 Oklahoma Governor’s race. Munson, 39, was first elected in a 2015 special election. She was elected to a full term in 2016 and reelected in 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024. She will be term-limited in 2028. She has mostly worked in the non-profit sector including a long stint at the Girl Scouts of Western Oklahoma. During her time in the Oklahoma Legislature she has compiled a strong liberal record, earning only an 11% cumulative average on the Oklahoma Conservative Index, and scored zero in the 2025 ratings.
For those who want to know more about the candidates for governor, Randall University in Moore will be hosting a forum on February 19 of next year, for the candidates. Munson declined an invitation to participate. Randall University is located at 3701 South I-35 in Moore. For more information, call 405-919-9028.
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell was elected to the office in 2018 and is completing his second and final term, due to term-limits. Five Republicans and two Democrats have campaign organizations registered with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission.
State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd was the first candidate to register for a campaign for lieutenant governor in 2026. Byrd, 53, is a CPA and has spent over two decades in state government. Before her election to the post, she served as Deputy Auditor and Inspector. Byrd was elected Auditor and Inspector in 2018 and reelected in 2022. Due to term-limits, she could not run for reelection in 2026.
State Sen. Darrell Weaver (R-Moore) announced in April that he will run for lieutenant governor. Weaver was elected to the Oklahoma Senate in 2018, and reelected in 2022. He served for over 28 years in law enforcement, including the last nine years as director of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Cameron University and a master’s in business administration from Oklahoma Christian University. He has a 71% cumulative average on the Oklahoma Conservative Index.
State Representative Justin Humphrey (R-Lane) joined the race for lieutenant governor in July. He was elected to the Oklahoma House in 2016. Humphrey has a background in law enforcement, experience as a drug court administrator, and ranching. He worked for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections for twenty years before retiring. A southeastern Oklahoma native and Atoka High School graduate, he earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with a minor in business administration from East Central University. He has a 63% cumulative average on the Oklahoma Conservative Index.
Victor Flores of Edmond was the next to announce for the Republican nomination. He has previously worked as an administrator for the Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma and is currently a managing principal for REDW, an accounting firm serving tribes and tribal enterprises. He is the founder and President of the Oklahoma Tribal Finance Consortium.
State Rep. Brian Hill (R-Mustang) was the most recent candidate to announce for the Republican nomination. He has served in the Oklahoma House since 2018 and is chairman of the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee. Before serving in the Legislature, Hill spent two decades running 14 businesses. He has a 70% cumulative average on the Oklahoma Conservative Index.
Kelly Forbes of Oklahoma City became the first Democrat to announce for the race. A fluent Spanish speaker, Kelly has served as a classroom teacher, in school administration, as a federal programs director, director of dual language education, and an adjunct professor. He is the owner of Kelly B’s Consulting, where he helps schools and communities navigate the education and government bureaucracy.
Candice Jay of Oklahoma City has also entered the race for the Democrat nomination. The Navy veteran and single mom is a self-described “advocate” and has been involved in protests against Ryan Walters for several years and active in other liberal political causes.