State offices in Oklahoma are determined in the non-presidential election years. The June 16 primary left five races going to a runoff in the August 25 election – four Republican and one Democrat runoffs.
In the race for governor current Gov. Kevin Stitt is term limited. and cannot run. Nine Republicans, three Democrats and three Independents filed for the race and in the June 16 primary election the Democrats determined their candidate to be State Rep. Cyndi Munson, while the Republican primary will go into a runoff on August 25 between current Attorney General Gentner Drummond and former State Senator Mike Mazzei. There will be no primary or runoff for the Independents as there is no recognized Independent party – all three Independents will be on the ballot in the general election in November.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond 62, of Hominy announced his candidacy in January of 2025. He garnered 26.25 percent of the vote in the June 16 Republican primary against a field of eight other candidates.
Drummond and Gov. Stitt have been at odds throughout his three and a half year tenure as Attorney General. Drummond, 62, of Hominy, is an attorney, rancher and principal owner of Blue Sky Bank. He ran unsuccessfully for Attorney General in 2018 against Mike Hunter in the primary election , but won the primary and general elections in 2022.
Although not active in the Republican Party before 2018, he had contributed to several Democrat campaigns that ran against Sen. Jim Inhofe, Rep. Jim Bridenstine and Sen. Tom Coburn.
According to the blog, MuskogeePolitico.com, Jamison Faught says, “In that time (1999 to March of 2022), Drummond has given $109,002.23 to at least 85 different campaigns:
- 19 Democrats, $13,250 (12.16% of his donations)
- 66 Republicans, $95,752.23 (87.84% of his donations)
Some specific highlights:
- Drummond gave $3,000 to Kirk Humphreys in the 2004 U.S. Senate GOP primary. After Humphreys got crushed by Tom Coburn (by far the most fun campaign I’ve ever helped on), Drummond turned around and gave Democratic nominee Brad Carson $1,000.
- He gave Democratic Congressman Dan Boren $2,500 from 2004 to 2010.
- He gave $1,500 to Democratic Lt. Governor candidate Pete Regan in 2005-2006.
- He also gave $500 to Democrat Drew Edmondson’s 2010 gubernatorial campaign.
- In 2012, Drummond gave $1,450 to Democratic nominee John Olson in the 1st Congressional District race that Republican Jim Bridenstine ultimately won. That same year, Drummond donated $500 to Tulsa County Commissioner Karen Keith (D).
- In 2013, Drummond gave $1,000 each to Tulsa mayoral candidate Kathy Taylor (D), who ended up losing to Dewey Bartlett, Jr. (R), and to the Democratic senatorial nominee against Jim Inhofe, Matt Silverstein.
- Drummond’s single-largest donation total (other than his own campaigns) was to State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister when she was still a Republican. Drummond gave her a total of $7,951 between 2013 and 2018.
- Other than the infamous Biden donation, Drummond’s most recent Democratic donation was in 2018, $250 to State House candidate Andy Richardson.
The bulk of Drummond’s donations to Democrats ocurred between 2004 and 2013.
Starting around 2015 or so, Drummond began donating more regularly and in larger amounts to Republican candidates.”
Mike Mazzei, 60, of Tulsa is a former Oklahoma State Senator from Tulsa. He earned a very close second in the June 16 primary with 25.97 percent of the vote verus the 26.25 percent for Drummond.
Mazzei served in the Senate for 12 yeas from 2004 to 2016. He later served as Gov. Stitt’s Secretary of the Budget for two years. He has business experience as the founder and CEO of Trinity Strategic Wealth. He claims that because of his legislative experience, business leader, budget expertise, and Oklahoma values he is uniquely qualified to become governor.
Mazzei’s main issues are eliminating the property tax for seniors and veterans, education that works, government accountability, protecting Oklahoma land from foreign interests, and right to life.
Mazzei’s endorsements include Pres. Trump, Gov. Kevin Stitt, U.S. Rep. Josh Brecheen, and Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters resigned last year and Gov. Stitt appointed Lindel Fields to finish out Walters’ term.
There were nine candidates in all for an open seat as Fields is not running. Seven Republicans filed as well as two Democrats. The Democrats will be represented in the General Election in November by Jennettie Marshall of Tulsa who won 58 percent of the vote in the Democrat primary. She will face the winner of the Republican runoff election between Robert Franklin and Dr. James Taylor.
Franklin, 66 of Sand Springs has been a special education teacher, assistant principal, high school principal, assistant superintendent, Associate Superintendent at Tulsa Tech, and now teaches future school leaders at OU-Tulsa. He won 22.6 percent in the five candidate Republican primary on June 16.
He says he is running because Oklahoma schools are falling behind. Franklin’s priorities are to take learning back to basics with discipline in the classroom, parental involvement, school transparency, not culture war distractions, demand results, stay focused on students, support teachers but expect results, and give higher education alternatives – CareerTech, college, apprenticeships, etc.
Dr. Taylor, of Oklahoma City, has served as a classroom teacher, senior pastor, author, and community leader. He won 19.7 percent of the primary vote on June 16th.
His campaign is focused on better academic outcomes, stronger support for teachers, and partnership with parents. He is an author of the book “It’s Biblical, Not Political” which guides voters on how to judge candidates. He resisted the OKC Public School mask mandate during the pandemic and lost his job. He also has a DVD “Critical Race Theory vs. The Bible.” His campaign is focused on better academic outcomes, stronger support for teachers, and partnership with parents.
The Labor Commissioner race has no incumbent as Leslie Osborn is term limited. There were four Republicans in the primary, the winner of the runoff election will face the lone Democrat candidate Kevin Dawson and a Libertarian candidate, Mike Hall, in the November election. The two Republicans in the runoff election are State Rep. Kevin West and State Rep. John Pfeiffer.
West, 58, of Moore has been in the State House since 2016. He has worked in the commercial cabinet industry and also owned and operated a cabinet shop. He is a conservative Republican with a cumulative 81 percent on the Oklahoma Constitution’s Index. His website quotes him as saying “Owning and working with local businesses my entire career has given me a passion for building success – I’ve literally worked hard building this state, and with your vote of confidence, I’m ready to work hard for you as your Labor Commissioner.” His priorities are listed as protecting the worker, empowering small businesses, and preparing Oklahoma for the future.
Pfeiffer, 40, of Mulhall has been in the State House since 2014. He will be term limited and this is his last term in the house. He is a veteran, and a rancher and has a degree in animal science from OSU. His priorities if elected are reducing bureaucratic red tape, growing and strengthening Oklahoma’s workforce, standing up against unnecessary and overburdensome federal interference and modernizing licensing processes. By the standards of the Oklahoma Constitution newspaper’s Conservative Index he is a very moderate Republican with an cumulative index of only 56 percent.
The Insurance Commissioner race is another open field as the current Commissioner Glen Mulready is term limited. Five candidates filed for this positions – four Republicans and one Democrat. The winner of the Republican runoff will face the Democrat, Craig MacIntyre, 60, of Shawnee in November. The two candidates who got the highest number of votes in the June 16 will go to a runoff on August 25th.
Bob Sullivan, 40, of Inola is a certified Insurance Counselor (CIC), a Certified Risk Manager (CRM), a Chartered Property & Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), an Associate in Fidelity & Surety Bonding and a Certified Environmental Specialist who has worked in the Insurance industry since 2006. He earned a B.S. in Finance from OSU. He garnered 37 percent of the votes in the primary
Sullivan believes that “Oklahoma families are paying the highest insurance rates in America while insiders and bureaucrats look the other way and… is running to change that — to fight for families, small businesses, and the homeowners who make this state strong.” On his website he states that he wants to cut costs and lower rates, hold big insurance accountable, restore competition and choice and protect homeowners and small businesses.
Marty Quinn, 66, of Oklahoma City who was a previous State Representative and Senator for the Claremore area. He was term-limited in 2022 and then ran unsuccessfully in the Republican primary for Second District and lost to Josh Brecheen. While in the State Senate he was Chairman of the Senate Insurance Committee.
He has over 40 years in the Insurance business where he worked as an agent and manager. His priorities would be to improve affordability through increased competition and reduction in risk & costs, improve consumer protection thru awareness, education and transparency and to hold Insurance companies accountable to their promises.
The lone Democrat runoff that will be state wide is for U.S. Senator replacing the open seat of Markwayne Mulling. The Republicans selected current U.S. House Rep. Kevin Hern, who won over four other Republicans with 69.76 percent of the primary vote to become the Republican candidate in November against the winner of the Democrat runoff and Libertarian Sevier White of Norman, and two Independent candidates Curtis Stinnett of Tulsa and Ron Meinhardt of Nowata.
The two Democrats that won out over the field of five candidates to reach the runoff were N’Kiyla Jasmine Thomas who earned 45 percent of the primary vote and Jim Priest who won 23 percent.
Thomas, 31, of Ardmore, OK, is a registered nurse and liberal activist. She says if she were to be elected she would be the first Black, Native American woman to hold the seat. Her priorities in office would be:
- Better education—with real reforms, increased teacher pay, and more classroom funding.
- Accessible healthcare
- Fair wages and opportunities
- Veterans and military families deserve respect and real support—not empty promises.
- LGBTQIA+ community deserves protection—because hate has no home here.
- Immigrants deserve fair policies—because they are part of our communities, workforce, and economy.
- Farmers and ranchers deserve real leadership-
Priest, 71, was a trial lawyer, a minister and a nonprofit leader. His previous foray into politics was against Scott Pruitt for the position of Oklahoma Attorney General (Pruitt won) in 2010. He won 23 percent of the vote in the primary. Former Democrat primary candidates Troy Green, Ervin Yen, and Joe Cassity have endorsed Priest over Thomas.
His main emphasis will be on keeping housing, groceries and childcare affordable., Inspiring solidarity, giving people more access to resources ( healthcare, mental health, public schools, etc.) and recovering our international reputation, protecting natural resources.