Who's In the Race

Republican Mike Mazzei and Democratic state Rep. Cyndi Munson (D-OK) face off in Oklahoma's Nov. 3 gubernatorial election, competing for an open seat as Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt reaches the end of his second consecutive term. ​

Mazzei emerged from a closely contested Republican nomination process. In the June 16 primary, Attorney General Gentner Drummond led Mazzei by 1,141 votes out of 403,099 cast, with both candidates receiving approximately 26% in a nine-candidate field. Neither secured a majority, sending the contest to an Aug. 25 runoff. Mazzei won that runoff by 2,053 votes out of 371,415 cast, a margin of less than 1 percentage point. Munson won the Democratic primary outright.

Endorsements

Mazzei has drawn endorsements from President Donald Trump, Gov. Kevin Stitt (R-OK), Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-AR) and Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK). That backing spans the White House, the Oklahoma governor's office, a neighboring Republican governor and Oklahoma's senior senator, reflecting support from prominent Republican officials heading into November. Trump's endorsement was particularly significant during the Republican runoff, when he publicly criticized Drummond.

Race Outlook: Ratings and Polling

The three major race-rating outlets classify Oklahoma's governor's race as Likely Republican. The Cook Political Report moved the contest from Solid Republican to Likely Republican on Oct. 13, while Sabato's Crystal Ball and Inside Elections also rate it Likely Republican.

Legis1 lists 24 polls through Oct. 13 but does not provide an aggregated average. A Workbench Strategy poll conducted among 600 likely voters and released Oct. 13 found Mazzei leading Munson 49% to 45%, with a margin of error of 4 percentage points. The survey measures voter preferences, but readers should interpret its findings alongside the limited publicly available polling and the state's historical voting patterns.

Previous Elections

Oklahoma's recent electoral history provides context for the gubernatorial contest. Trump carried the state in the 2024 presidential election with 66.2% of the vote, compared with 31.9% for Democrat Kamala Harris, a margin of approximately 34 percentage points. Official election records show Trump received 1,036,213 votes to Harris' 499,599.

In the 2022 governor's race, Stitt won reelection with approximately 55.5% of the vote, defeating Democrat Joy Hofmeister by 157,580 votes, a margin of about 14 percentage points. That result was substantially closer than Oklahoma's 2024 presidential election.

Republicans have controlled the governorship since 2011, when Stitt's predecessor, Mary Fallin, took office. Democrat Brad Henry was the last Democrat elected governor and won reelection in 2006. The contrast between those results and the recent polling illustrates the differences between Oklahoma's presidential voting history and the dynamics of an individual gubernatorial contest.

---

AllCiv makes it easy to stay politically informed and involved.

---

Spot something wrong? Report an issue with this article