Former state Sen. Mike Mazzei narrowly defeated Attorney General Gentner Drummond to win the Republican nomination in Oklahoma’s gubernatorial runoff on Tuesday night. The race was called with Mazzei ahead by approximately 2,000 votes in the state.
Mazzei was strongly backed by President Donald Trump in the race, earning his endorsement in the state’s primary over Drummond, who faced criticism over a number of anti-Trump statements and even donated to Joe Biden and the Lincoln Project in 2020. Drummond finished first in the the June primary, but continued statements of support from Trump including a tele-rally on Monday swayed the state’s voters to Mazzei’s campaign.
“Drummond is not the right guy. He’s got a bad attitude, and he doesn’t stand for the values of Oklahoma,” Trump said in the run-up to Tuesday’s runoff.
Mazzei campaigned on reducing property taxes and protecting the state’s land, adding that his state didn’t need more slogans or glossy promises – it needs leadership that understands how government actually works and has the discipline to make it work better.
Another issue that arose in the campaign was a proposed aluminum smelter that would bring thousands of jobs to the state and was strongly supported by Trump and Mazzei. The project would be the first U.S. aluminum smelter built in nearly 50 years, delivering on Trump’s plan to reindustrialize critical industries.
Trump celebrated Mazzei’s close win early Wednesday on Truth Social, saying he endorsed an “underdog” to a win.
Mazzei will face Democrat Cyndi Munson in the November general election.
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