Trump-Backed Mazzei Narrowly Wins Okla. GOP Gov. Runoff

Former Oklahoma State Sen. Mike Mazzei narrowly won the Republican gubernatorial runoff Tuesday, defeating state Attorney General Gentner Drummond in a razor-thin contest after President Donald Trump mounted a late push for his endorsed candidate.

Newsmax and Decision Desk HQ called the race for Mazzei nearly three hours after polls closed. With more than 95% of the vote counted, Mazzei had 50.3% to 49.7% for Drummond.

The difference was 1,985 votes out of more than 371,000 cast.

Mazzei will face Oklahoma House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson, the Democrat nominee, in November to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt.

The close finish was fitting for a race in which the candidates had been virtually inseparable for months.

 Drummond narrowly finished first in the nine-candidate June 16 Republican primary with 26.25% to 25.97% for Mazzei, a difference of about 1,100 votes among more than 403,000 cast. Neither received the majority required to avoid a runoff.

A Sooner Survey poll released Aug. 11 also found the candidates deadlocked at 44% each among 600 likely Republican runoff voters.

Trump endorsed Mazzei, a 61-year-old Tulsa businessman, in May and repeatedly reaffirmed his support. The president stepped up his involvement in the closing days, sharply attacking Drummond during a telephone rally Monday night.

"You can forget about this guy — everybody I know dislikes him," Trump said of Drummond. "Gentner Drummond does not stand for the values of Oklahoma, and he's a guy that would be, I think, a disaster."

Drummond, 62, a rancher, former Air Force pilot and the attorney general since 2023, maintained throughout the campaign that he supported Trump despite the president's opposition.

"I respect the president," Drummond said during the campaign. "He's a great leader."

The runoff capped an extraordinarily expensive Republican contest. More than $14 million was spent on advertising during the runoff, according to AdImpact, after about $40 million was spent ahead of the June primary.

Mazzei largely self-financed his campaign, while outside groups also poured millions into the contest.