One tight poll. One contentious debate. Daily back-and-forth on social media.
Oklahoma’s Republican gubernatorial primary is drawing no shortage of attention. It will all culminate next Tuesday, Aug. 25, when Republican voters decide whether to elect Gentner Drummond or Mike Mazzei as their nominee for governor.
Drummond, a rancher, banker and sitting attorney general from Osage County, hopes to tap into populist anger over large-scale industrial projects and rising insurance rates. His opposition to the Inola smelter project, which Mazzei supports, has become a hallmark of his campaign. He touts his experience as attorney general, going after organized crime organizations and drug manufacturers and insurance companies like State Farm, as evidence that he can deliver as governor.
Mazzei, a former state senator and financial planner from Tulsa, is leaning on his endorsement from President Donald Trump to win over conservative voters. He says his financial expertise, gained during his 12 years in the state Senate and decades running his business, Trinity Strategic Wealth, will allow him to cut income and property tax rates.
The race appears very close. CHS and Associates released a poll last week showing Drummond and Mazzei tied, at 44% each, among likely Republican runoff voters. Respondents identifying as Trump Republicans were more likely to support Mazzei, while traditional Republicans were most likely to back Drummond.
Geographic trends will be worth watching on election night. In 2018, when Gov. Kevin Stitt and former Oklahoma City mayor Mick Cornett faced off in a Republican runoff, Stitt secured victory by running up the vote in rural Oklahoma. Cornett, who got 46% of the vote, won in just nine counties.
That sort of disparity seems unlikely in this race, though the fight for rural votes remains pivotal. Drummond performed well in rural Oklahoma in the 2022 Republican runoff for attorney general. While he lives in Tulsa, Mazzei has secured support from several rural state lawmakers and U.S. Rep. Josh Brecheen, whose district covers a wide swath of eastern Oklahoma.
Note: In the weeks leading up to the Aug. 25 runoff election, Democracy Watch will focus on one of the five statewide races, four Republican and one Democratic, appearing on the ballot. Next week will cover the Republican runoff for state superintendent.
Republished from Oklahoma Watch
