Businessman Mike Mazzei wins the GOP nomination for Oklahoma governor with Trump’s endorsement

Tulsa businessman Mike Mazzei narrowly won the Republican nomination for Oklahoma governor on Tuesday after getting a boost from President Donald Trump’s social media attacks on Mazzei’s rival, state Attorney General Gentner Drummond.

Ahead of Tuesday’s GOP primary runoff in the deeply conservative state, Trump not only reaffirmed his May endorsement of Mazzei but also called Drummond a “FAKE Republican” in a lengthy post on his Truth Social platform. Mazzei and Drummond finished on top of a nine-person field in the first round of primary voting June 16, both with only about 26% of the vote.

The 10-week runoff campaign spawned more than $14 million in television and digital advertising, most of it from independent groups, and much of it negative, according to the ad-track service AdImpact. That’s on top of the nearly $40 million spent in the governor’s race ahead of the runoff.

Mazzei quickly thanked Trump for “helping us across the finish line,” noting that 38,000 people participated in a Monday evening “telerally” call featuring brief remarks from the president. In speaking to supporters in Tulsa, Mazzei touched on the Christian faith that he said sustained him after a serious automobile accident in 2008 and promised that the Bible would be one of his filters for making decisions.

“If you had told me 10 years ago that today I would be standing in front of you as the Republican nominee for governor, I would have never believed you,” he said. “My story is certainly a testimony that with God, all things are truly possible.”

Mazzei is now favored to replace term-limited GOP Gov. Kevin Stitt — another Trump target — following his November general election race against Democratic nominee and Oklahoma House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson. A Democrat hasn’t won the governor’s race since 2006.

The GOP nominee is the 61-year-old founder of an investment management firm and served 12 years in the state Senate. Drummond, 62 is a rancher, attorney and former Air Force jet pilot who was elected attorney general in 2022.

Mazzei praised Drummond as “a fierce competitor” and thanked him for his military and political service. However, Drummond told his supporters that while he conceded the race, “We do not surrender our convictions.”

He told Mazzei that “now you have to show up” for a wide variety of groups, including working families, farmers, teachers, firefighters and law enforcement.

“The governor doesn’t work for the people who can write the largest campaign checks or hire the most expensive lobbyists. The governor works for the people of Oklahoma — all of them,” Drummond said. “And, Mike, the people of this state should hold you to that standard.”

Trump criticized Drummond for saying in a 2024 congressional hearing in response to a Democrat’s questions that he had no opinion on Trump’s 2021 impeachment after the Jan. 6 insurrection and attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters.

“You can forget about this guy — everybody I know dislikes him,” Trump said during a Monday evening call for Oklahoma Republicans. “Gentner Drummond does not stand for the values of Oklahoma, and he’s a guy that would be, I think, a disaster.”

Drummond has suggested that Mazzei received Trump’s endorsement for hiring a consulting firm operated by longtime Trump friend and adviser Roger Stone, with Mazzei’s campaign and paying it $67,500, according to campaign finance records.

But Drummond made a point of also praising Trump, who carried Oklahoma with more than 65% of the vote in each of his three races for president without losing a single county each time.

“I respect the president,” Drummond said in an interview with Oklahoma City’s KOCO-TV last month. “He’s a great leader.”

While Drummond raised about $4.8 million more in cash contributions, Mazzei has funded his campaign largely through personal loans of at least $11.9 million. Drummond loaned his campaign at least $3.5 million.

Both Trump and Drummond have criticized Stitt, who endorsed Mazzei. The departing governor drew Trump’s ire earlier this year while leading the National Governors Association in a dispute over invitations to White House events, with Trump attacking Stitt as a “RINO,” or “Republican in Name Only.” Drummond has said that Stitt’s eight years as governor have been marked by “mediocrity and flipping.”

John Hanna, The Associated Press