Mike Mazzei, a former Oklahoma state senator and financial planner, won a primary election runoff on Tuesday evening with the backing of President Donald Trump to secure the GOP nomination for governor in Oklahoma.
Having beaten out Gentner Drummond, the current Oklahoma attorney general, Mazzei is now the heavy favorite to become the Sooner State’s next governor. His win is also a political victory for outgoing Gov. Kevin Stitt, who has opposed Drummond for years.
Stitt and Drummond have sparred over lawsuits, pointed letters and public criticisms. At one point, Stitt even described Drummond as a “longtime political enemy” in a quote to local outlets.
TRUMP-BACKED CANDIDATE SPARKS RUNOFF AGAINST POPULAR PROSECUTOR IN KEY GUBERNATORIAL RACE
The feud between them centers on Drummond’s attacks of Oklahoma poultry companies for what he sees as decades of phosphorus pollution in water supplies. Stitt has rebuffed those characterizations, calling them an overreach of Drummond’s role as attorney general and warning that litigation against the companies could threaten jobs and the agricultural industry of the state.
Stitt endorsed Mazzei, stating that “we want a pro-business governor in there to take the lead for the next four years.”
Stitt is prevented by term limits from running again. His exit prompted a crowded field of hopefuls to replace him, but after an initial primary on June 2, no candidate secured the 50% support needed to lock up the nomination outright.
Only Drummond and Mazzei advanced to a runoff.
Like Stitt, President Donald Trump also endorsed Mazzei, calling him a “MAGA warrior.”
“As a successful Businessman, and former Chairman of the State Senate Finance Committee, and later, as Oklahoma’s Secretary of Budget, Mike knows the AMERICA FIRST Policies required to Grow our Economy, Create GREAT Jobs, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., and Unleash American Energy DOMINANCE,” Trump wrote in a May post to Truth Social.
TRUMP-BACKED FIREBRAND WINS ARIZONA GOP GOVERNOR PRIMARY, SETTING UP HIGH-STAKES SHOWDOWN
Mazzei based his campaign on promises to cut taxes, among other state-government reforms.
“I have a detailed plan to eliminate Oklahoma’s income tax in six years. I have a plan to eliminate property taxes for seniors and veterans,” Mazzei said in a campaign video posted to Instagram.
In addition to tax reforms, Mazzei highlighted preventing foreign nationals from buying up state land, bolstering the Oklahoma education system and government spending accountability.
In turn, Mazzei tried to paint Drummond as a fake Republican with a penchant for expanding government.
“His solution to every problem is to raise taxes and grow government,” Mazzei said.
“He doesn’t understand money and finance. Crunching numbers is a skill you pick up when you earn your wealth rather than inherit it.”
In his own campaign, Drummond, a multigenerational rancher and former fighter pilot, highlighted his record as attorney general. On his website, he touted having confronted Chinese criminal operations growing illegal marijuana farms, shutting down thousands of their illegal grow operations and enforcing immigration law.
“As a tough-on-crime attorney general and decorated fighter pilot, I have proven I will always fight for our freedom and defend our values,” Drummond said in a campaign video.
“I’ll keep standing strong with President Trump to secure the border, deport illegals and stop the flow of drugs and crime,” Drummond said.
The Club for Growth, a pro-small-government group that advocates for lower taxes and free-market principles and contributed $9 million in support of Mazzei, praised his win.
“Mike Mazzei is a principled conservative who will advocate for lower taxes, fewer regulations, and for Oklahoma parents to have a voice in their children’s education,” Club for Growth PAC President David McIntosh said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“Meanwhile, Gentner Drummond has spent his career putting radical education bureaucrats ahead of families by opposing school freedom. The message is clear, if you oppose school freedom and call yourself a Republican, expect to lose your next primary.”
Having cleared the primary, Mazzei will face off against Democratic nominee Cyndi Munson, House minority leader in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The general election is set for Nov. 3.