The Aporia
Marquez, A. (2026, August 26). Trump-backed Mike Mazzei wins the GOP nomination in the Oklahoma governor’s race. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/mike-mazzei-winner-oklahoma-republican-governor-primary-trump-rcna593583
Marquez, Alexandra. “Trump-backed Mike Mazzei wins the GOP nomination in the Oklahoma governor’s race.” NBC News, 26 Aug. 2026, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/mike-mazzei-winner-oklahoma-republican-governor-primary-trump-rcna593583.
Marquez, Alexandra. “Trump-backed Mike Mazzei wins the GOP nomination in the Oklahoma governor’s race.” NBC News, August 26, 2026. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/mike-mazzei-winner-oklahoma-republican-governor-primary-trump-rcna593583.
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Mike Mazzei, the candidate backed by President Donald Trump, has won the Republican nomination for governor in Oklahoma. He narrowly defeated Gentner Drummond, the state Attorney General, by about 2,000 votes in the GOP primary runoff. This victory comes after a tight initial June primary where Drummond finished first by just over 1,000 votes over Mazzei, and no candidate secured a majority to win outright. In the weeks leading up to the runoff, Drummond outraised and outspent Mazzei, bringing in $2.3 million compared to Mazzei's $816,000. Both candidates loaned their campaigns significant sums: $11 million for Mazzei and $3 million for Drummond. Trump first endorsed Mazzei in May, and continued to support him throughout the campaign, even criticizing Drummond on his social media platform Truth Social. This nomination is a step closer to Mazzei's goal of succeeding term-limited GOP Gov. Kevin Stitt.