Who Is Running for Oklahoma Governor 2026? The Five Candidates on the November Ballot

By Dr. AtlasPublished Sep 17, 2026

Five candidates are running for governor of Oklahoma in the general election on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. As of September 17, 2026, the State Election Board’s list of November elections names Republican Mike Mazzei, Democrat Cyndi Munson and three independents: Orlando Lynn Bush, Robert E Brooks Sr and Jerry Griffin. ^[1][18]

The office is open. Gov. Kevin Stitt was first elected in 2018 and is serving his second term, and the Oklahoma Constitution limits anyone to eight years as governor. ^[3][4] This page traces the Oklahoma governor race from the April filing to the November ballot using the state’s own records. For the other states choosing governors this year, see who is running for governor in 2026.

Candidates for governor of Oklahoma on the November 3 ballot

Why the Oklahoma governor race is open

Stitt’s official biography says he was “first elected in 2018” and is “now serving in his second term.” ^[3] Oklahoma Voice reported on August 24, 2026 that he “is finishing his final term and can’t seek reelection to the post.” ^[6] The limit comes from Article VI, Section 4 of the state constitution, which the State Election Board quotes in its 2026 candidate qualifications sheet. ^[4]

“No person shall be eligible to serve as Governor for a period of time in excess of eight (8) years. Such years need not be consecutive.”

Oklahoma Constitution, Article VI, Section 4, as quoted by the Oklahoma State Election Board ^[4]

The same sheet quotes Section 3 on who may hold the office: “a citizen of the United States of the age of not less than thirty-one (31) years” who has been a qualified elector of Oklahoma for the 10 years before the election. ^[4] The term is four years, and the board’s terms-of-office table gives January 11, 2027, the second Monday in January, as the day the next one begins. ^[4][5] For the job itself, see what a governor does.

Oklahoma governor candidates: the 15 who filed in April

Filing for state offices ran April 1–3, 2026. The State Election Board’s candidate book shows that 15 people filed for governor: nine Republicans, three Democrats and three independents. ^[2]

• Republicans (9): Charles McCall, Mike Mazzei, Leisa Mitchell Haynes, Gentner Drummond, Kenneth Sturgell, Jennifer Domenico, Chip Keating, Calup Anthony Taylor and Jake A. Merrick. ^[2]
• Democrats (3): Cyndi Munson, Arya (filed under that single name) and Connie Johnson. ^[2]
• Independents (3): Jerry Griffin, Robert E Brooks Sr and Orlando Lynn Bush. ^[2]

None of the 15 is on the board’s list of 2026 candidate withdrawals, which was last modified on August 28, 2026 and names six candidates for congressional and legislative seats. ^[7]

How the field narrowed: the June 16 primary and the August 25 runoff

Oklahoma has “modified, closed primaries,” the State Election Board says. To take part, “you must be a registered voter of that political party” unless the party opens its primary to independents, and the board says no recognized party did so for 2026–2027. ^[8] A candidate who wins a majority of the primary vote advances to November. “If no candidate receives a majority of the votes, the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes will advance to the runoff primary election in August.” ^[8] The Ledger’s explainer on what a runoff election is covers the rule in other states.

June 16 primary. No Republican reached a majority. NonDoc’s election-night count, with all but one precinct reporting, put Attorney General Gentner Drummond at 26.3 percent (105,456 votes) and Mazzei at 25.9 percent (104,214 votes), which sent the two to a runoff. In the three-candidate Democratic primary, the same count put Munson at 74.9 percent (128,900 votes), enough to win the nomination without a runoff. ^[6][9]

August 25 runoff. NonDoc reported that Mazzei “earned 50.3 percent of the vote (186,678 votes) to Drummond’s 49.7 percent (184,631 votes)”, a margin of 2,047 votes. ^[10] KOSU reported that Mazzei “won by less than 1 percentage point, according to unofficial results from the Oklahoma State Election Board.” ^[11]

Who is running for Oklahoma governor 2026: Democrat, Republican and independents

Here is what official records show about each name on the ballot.

Mike Mazzei, Republican

Mazzei filed from Tulsa. ^[2] A 2020 announcement from the governor’s office says he “was elected to represent Senate District 25 in 2004 and served the maximum of 12 years before reaching his term limit in 2016”, and that he chaired the Senate Finance Committee. The same announcement records his resignation as Stitt’s secretary of budget, effective October 23, 2020. ^[14] The Ledger’s profile of Mike Mazzei documents the fuller record.

Cyndi Munson, Democrat

Munson filed from Oklahoma City. ^[2] Her Oklahoma House of Representatives page lists her as the member for District 85, says she was elected in September 2015, and shows her as Minority Leader in the 59th and 60th Legislatures. ^[15]

Orlando Lynn Bush, Robert E Brooks Sr and Jerry Griffin, independents

The three independents did not run in a primary. “Independent candidates who file for a partisan office automatically advance to the general election,” the State Election Board says. ^[16] The board’s candidate book gives a name and a city for each: Bush filed from Edmond, Brooks from Moore and Griffin from Tulsa. ^[2]

Oklahoma governor election dates and deadlines

The State Election Board publishes these dates for the November 3, 2026 general election. ^[17][18]

• October 9: voter registration deadline. ^[17][18]
• October 19, 5 p.m.: deadline to request an absentee ballot. This is the request deadline, not the deadline to return the ballot. ^[17][18]
• October 28–30, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and October 31, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.: early voting. ^[17]
• November 3: Election Day, with polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. ^[17][18]
• January 11, 2027: the next governor’s four-year term begins. ^[5]

How to register, how absentee ballots work and what to bring to the polls are covered in the Ledger’s Oklahoma voting guide. Confirm any date that affects you on the State Election Board’s website before you rely on it. ^[18] The governor’s race shares the ballot with contests for lieutenant governor and other statewide offices and with State Questions 845 and 847. ^[1] For the wider picture, see what elections are coming up in November 2026.

How the winner is decided

Party registration does not limit anyone’s choices in November. “Voters may vote for any candidate on the ballot regardless of their political party affiliation or the candidate’s political party affiliation,” the State Election Board says. ^[16]

No majority is required. Article VI, Section 5 of the Oklahoma Constitution provides that “The persons respectively having the highest number of votes for either of the said offices shall be declared duly elected”; if two or more candidates tie for the most votes, the Legislature chooses one of them by joint ballot. ^[19] With five names on the ballot, the candidate with the most votes wins even with less than half of the total.

Campaign money: the Ethics Commission’s Guardian system

Candidates for governor report their campaign money to the Oklahoma Ethics Commission. The commission says a state candidate committee must file a Statement of Organization “within 10 days of raising or expending in excess of $1,000.00” and then files periodic reports of contributions and expenditures “electronically in The Guardian System.” ^[20] Its website links to Guardian under “View & File” and directs readers looking for candidate committee expenditures to Guardian’s “Quick Stats.” ^[20]

As of September 17, 2026, the commission’s 2026 contribution chart sets these limits on giving to a state candidate committee: $3,500 per election from an individual, $5,000 per election from a limited committee, and nothing from corporations. Candidates may give without limit to their own campaigns. ^[21] The chart says per-election limits reset after each election “only if the candidate’s name will appear on another ballot during the election cycle.” ^[21] These are state rules; federal candidates follow the limits in campaign contribution limits for 2026.

On the commission’s calendar for the November 3 election, the next report listed for candidate committees is the pre-general report, which covers August 11 through October 19, 2026 and is filed between October 20 and October 26. From October 20 through November 1, a committee must file a Continuing Report of Contributions “within 24 hours of accepting over $1,000 in the aggregate from a contributor.” ^[22]

Questions and answers