The person behind the name
Mike Mazzei’s public career sits at the intersection of personal finance, state fiscal policy, and Republican politics.
Mazzei is a Tulsa financial professional who represented Oklahoma Senate District 25 for twelve years and later served as Governor Kevin Stitt’s secretary of budget. He won the August 25, 2026 Republican gubernatorial runoff. The Oklahoma State Election Board lists him as the Republican candidate for governor in the November 3 general election. [1][6][19][23]
Education and professional preparation
His professional biography reports a B.A. in Government and Politics from George Mason University and an M.S. in Personal Financial Planning from the College for Financial Planning. Both institutions appear in the Oklahoma Senate’s 2016 resolution recognizing his service. His SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure report identifies him as Michael Paul Mazzei and records his Certified Financial Planner designation. [2][3][4]
A career built around financial planning
Trinity Strategic Wealth identifies Mazzei as its chairman and CEO. His regulatory record documents earlier Raymond James registrations from 1996 to 2025 and an Oklahoma investment adviser representative registration with Trinity beginning October 2, 2025. These dates describe regulatory registrations; they are not interchangeable with the founding date of a business. [2][4]
Earlier state records identify his financial-planning business under other names, including Tulsa Wealth Advisors. The state’s directory also records his authorship of Solving Your Financial Planning Puzzle, published in 2013. [5]
A note on financial figures. Business biographies and campaign materials report assets managed for clients. Those figures should not be read as Mazzei’s personal wealth. This profile does not use a headline assets-under-management total because the published figures differ by source and date. [2][18]
Life & public service
From legislative elections to executive budget work, the documented milestones show how his state-government experience developed.
Published financial-planning author
The state directory dates Solving Your Financial Planning Puzzle to 2013. [5]
A brief bid for state treasurer
He entered and then withdrew from the treasurer’s race, citing a conflict with his employer, according to Oklahoma Voice’s candidate interview. [7]
Police pension board appointment
Appointed to the Oklahoma Police Pension and Retirement System board in March. His later attendance became a subject of reporting during the governor’s race. [20]
Accomplishments, in the record
Legislation and executive documents establish the following work. Outcomes are described at the level supported by those records, with shared credit where other officials were principal authors.
Changing how pension increases are funded
Mazzei chaired the Senate Select Committee on Pensions and presented HB 2132 on the Senate floor. The bill passed that chamber 33–13 on April 19, 2011. It required legislative funding for pension cost-of-living increases rather than leaving the retirement systems to absorb the cost. [8]
The Senate’s May 10 signing announcement reported a $5.4 billion reduction in unfunded liability across six systems. That is a pension-liability measure, not $5.4 billion in annual cash budget savings. The reform was a shared legislative effort; Brian Bingman was principal Senate author. [8][9]
Aerospace credits and tax compliance
The Senate appropriations report identifies enacted HB 1008, by McNiel and Mazzei, which shortened the aerospace tax-credit moratorium to one year and added a 2015 sunset. It also lists SB 123, by Mazzei and Dank, expanding tax-compliance and audit activity. These records establish legislative action; they do not independently establish a number of jobs created. [10]
Ending an exemption for new wind farms
Mazzei and Representative Earl Sears authored SB 498, signed by Governor Mary Fallin on May 20, 2015. It ended the five-year ad valorem tax exemption for new wind farms beginning January 1, 2017. The enacted change applied to this particular exemption; it did not eliminate every wind-energy subsidy. [11][12]
Helping advance a stabilization fund
The Senate credited Mazzei with helping advance HB 2763, creating the Revenue Stabilization Fund. Senator David Holt and Representative John Michael Montgomery were principal authors. The fund was designed to save unusually strong receipts from volatile revenue sources for future downturns. [13]
Managing the governor’s budget process
As budget secretary, Mazzei coordinated the executive budget, state financial operations, and negotiations with legislators. His February 3, 2020 budget letter emphasized reserves, restraint in recurring expenditures, and economic diversification. [6][21]
A leadership role in CARES FORWARD
The state’s CARES Act record identifies Mazzei and chief operating officer John Budd as leaders of CARES FORWARD, the team administering federal coronavirus-relief money. This documents his administrative responsibility; it does not itself constitute an independent audit of the program’s outcomes. [14]
Faith, family & community
Public biographies identify his wife as Noel and say they have five children. His professional biography lists a connection to Asbury United Methodist Church and describes support for Restore Hope Ministries, John 3:16 Mission, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Salvation Army, and Tulsa Boys Home. [2]
The text of the Oklahoma Senate’s 2016 resolution recognizing Mazzei independently records Asbury membership and Salvation Army board service at that time. It is a historical account, not confirmation of present board terms. [3]
During the campaign, Mazzei has publicly discussed recovering from a serious 2008 car accident and the role of faith in that experience. [20]
These sources document community and ministry affiliations. They do not provide a verified chronology of overseas mission trips or military service. This profile makes no claim about either.
His mission for Oklahoma
Lower costs, stronger schools, more opportunity, and government that answers to the people it serves.
The following summarizes the agenda on Mazzei’s official campaign website. These are proposed priorities, not completed gubernatorial accomplishments. [17][22]
01Taxes & affordability
Property-tax relief for seniors and veterans, including a homestead exemption for people 65 and older; eventual income-tax elimination paired with spending changes or offsets. [17]
02Oklahoma land
Tighter limits on foreign-government and foreign-controlled corporate land ownership, disclosure of beneficial owners, and stronger enforcement. [17]
03Education & opportunity
Third-grade reading proficiency, stronger teacher training, performance-linked compensation, and wider career-technical pathways. He also proposes November school-board elections with party labels. [17]
04Work & economic growth
Faster licensing and permitting, apprenticeships, employer-aligned training, and closer scrutiny of business incentives. [17]
05Government accountability
A Department of Government Efficiency, budgets linked to measurable outcomes, public performance reporting, and sunset review of programs. [17]
06Abortion
His campaign’s Issues page states that he opposes abortion in every circumstance and supports government protection of human life from conception. [24]
07Health care
In a June 2026 interview, Mazzei opposed renewing Oklahoma’s Medicaid managed-care contracts and opposed Medicaid expansion. [7]
08Medical marijuana & enforcement
He supported higher grow-license fees and stronger enforcement against illegal marijuana operations while retaining legitimate medical-marijuana businesses. [7]
How to assess a proposal. A campaign plan states an intention. Enactment, implementation costs, replacement revenue, and measured results are separate questions. These priorities should be read alongside the legislative and budget history above.
The fuller record
A useful profile includes policy tradeoffs, the limits of a claim, and responses to material criticism.
Tax cuts and fiscal constraints
Mazzei coauthored SB 1246 in 2014, a revenue-triggered income-tax reduction. In February 2016, during a projected $1.3 billion shortfall, he backed SB 1073 to delay the reduction from 5.25% to 5%, arguing for protection of core services. The 2016 source establishes committee passage and his position; it does not establish enactment. [15][16]
Police pension board attendance
Oklahoma Watch reported in July 2026 that Mazzei had attended 10 of 40 board meetings after his March 2023 appointment. His campaign said he offered to step down when he ran for governor and agreed to remain pending a replacement if his financial expertise was needed. The report also noted that the board had no attendance policy. [20]
Endorsements and the 2026 nomination
Associated Press reported that Donald Trump endorsed Mazzei and that he narrowly won the August 25 Republican runoff against Gentner Drummond. Endorsements establish political support; they are not independent evaluations of the policy results described in this profile. [19]
What the largest savings claims establish
The campaign emphasizes large aggregate taxpayer savings. The records cited here support specific laws, administrative roles, and a reported change in pension liabilities. They do not establish an independently audited, all-in cash-savings total attributable to Mazzei alone. [9][18]
Historical recognition and source discrepancies
Senate Resolution 81’s introduced text commends his public service; its praise is legislative recognition, not a performance audit. The campaign’s Finance Committee timeline extends beyond his documented Senate tenure. This profile uses the state directory’s ten-year chairmanship description and the verified 2004–2016 Senate term. [3][5][6][18]
The sources behind the story
Primary government documents anchor the record. Professional biographies establish attributed background; original reporting supplies election results and scrutiny. Campaign materials are used for the candidate’s own priorities and claims.
- 01November 2026 list of electionsOklahoma State Election Board · Accessed Sep. 14, 2026
Official election list names Mike Mazzei as the Republican candidate for governor.Government / regulatory record - 02Mike Mazzei: professional biographyTrinity Strategic Wealth · Accessed Sep. 14, 2026
His firm supplies degree titles, professional role, family information and community affiliations. These are professional self-descriptions.Professional biography - 03Senate Resolution 81: recognition of legislative serviceOklahoma Legislature · May 18, 2016
Introduced ceremonial resolution documenting education, family, affiliations and twelve years of service. Its praise is not a performance audit.Government / regulatory record - 04Michael Paul Mazzei: Investment Adviser Public Disclosure reportSEC IAPD / FINRA · Last reported update Oct. 2, 2025
Regulatory report, CRD 2023546, documents registration history and the reported CFP designation. Retrieved Sep. 14, 2026.Government / regulatory record - 05Oklahoma Agencies, Boards and Commissions: Secretary of BudgetOklahoma state publications / Digital Prairie · Accessed Sep. 14, 2026
Archived state directory, page 16: December 2018 selection, May 2019 confirmation, duties, Senate tenure and ten years as Finance chair.Government / regulatory record - 06Budget secretary resignation and public-service historyOffice of Governor Kevin Stitt · Oct. 12, 2020
Official announcement records resignation effective Oct. 23, 2020, budget responsibilities and CARES FORWARD leadership.Government / regulatory record - 07Mike Mazzei wants to bring financial skills to the governor’s officeOklahoma Voice / KOSU · June 10, 2026
Barbara Hoberock’s candidate interview covers education, career, the withdrawn treasurer bid and policy positions. Proposals are attributed to Mazzei.Independent reporting - 08Senate calls for COLA funding: HB 2132 floor passageOklahoma Senate · Apr. 19, 2011
Contemporaneous Senate account identifies Mazzei’s committee role and presentation of HB 2132, approved 33–13.Government / regulatory record - 09Pension committee final report and reform signingOklahoma Senate · May 10, 2011
Reports enacted pension changes and a $5.4 billion reduction in unfunded liabilities; that figure is not cash savings in the annual budget.Government / regulatory record - 10FY2013 appropriations reportOklahoma Senate · Accessed Sep. 14, 2026
Page 7 summarizes enacted HB 1008 and SB 123, documenting aerospace tax-credit and tax-administration work.Government / regulatory record - 11SB 498: 2015 legislative historyOklahoma Legislature · Approved May 20, 2015
Official bill history records authorship and approval of the measure addressing the wind-farm ad valorem exemption.Government / regulatory record - 122015 session overviewOklahoma Senate · Accessed Sep. 14, 2026
Official session summary describes the wind-farm exemption change beginning Jan. 1, 2017; it did not end every wind subsidy.Government / regulatory record - 13Improved state budget savings plan heads to governorOklahoma Senate · May 26, 2016
HB 2763 account credits Mazzei’s assistance; principal authors were David Holt and John Michael Montgomery.Government / regulatory record - 14Oklahoma CARES Act and CARES FORWARDState of Oklahoma · Accessed Sep. 14, 2026
State administrative record identifies the relief team’s leadership and responsibilities. It does not independently audit every expenditure.Government / regulatory record - 15Senate leaders comment on House passage of SB 1246Oklahoma Senate · Apr. 23, 2014
Identifies Mazzei as a coauthor and describes the proposed revenue triggers for income-tax reductions.Government / regulatory record - 16Mazzei statement on Finance Committee passage of SB 1073Oklahoma Senate · Feb. 23, 2016
His 2016 statement explains support for delaying a tax cut during a shortfall. Committee passage does not establish enactment.Government / regulatory record - 17The PlanMazzei for Governor · Accessed Sep. 14, 2026
Primary source for the candidate’s proposed agenda. Projected benefits and savings are campaign claims, not established outcomes.Campaign source - 18Why MikeMazzei for Governor · Accessed Sep. 14, 2026
Campaign biography and business-founding account. Its Finance-chair timeline conflicts with the documented 2016 end of Senate service.Campaign source - 19Mike Mazzei wins the Republican nomination for Oklahoma governorAssociated Press · Aug. 25, 2026
Independent reporting of the Republican runoff result and Donald Trump’s endorsement.Independent reporting - 20Oklahoma gubernatorial hopeful AWOL from police pension boardOklahoma Watch / KGOU · July 17, 2026
Paul Monies reports meeting attendance and includes the campaign’s explanation that Mazzei offered to resign and remained pending replacement.Independent reporting - 21FY2021 Executive Budget: Secretary of Budget’s letterState of Oklahoma / OMES · Feb. 3, 2020
Mazzei’s signed transmittal letter sets out reserve, recurring-spending and economic-diversification priorities. Fiscal year 2021; issued in 2020.Government / regulatory record - 22Mike Mazzei for Governor: official campaign homepageMazzei for Governor · Accessed Sep. 14, 2026
Candidate’s current public messaging and priorities. Campaign descriptions are distinguished from independently documented results.Campaign source - 232026 Voter Information CalendarOklahoma State Election Board · Accessed Sep. 14, 2026
Official calendar confirms Nov. 3, 2026 as the general election date, with separate registration, absentee and early-voting deadlines.Government / regulatory record - 24The Issues: policy positions including abortionMike Mazzei campaign · Accessed September 14, 2026
Candidate-authored positions; the abortion section states opposition in all circumstances.Campaign source
No matching sources. Try “pension,” “Senate,” or “campaign.”
Scope & method. Reviewed September 14, 2026. This is a documented overview of publicly available biography, major actions, and stated priorities, not an exhaustive vote-by-vote record. Numerical claims retain their original meaning and attribution. Historical sources do not imply current appointments. The introduced Senate resolution is labeled as such. The source list provides direct links so readers can check the underlying material. Election lists, filings, and campaign pages may change after this review.
Images. Conservative Ledger masthead supplied by the site creator. Candidate photographs sourced from the Mike Mazzei campaign website. A photograph’s inclusion does not imply campaign authorization or endorsement of this publication.
Where to find the candidate
Every link below was read from the campaign’s own website or the candidate’s official government page. A follower count is printed only where it was measured; otherwise the link is published and the number is left blank rather than guessed at.