Republican Mike Mazzei will be Oklahoma's next governor.
Mazzei defeated Democratic rival and former state House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson Tuesday night. With the vast majority of precincts reporting, he had an almost 70,000-vote lead, according to the Oklahoma State Election Board. That's about half the margin of victory for Republican Kevin Stitt in both 2018 and 2022.
At a watch party in downtown Tulsa, the former state senator said he was looking forward to his tenure as the state's next governor. He thanked his team, Republican colleagues, his family, Stitt and Munson.
Hundreds of Mazzei supporters packed a large conference room in the Arvest Convention Center, eagerly watching Fox News anchors call election results on two big screens. They cheered for most of the Republican candidates who won across the U.S., including Kevin Hern, who was elected to represent Oklahoma in the Senate.
And they cheered for Mazzei, when the gubernatorial race was finally called shortly after 10 p.m.
"It's a tough night for Republicans across the country. But thank the Lord for Oklahoma," Mazzei said in a speech.
Mazzei previously said his top priorities included eliminating property taxes for seniors and veterans and improving the state's literacy rate.
While a state lawmaker, Mazzei chaired the Senate Finance Committee for more than a decade. Outside of his government service, Mazzei founded and leads Trinity Strategic Wealth as CEO.
Gov. Stitt introduced Mazzei to the crowd Tuesday night.
"Mike Mazzei thinks like I do. He thinks about the taxpayers first," Stitt said. "And he is a great leader for our state, a great representative for Oklahoma. And I am so proud to hand the baton off to the 29th governor of the great state of Oklahoma."
Mazzei first entered the race in April 2025, competing against eight other Republicans for the party's nomination. Shortly before the June primary, President Donald Trump endorsed him. He advanced to the August runoff alongside Attorney General Gentner Drummond, whom he beat by about 2,000 votes.
Munson ran her gubernatorial campaign primarily around lowering the cost of living for working Oklahomans.
After winning the Democratic Primary nomination in June with more than 75% of the vote, Munson saw a steadily narrowing approval margin against Mazzei leading up to Nov. 3, along with growing national media attention and high early voting turnout, which injected hope for an upset into her campaign. However, the hype failed to translate into results.
"We may have lost an election, but we haven't lost our power to change Oklahoma," Munson said in a social media statement. "I love this state, and I'll never stop fighting for the people who call it home."
