Republican Mike Mazzei and Democrat Cyndi Munson both served long tenures in the state legislature before throwing their hat in to become Oklahoma's next Governor.
Mike Mazzei - Oklahoma Senate
From 2004 to 2016, then-State Senator Mazzei and Senate Finance Chair stuck to a fiscally conservative playbook, as he promises to do as Governor. He authored measures to lower taxes and create growth incentives for businesses.
Among Mazzei's top legislative wins is 2009's Senate Bill 315, which enabled future cuts to the state income tax rate by removing certain revenue triggers that had prevented them. At the time, the state's top income rate was 5.5%; Mazzei's bill cleared the way for a quarter-percent cut to 5.25% by the 2010 fiscal year.
He also successfully ran Senate Bill 794, which changed teachers' retirement age to 65, instead of when their age and years of service equal 90.
Mazzei's proposed agenda as governor follows a Republican playbook similar to his time in the Senate. This time, however, his campaign has carried a notable Trump-infused culture-war twist.
Mazzei promised to reduce the income tax rate to zero, consistent with his push a decade ago, but this time he also proposes eliminating property taxes for seniors.
His website also mentions goals of protecting Oklahoma land from foreign adversaries (which many have already scrutinized after he flip-flopped to support a United Arab Emirates-backed aluminum smelter in Inola at Trump's behest), protecting state abortion bans, and increasing high-paying jobs in Oklahoma.
Cyndi Munson - Oklahoma House
Munson, whose tenure in the House ran from 2015 to this year and culminated with her serving as the chamber's Minority Leader, focused on improving public health, increasing healthcare access for vulnerable populations, criminal justice reform and lowering the cost of living.
Among her successful efforts was last year's House Bill 2235, which increased compensation for wrongfully convicted Oklahomans based on how many years they were incarcerated without cause.
Munson opposed the state income tax cuts that passed last year in House Bill 2764, but supported the bipartisan effort to cut the state sales tax on groceries in 2024.
She's promised to continue that work while on the campaign trail. Munson's website mentions her goals to prioritize tax relief for "everyday Oklahomans" rather than large corporations and wealthy individuals by bolstering appropriations for existing tax breaks for working families.
She also touts her plan to enact a day-one moratorium on new data centers in Oklahoma until the legislature writes laws forcing transparency and accountability from companies about their energy demands, environmental impacts and other effects on the local communities.
Relatedly, Munson is following in the footsteps of her would-be predecessor Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, pushing an "all of the above" energy approach in support of oil, natural gas and renewables.
Legislative success and bipartisanship
Mazzei authored or co-authored 218 measures during his 12 years in the legislature, according to the statehouse tracking service LegisOK. Of those, 64 became law, resulting in a 29% success rate over his entire stint.
Mazzei co-authored one bill alongside a Democrat in 2015. The measure was Senate Bill 92, written with Rep. Chuck Hoskin (Sr.), D-Vinita. Taking effect in November that year, it modified the procedures state entities must follow before entering any financial agreements, requiring them to consult the State Bond Advisor.
Munson put her name on 163 pieces of legislation over the nearly 11 years she spent in the House, passing 23 bills into law for a 14% success rate, according to LegisOK.
She co-authored 10 separate measures alongside Republicans, eight of which passed into law.
