Republican gubernatorial candidates Mike Mazzei and Gentner Drummond faced off in a debate Monday evening televised on News 9 in Oklahoma City and News on 6 in Tulsa. The candidates sparred over topics ranging from a proposed aluminum smelter in Inola to tax policy and education reform.
Mazzei, a financial planner and former state senator, and Drummond, a rancher, banker, and the incumbent attorney general, will appear on the Aug. 25 Republican runoff ballot. The winner will face Democrat Cyndi Munson and three independent candidates in the Nov. 3 general election.
Both Mazzei and Drummond made claims that warrant additional scrutiny. Here are the facts, categorized by topic:
Inola Smelter, Nuclear Plant Proposal and Data Centers
The Claim: In denying that his office’s lawsuit to block the smelter development was just for show as Democratic gubernatorial candidate Cyndi Munson has accused him, Drummond claimed 350 acres of Oklahoma land is being given to a Muslim monarchy.
The Facts: Emirates Global Aluminum has signed a land purchase option agreement with Tulsa Ports, which is referred to in the memorandum of understanding that Gov. Kevin Stitt signed with EGA in April 2025, as well as EGA’s own May 2025 public announcement about the project.
The Claim: A moderator claimed Dan Mazzei, brother of Mike Mazzei, works for the company chosen to design the smelter plant, citing his appearance at a weekend campaign event where he reportedly discussed the proposal. Mazzei called the claim “completely absurd” and a falsehood, but Drummond repeated the claim later in the debate.
The Facts: Dan Mazzei is listed as a senior leader with the Wallace Design Collective on the Tulsa-based company’s website. Public records indicate he holds a current license as a professional structural engineer with the Oklahoma State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Surveyors. Asked whether Dan Mazzei or his firm are involved in the Inola smelter project in any capacity, Ziad Fares, project lead for Oklahoma Primary Aluminum from the outset of the project, told Oklahoma Watch on Monday evening: “There have been no prior professional discussions or contractual agreements between OPA and Wallace Design or Dan Mazzei.” The Inola Board of Trustees did approve an agreement with Wallace in March for structural engineering and special inspection services, but that contract is for an expansion at Sofidel, a tissue paper manufacturer.
The Claim: Oklahoma was recently announced as one of five finalists to become the home of a federal Nuclear Lifestyle Innovation Campus. Drummond said the project represented a significant opportunity as long as local control and water were preserved, energy costs were not incurred locally and the state held the campus accountable. Mazzei declined to address the proposed campus in any way, saying that he preferred to focus on the oil and gas industry.
The Facts: Mazzei’s refusal to address the proposed campus was a notable omission: on multiple occasions, Mazzei touted President Trump’s endorsement of his candidacy, but failed to mention that Trump has been an outspoken champion of nuclear power.
The Department of Energy estimated that a nuclear campus could draw $50 billion in capital investment and produce 25,000 high-paying jobs and $10 billion in state and local revenue. NeutronBytes.com described the project as taking a long-overdue page out of Japan’s playbook, which showers local governments with development money for roads, schools, and transportation infrastructure. That said, NeutronBytes warns that the construction phase of a nuclear campus may create huge demands on local water resources and that the substantial tax revenues a nuclear campus will generate may lag significantly behind demand for municipal and state services.
The Claim: Both Drummond and Mazzei claimed that closed-loop cooling systems limit a data center’s water usage.
The Facts: The World Economic Forum found that closed-loop cooling systems involving wastewater recycling or rainwater harvesting show significant reductions in freshwater use, with 50 to 70% in potential savings when these systems were implemented.
The non-partisan research and policy group, Brookings, found that other design improvements, such as air cooling and immersion cooling, can remove heat and help limit water use. They also found that using renewable energy sources, such as onsite solar installations, can help boost overall sustainability.
Marijuana, Immigration and Criminal Justice
The Claim: Asked if the 2020 McGirt decision should apply more broadly than criminal law, Drummond said that the McGirt decision is limited to criminal justice. He said that policies of cross-deputization ensured that family networks were kept together, thereby saving tribes billions of dollars that could be used for rural health clinics. Mazzei did not address the McGirt decision but boasted of a close personal tie to Choctaw Chief Gary Batton.
The Facts: Last month, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled against extending McGirt to civil matters, arguing that the U.S. Supreme Court had not extended the decision beyond the Major Crimes Act. Furthermore, cross-deputization agreements may create significant benefits for communities suddenly challenged by the McGirt imperative. We found no evidence of a relationship between Mazzei and Choctaw Chief Gary Batton, but in 2025 the Choctaw Nation donated $3,300 dollars to Drummond’s campaign.
The Claim: Drummond claimed that Oklahoma has taken a hardline stance on immigration and ranks fifth in arrests for immigration-related crimes.
The Facts: Oklahoma ranks fifth in arrests per 100,000 residents, but 13th for total ICE arrests, according to a study by the Prison Policy Initiative. The state averaged 53.9 arrests per 100,000 residents, behind Arizona, Florida, Texas and the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area for the period of May 21-October 15, 2025.
The Claim: Mazzei claimed Oklahoma is first in the nation for marijuana production.
The Facts: During Oklahoma’s peak growth phase, from 2019 to 2021, the state ranked first in active marijuana cultivation permits. In 2022, the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority noted the state was the largest manufacturer of medical marijuana in the United States.
However, the number of legal growers has declined significantly since 2024, according to the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control. Drug Enforcement Agency data shows marijuana seized in Oklahoma accounted for 66% of nationwide marijuana seizures in 2024.
Quality-of-Life Issues
The Claim: Mazzei stated that, if elected, he intends to hire a statewide literacy director during his first week in office who will be focused on the Oklahoma Legislature’s plan to replicate the dramatic turnaround in student literacy rates to rival the so-called Mississippi Miracle. In doing so, he claimed that implementing phonics-based curriculum in all schools helped Mississippi jump from 50th to first in the nation in reading outcomes.
The Facts: Since 2013, Mississippi has implemented comprehensive early literacy reforms widely credited with closing the achievement gap with the rest of the nation, even as it has remained the poorest state in the nation. In 2013, the National Assessment of Educational Progress ranked Mississippi in 49th place nationally for fourth-grade literacy, with the average fourth-grade student receiving a reading score of 209 compared to the national average of 221. By 2024, Mississippi’s fourth-grade student reading proficiency rates had risen to ninth in the U.S., with the average student score of 219 compared to the national average of 214. This came after lawmakers there mandated that only scientifically based strategies, including phonics, be used to teach reading in public schools; that third-graders not passing the state test be held back; and that new literacy coach positions be created in schools across the state.
The Claim: Drummond seized on a question about understanding the needs of average Oklahomans to cite the lawsuits he has brought against insurance giants State Farm and Allstate. Drummond said Oklahomans pay twice the national average on homeowners insurance. He claimed that Mazzei supports State Farm and says they are doing a great job.
The Facts: Drummond is correct. In recent years, in multiple studies, Oklahoma has ranked among the highest homeowners insurance rates in the country, at 2.2 times the national average, and by some measures more than that. During the debate, Mazzei did not address homeowners insurance, but he has criticized Drummond’s lawsuits against State Farm and Allstate as politically motivated, despite clear polling evidence that shows that insurance is not a political issue in Oklahoma. We could not find a public statement of support from Mazzei for State Farm, but his claim to favor recent changes to the law in Oklahoma contrasts with his legislative history: his tenure as a lawmaker overlapped with the initial insurance law adjustments that were overturned earlier this year.
The Claim: Drummond claimed that 40 of Oklahoma’s 77 counties are maternal childcare deserts.
The Facts: As of 2024, 40 counties in Oklahoma met the criteria as a childcare desert, according to a report from The March of Dimes. These counties lack a hospital or birth center offering obstetric care and have no obstetric clinician.
Taxes and Public Programs
The Claim: Mazzei claimed seniors and veterans account for 10% of the total county tax receipts in Oklahoma.
The Facts: There is no conclusive evidence that seniors and veterans only account for 10% of the total county tax receipts. In an interview with News 9 in May, Mazzei claimed that he crunched the numbers himself and found that seniors 65 and older only contributed 10% of the total $1 billion of Oklahoma County property taxes. An independent source has not verified the claim.
The Claim: Mazzei said Oklahoma is at risk of losing about $150 million for the SNAP program if the error rate is not brought back to the federal mandated rate of 6%.
The Facts: The United States Department of Agriculture released the SNAP program payment error rates for FY2025 in June, which documented Oklahoma at 11.04%. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, also known as House Resolution 1, implemented a 6% threshold for state error rates. States above the threshold will be responsible for 5%-15% of the state’s benefits, depending on the state’s payment error rate.
Oklahoma will be able to choose between the payment error rate for FY2025 or FY2026 when the payment is required starting in FY2028. If the state chooses FY2025, it will be responsible for paying 15% of the benefit costs as more than 10% qualifies the state for the highest tier under the law. Officials from the Oklahoma Department of Human Services said in July that the state would owe about $250 million if stuck with the current FY2025 number.
Personal Attacks
The Claim: Mazzei alleged that Drummond, in his professional capacity as an attorney, instructed a family member to commit perjury.
The Facts: In 2012, Drummond filed a divorce application in Osage County on behalf of his first cousin, Jana Drummond Evans. The case was transferred to Oklahoma County in April 2013, court records show. Drummond did not represent Evans after the case was moved.
In April 2018, citing trial testimony and other public court records, The Oklahoman reported that the case was transferred because Evans resided in Oklahoma City. During questioning from opposing counsel, Evans stated that she took Drummond’s advice to falsely claim residence in Osage County, believing that doing so would draw less attention.
At the time, a Drummond campaign spokesman called Evans’ testimony unsubstantiated and denied wrongdoing.
The Claim: Drummond claimed that Mazzei changed his position on the Inola smelter, at the request of conservative political strategist Roger Stone, to secure an endorsement from President Donald Trump.
The Facts: Campaign finance reports filed with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission show that Mazzei has paid at least $67,500 to Drake Ventures, a Florida-based lobbying firm operated by Stone, since launching his campaign.
At a March 30 debate, Mazzei criticized the tax incentives the state provided to the smelter and its foreign ownership. Just hours before being endorsed by Trump on May 29, Mazzei posted on social media saying he would strongly support the smelter project if elected.
In an interview with News 9 last month, Mazzei said he was never against the project itself and changed his position after learning more financial details.
