OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond on Wednesday sued Gov. Kevin Stitt and an outside political organization, dramatically escalating an already volatile Republican primary fight less than three weeks before the June 16 GOP primary.
Court filings show the lawsuit was filed in Osage County District Court as case CJ-2026-123.
According to the Tulsa World, the lawsuit accuses Stitt, School Freedom Fund Oklahoma and unnamed defendants of orchestrating a coordinated “smear campaign” built on what Drummond alleges were false and politically damaging claims targeting his campaign.
At the center of the dispute are television ads and public attacks alleging Drummond supported taxpayer funding connected to LGBTQ-related programming and “transgender issues” through grants tied to Diversity Center of Oklahoma. Public records reviewed by OK Politics Today show key certifications tied to the controversy appear to predate Drummond’s tenure as attorney general.
The lawsuit follows Stitt’s public call last week for an independent audit of the Attorney General’s Office over the funding controversy — a move Drummond allies have framed as a politically timed escalation from a governor who has become increasingly vocal in opposition to Drummond’s candidacy.
The legal action marks a significant escalation in tone for the race. While Oklahoma governors often weigh in politically on succession contests, Drummond’s lawsuit seeks to move the conflict beyond campaign rhetoric by alleging improper coordination between Stitt and outside groups backing attacks against the attorney general.
Drummond’s campaign signaled Wednesday the lawsuit is intended not only as a legal response, but also as a political counteroffensive against attacks that have dominated conservative media and Republican activist circles in recent weeks.
“This was not tough politics. This was a calculated smear campaign built on fabricated claims and outright lies,” Drummond campaign manager Matthew Parker said in a statement. “Kevin Stitt and his allies are so desperate to stop Gentner Drummond that they are willing to say anything, no matter how false or outrageous.”
According to the Tulsa World, the lawsuit also alleges improper coordination between Stitt and outside political organizations backing attacks against Drummond, including claims involving a May 6 fundraiser hosted at the Governor’s Mansion tied to Club for Growth-aligned groups.
If substantiated, those allegations could inject campaign finance and ethics questions into an already bruising primary battle that has exposed deep divisions inside the state Republican Party between establishment conservatives aligned with Drummond and more combative national conservative factions allied with Stitt.
Tulsa World first reported details regarding the alleged fundraiser connections and responses from Stitt’s office.
According to the Tulsa World, Stitt spokeswoman Abegail Cave dismissed the lawsuit as “frivolous” and denied the governor had any affiliation with School Freedom Fund Oklahoma.
The dispute represents the latest chapter in the years-long political war between Stitt and Drummond, whose relationship has steadily deteriorated through battles over tribal gaming compacts, executive authority disputes, criminal justice matters and education policy.
Their rivalry intensified further during the legal fight over St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, where Drummond challenged state approval of the proposed religious charter school while Stitt and his allies backed the effort. The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled against the school in 2024, and the U.S. Supreme Court later left that ruling in place after the justices split 4-4 following Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s recusal. The deadlocked decision allowed Oklahoma’s ruling blocking the taxpayer-funded Catholic charter school to stand without creating a national precedent.
The current clash also reflects broader tensions reshaping Republican politics nationally, where outside ideological groups and billionaire-backed organizations are increasingly playing major roles in state-level primaries.
School Freedom Fund Oklahoma is affiliated with broader school-choice advocacy efforts tied to Club for Growth and billionaire investor Jeff Yass, according to campaign finance and organizational records cited by the Tulsa World.
For Stitt, the escalating attacks against Drummond appear aimed at consolidating the governor’s influence over the post-Stitt Republican Party and preventing the attorney general — long viewed as more institutionally conservative and less confrontational — from becoming the dominant figure in Oklahoma GOP politics.
For Drummond, the lawsuit carries political risks as well. While it allows him to aggressively challenge allegations he says are false, it also ensures the underlying accusations and culture-war themes remain central to the closing weeks of the campaign.
The Republican primary for governor is scheduled for June 16.
