Drummond led before Election Day, but Mazzei gained enough ground Tuesday to capture the Republican nomination and advance to November.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Mike Mazzei won the Republican nomination for governor Tuesday by just over half a percentage point, defeating Attorney General Gentner Drummond by 2,020 votes in a runoff divided almost perfectly down the middle.
Mazzei received 186,604 votes, or 50.27%, to Drummond’s 184,584 votes, or 49.73%, according to unofficial State Election Board returns. All 1,984 precincts had reported.
In 39 precincts, Mazzei and Drummond finished in exact ties. Another 91 precincts were decided by a single vote.
Election Day vote reverses Drummond’s lead
Drummond entered Election Day with a combined 2,717-vote advantage from absentee and early voting. Mazzei erased it by winning ballots cast Tuesday by 4,737 votes.
The county map was almost as evenly divided. Drummond carried 39 counties and Mazzei carried 38.
Drummond won Oklahoma County by 1,880 votes and narrowly carried Tulsa County by 268. Mazzei countered with strong margins across southeastern Oklahoma, particularly in LeFlore, McCurtain, Bryan, Sequoyah and Adair counties. He also carried Cleveland and Canadian counties.
The result reversed the order from the June primary, when Drummond finished slightly ahead of Mazzei in a nine-candidate field.
Mazzei thanks Trump; Drummond concedes
Speaking to supporters in Tulsa, Mazzei thanked Republican voters and President Donald Trump “for helping us across the finish line.”
“I am so very grateful and honored to be the official Republican nominee to be the next governor of Oklahoma,” Mazzei said.
Mazzei said Drummond called to congratulate him.
“He is a fierce competitor,” Mazzei said, adding that he thanked Drummond for serving the country and state.
Drummond conceded in his own address to supporters.
“Tonight, yes, this campaign ends. But accountability does not,” Drummond said. “And tonight, we accept Oklahoma’s choice. We concede an election. We do not surrender our convictions.”
Mazzei, a former state senator and state budget secretary, made Trump’s endorsement the headline of his campaign. Trump endorsed him shortly before the June primary and repeatedly attacked Drummond’s Republican credentials.
Drummond responded by presenting himself as an independent-minded conservative willing to disagree with Trump and other party leaders when he believed Oklahoma’s interests were at stake.
Their dispute over the proposed aluminum smelter near Inola became one of the campaign’s clearest dividing lines. Drummond moved to block the project, while Mazzei supported it after criticizing the proposed government incentives earlier in the campaign.
Outside spending and party intervention
The runoff attracted millions of dollars in campaign and independent spending. A Washington-based group backed by billionaire Jeff Yass spent $8.7 million largely opposing Drummond.
In his victory speech, Mazzei offered special thanks to Club for Growth President David McIntosh and the group’s Oklahoma representative, Jackson Stallings.
“We just couldn’t have done this without them,” Mazzei said.
Mazzei also received an unusual late boost from the Oklahoma Republican Party State Committee, which endorsed him days before the election. The action broke with the party’s longstanding practice of remaining neutral in contested Republican primaries and drew criticism from former Gov. Mary Fallin and other former statewide officials.
Campaign turns toward November
Mazzei now advances to the Nov. 3 general election against Democratic nominee Cyndi Munson, the Oklahoma House minority leader, and independent candidates. Gov. Kevin Stitt cannot seek another term because of term limits.
Mazzei used his victory speech to preview his general-election message, promising to campaign on eliminating the state income tax, ending property taxes for seniors and veterans, launching a statewide literacy initiative and restricting foreign ownership of Oklahoma land.
He said he would evaluate decisions through three filters: “One, the Bible; two, the Constitution; and I’m a money guy, so three, can we afford it?”
The result remains unofficial. Provisional ballots will be added after 5 p.m. Friday, and statewide results are scheduled for certification Sept. 1.
