Live Results: Oklahoma Midterm Primaries — Drummond and Mazzei Head to GOP Runoff
A wave of open seats triggered by term limits, retirements, and a high-profile cabinet appointment produced a crowded primary night across Oklahoma — with the governor's race now headed to an August runoff.
Governor's Race: Drummond and Mazzei Advance to Runoff
The marquee race of the night was the nine-candidate Republican primary to succeed term-limited Gov. Kevin Stitt. With votes nearly fully counted, Attorney General Gentner Drummond and former state Sen. Mike Mazzei emerged as the top two finishers, each capturing roughly a quarter of the vote and setting up an August 25 runoff to decide the GOP nominee.
Drummond, a Hominy-based attorney and rancher who already holds statewide office as attorney general, entered the race with a fundraising disadvantage compared to his rival. Mazzei, a former state senator and financial planner who once served as Stitt's Secretary of Budget, largely self-funded his campaign, lending nearly $7 million of his own money toward an $11 million-plus war chest.
Just over two weeks before primary day, President Trump endorsed Mazzei on Truth Social, calling him a "MAGA Warrior." Despite the late endorsement, the race remained close enough that neither candidate could avoid a runoff — meaning Trump's pick will need a second win in August to lock up the nomination.
On the Democratic side, state House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson was projected to win her party's nomination, setting up a long-shot bid in a state that hasn't elected a Democratic governor since 2006 and hasn't backed a Democrat for president since 1964.
U.S. Senate: Kevin Hern Wins GOP Nomination
In the race to fill the Senate seat vacated when Sen. Markwayne Mullin left to become Homeland Security secretary, U.S. Rep. Kevin Hern secured the Republican nomination outright. Hern, who resigned his House seat in OK-1 to run, entered primary night with a massive financial advantage — roughly $6.8 million in available campaign cash compared to just $118,000 for his closest Democratic counterpart, minister Jim Priest.
Hern will face the Democratic nominee in November for a seat that has been reliably Republican since the early 1990s — Oklahoma last elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in 1990. The seat had been temporarily filled by appointed Sen. Alan Armstrong, who chose not to seek a full term.
Other Key Races on the Ballot
Beyond governor and Senate, Tuesday's ballot featured contests for lieutenant governor, attorney general, treasurer, state superintendent, labor commissioner, insurance commissioner, corporation commissioner, and numerous state legislative seats — all triggered by a combination of term limits and officials seeking higher office.
In the open race for attorney general, created by Drummond's gubernatorial run, state Rep. John Echols and Oklahoma Energy Secretary Jeff Starling competed for the Republican nomination, with the winner set to face Democrat Nick Coffey in November in a seat considered safely Republican.
State Question 832: Minimum Wage Ballot Measure
All registered Oklahoma voters, regardless of party, also weighed in on State Question 832, a ballot measure that would raise the state's minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 per hour by 2029, with future increases tied to the cost of living starting in 2030. Results on the measure were still being finalized as vote counting wrapped up.
What Happens Next?
With no candidate reaching a majority in the crowded governor's primary, Drummond and Mazzei will face off again in an August 25 runoff to determine the Republican nominee. That winner will go on to challenge Democrat Cyndi Munson in the November 3 general election — a race widely viewed as Republican-favored given Oklahoma's deep red lean in statewide contests.
Tuesday's primary was part of a broader night of midterm voting that also included runoff elections in Georgia and Alabama and primaries in Washington, D.C., as both parties continue shaping their fields ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
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