Oklahoma
Cyndi Munson joins in race for Oklahoma governor: Who’s running so far? What to know
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond announces his 2026 gubernatorial campaign
AG Gentner Drummond, who attended high school in Hominy, made his announcement inside the agriculture building on the Osage County Fairgrounds.
The list of candidates for Oklahoma’s next governor is growing as the first Democrat jumped into the race Tuesday.
Democrat and Oklahoma House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson is the latest to announce a bid for the office in an effort to improve life for all Oklahomans. Munson joins four Republicans running for governor: former state Sen. Mike Mazzei, Attorney General Gentner Drummond, former House Speaker Charles McCall and businesswoman Leisa Mitchell Haynes.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt’s second term ends in January of 2027.
Here’s what you need to know about the candidates and the election for the next governor.
Who’s in the running for Oklahoma’s next governor so far?
So far, five people have announced their candidacy for Oklahoma’s next governor. They are:
- House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson
- Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, Republican
- Former Oklahoma House Speaker Charles McCall, Republican
- Choctaw resident and entrepreneur Leisa Mitchell Haynes, Republican
- Former State Sen. Mike Mazzei
What to know about Cyndi Munson
Munson, who represents Oklahoma City’s 85th House district, was raised in Lawton. Before going into politics, Munson worked in the nonprofit sector, including for the Girl Scouts of Western Oklahoma.
Munson became the first Asian-American woman elected to the Oklahoma legislature in 2015, when she beat Republican nominee Chip Carter in a special election for the empty House District 85 seat. She has since won reelection five times.
She graduated from college, the first in her family to do so, with a bachelor’s in political science from the University of Central Oklahoma.
What to know about Gentner Drummond
Drummond was born in Stillwater, Oklahoma and raised east of Hominy on the Drummond Ranch in Osage County.
He has an extensive history in the legal realm, having served as assistant district attorney in Osage and Pawnee Counties and founding his own law firm, Drummond Law, in 1998. Drummond also served as a U.S. Air Force jet pilot during the Persian Gulf War.
Drummond was sworn in as Attorney General of Oklahoma on Jan. 9, 2023.
What to know about Charles McCall
McCall, a Republican and fifth-generation Atoka resident, served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 2012 to 2024, serving as Speaker of the House from 2016 on. He was the longest-serving Speaker of the House in Oklahoma.
Outside of politics, McCall is a community banker, which led him to focus on “getting the state’s fiscal house in order,” according to his House biography. He is the CEO and Board Chairman of AmeriState Bank in Atoka, a fourth-generation family bank.
McCall also served as Mayor of Atoka from 2005 to 2012, and previously held tenures as Chairman of the Atoka City Industrial Development Authority, Chairman of the Lake Atoka Reservation Association and Vice Chairman of the McGee Creek Authority. He received his bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Oklahoma, and later completed University of Colorado in Boulder’s Graduate School of Banking.
What to know about Leisa Mitchell Haynes
Haynes was the first to announce her bid for governor, making the official announcement in July of 2024.
The Choctaw resident holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Central Oklahoma and a bachelor’s degree in communications from East Central University. She worked for Oklahoma Department of Commerce as the assistant state director from 1989 to 2001, according to LinkedIn, and she has also owned a small business with eight employees, according to her campaign website.
She also has served as a city manager in Mangum and Tuttle and in New Mexico, according to the McCurtain Gazette. Haynes has been married for 30 years and has three children.
What to know about Mike Mazzei
Mazzei, a Republican from Tulsa, served 12 years in the Senate before he was term-limited. While a Senator, Mazzei advocated for tax cuts, pension reform and reducing ineffective tax credits, according to Oklahoma Voice.
Mazzei, a financial planner and the founder and CEO of Trinity Strategic Wealth, also served two years as budget secretary for Gov. Stitt. He also previously ran for Oklahoma treasurer, dropping out of the race in 2021 due to a conflict with his employer.
Mazzei holds a bachelor’s in government and politics from George Mason University and a master’s in personal financial planning from the College for Financial Planning.
When is Oklahoma’s governor election?
Primary elections for the 2026 general election are scheduled for June 16, 2026. The general election is held on Nov. 3, 2026.
When can Oklahoma gubernatorial candidates file for election?
Candidates aren’t official until they file for the election. However, there is not a date set yet for candidate filing.
What are Oklahoma’s governor term limits?
No one can serve as governor for more than eight years, which don’t need to be consecutive, according to the Oklahoma Constitution.
However, if someone serves as governor for less than a full term to fill a vacancy, it is not included in the eight-year term limit.
NORMAN — The Sooners were behind the eight ball for much of Tuesday’s game against Oral Roberts.
But one swing of the bat got them in a more favorable position.
Shortstop Jaxon Willits blasted a grand slam in the sixth inning to give No. 14 Oklahoma its first lead before eventually winning 7-6.
The Sooners trailed by as many as five runs before they rallied late.
In the first inning, Oral Roberts’ Cooper Combs hit a two-out grand slam to give the Golden Eagles a comfortable cushion. OU infielder Deiten Lachance got the Sooners on the board in the second inning with a solo home run, but ORU responded with a solo shot of its own in the next frame.
The Golden Eagles made it a 6-1 run game in the top of the fourth, and they appeared to be on cruise control. But in the bottom of that frame, OU’s rally began.
Dasan Harris made it a four-run game again with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth before Camden Johnson hit a sacrifice fly of his own in the fifth.
Then, in the sixth, the Sooners took their first lead of the game.
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Harris singled before Kyle Branch and Connor Larkin walked to load the bases. Willits then swung at the first pitch he saw, sending it well over the right-center field fence.
Neither team scored after Willits’ home run, as OU relief pitcher Xander Mercurius retired nine ORU batters in a row to seal the Sooners’ one-run win.
Michael Catalano started on the mound for Oklahoma, but his outing was short-lived — he gave up four earned runs on two hits and five walks in 1 ⅓ innings.
After coach Skip Johnson relieved Catalano in the second inning, six different OU arms entered the game. Reid Hensley collected the win, while Mercurius got the save.
OU improved to 28-12 overall with the win, while Oral Roberts dropped to 23-15. The Sooners are 7-3 in midweek games this season, and they clinched the season sweep of the Golden Eagles on Tuesday.
Next, the Sooners will hit the road for a three-game series against Auburn. The Tigers, ranked No. 11 by D1Baseball, are 10-8 in SEC play and took two of three games against Florida over the weekend.
The series will open on Friday, and first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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NORMAN — After an up-and down week that saw Oklahoma drop the lone Bedlam match of the season, and then split two tight games with Arkansas before blowing out the Razorbacks on Sunday, the Sooners remained No. 1 in the NFCA/Go Rout coaches’ poll released Tuesday.
But there’s far from a consensus.
Oklahoma received 12 first-place votes — the same total they had last week — but five other teams received first-place votes.
Texas Tech remained No. 2 with four four-place votes and Alabama No. 3 with seven. Nebraska moved up two spots to No. 4 with four first-place votes, followed by Florida with two and UCLA with two.
Texas is No. 7, followed by Tennessee, Arkansas and Florida State.
Texas A&M, the Sooners’ opponent for the final regular-season weekend in two weeks, comes in at No. 11.
Other SEC teams include Georgia at No. 15, Mississippi State at No. 17 and LSU at No. 20.
OU hosts the Georgia Bulldogs in a three-game series beginning Friday.
Other Sooners’ opponents this season in the polls include No. 14 Duke, No. 18 Oklahoma State, No. 19 Arizona, No. 24 Arizona State and No. 25 Washington.
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Oklahoma also remained in the top spot in the D1Softball poll, with Alabama No. 2 there followed by Texas Tech, Nebraska at Texas.
The Sooners dropped a spot in the Softball America poll, with Nebraska elevating to No. 1 behind the two-way stardom of former OU standout Jordy Frahm (formerly Jordy Bahl).
Frahm is 13-4 with a 1.36 ERA and 157 strikeouts in 118 2/3 innings in the circle and hitting .440 with 16 home runs and 42 RBIs. Another former Sooners player, Hannah Coor, is among the Cornhuskers’ regulars as well.
The Sooners have 158 home runs, just three away from tying their own season record in the category, but UCLA has closed the gap in a major way, sitting just four behind Oklahoma.
OU freshman sensation Kendall Wells leads the nation with 34 home runs, three ahead of UCLA’s Megan Grant. Wells tied Jocelyn Alo‘s program record for home runs in a season with her home run in Sunday’s win.
The Sooners host Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 6 p.m. Tuesday in their final non-conference game of the season before opening the series against Georgia at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Love’s FIeld.
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Putnam City West High School will shift to virtual learning on Tuesday after an incident involving two students prompted an investigation by the district and Oklahoma City police, according to Putnam City Schools.
District officials said administrators were alerted near the end of the school day Monday to an altercation involving two students in the school’s arena area.
Officials said the students left campus, and the case was turned over to Putnam City Campus Police and the Oklahoma City Police Department for investigation.
District officials said no students or staff were harmed and there is no ongoing safety threat related to the incident.
What we know
Putnam City West sent the following email to all families and staff at the school:
All PCW students and staff will transition to virtual learning for Tuesday, April 21st.
Today, an isolated serious incident involving two students occurred on school grounds. Near the end of the school day, administrators were alerted to an altercation between two students in the arena area. The individuals involved quickly left campus, prompting an initial fact-finding response by school administrators before the matter was turned over to Putnam City Campus Police and the Oklahoma City Police Department for further investigation. Because this is an active investigation involving students, no further information will be released at this time.
We understand this information may be concerning to students, staff, and families. Please know we are committed to maintaining a safe, secure, and positive learning environment for all students. At Putnam City Schools, student and staff safety remains our highest priority. Therefore, out of an abundance of caution and to allow for a thorough investigation, all PCW students and staff will transition to virtual learning for Tuesday, April 21st. Students will need to check Google Classroom for updates from teachers.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support of PC West.
Putnam City Schools
All students and staff at Putnam City West will transition to virtual learning on Tuesday, April 21, while investigators continue their work, according to the district.
Students were told to check Google Classroom for instructions from teachers.
The district said it is withholding additional details because the case involves students and remains under investigation.
School officials have not said what triggered the incident or whether any arrests have been made.
This is a developing story. Updates will be added as more information becomes available.
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