The 2026 Oklahoma gubernatorial election will take place on November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of Oklahoma. Incumbent Republican Governor Kevin Stitt is term-limited and cannot seek re-election to a third term in office.
Primary elections will be held on June 16, 2026.
Background
Oklahoma is a solidly red state. Democrats last won a gubernatorial race in 2006, with incumbent Governor Kevin Stitt winning re-election by a 13.6% margin in 2022.
Primary elections will be held on June 16, 2026.
Republican primary
Campaign
In August 2023, KOSU noted that Attorney General Gentner Drummond had raised significantly more than other statewide elected officials in 2023, fueling rumors of a gubernatorial run. The same month, The Black Wall Street Times reported State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters was preparing for a 2026 gubernatorial campaign. U.S. Representative Kevin Hern was the first major contender to public acknowledge he was considering a campaign in August 2024, but ruled out a run that December after House Republicans won a narrow majority in the 2024 elections. In early January 2025, former state senator Mike Mazzei posted a gubernatorial campaign logo to Facebook, but he has yet to officially launched a campaign.
On January 13, 2025, Drummond announced his campaign for governor. He was the first major candidate to enter the race and the second overall after Leisa Mitchell Haynes. On February 18, McCall officially announced his campaign.
Candidates
Declared
- Gentner Drummond, Oklahoma Attorney General (2023–present)
- Leisa Mitchell Haynes, former city manager of Rio Communities, New Mexico
- Mike Mazzei, former Oklahoma Secretary of Budget (2019–2020) and former state senator (2004–2016)
- Charles McCall, Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives (2017–2025)
Potential
- Chip Keating, former Oklahoma Secretary of Public Safety (2019–2020) and son of former governor Frank Keating
- Matt Pinnell, Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma (2019–present)
- Kayse Shrum, former president of Oklahoma State University (2021–2025) and former Oklahoma Secretary of Science and Innovation (2019–2020)
- Greg Treat, former President pro tempore of the Oklahoma Senate (2019–2025)
- Ryan Walters, Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction (2023–present)
Declined
- G. T. Bynum, former Mayor of Tulsa (2016–2024)
- Kevin Hern, U.S. Representative from Oklahoma's 1st congressional district (2018–present)
- James Lankford, U.S. Senator (2015–present)
Endorsements
Polling
Democratic primary
Candidates
Potential
- Cyndi Munson, minority leader of the Oklahoma House of Representatives (2022–present) from the 85th district (2015–present)
General election
Predictions
See also
- 2026 United States gubernatorial elections
Notes
Partisan clients
References
External links
- Official campaign websites
- Gentner Drummond (R) for Governor
- Leisa Mitchell Haynes (R) for Governor
