The Tulsa Regional Chamber peeled back the policy layers of Oklahoma’s next governor Thursday at its State of the State.
Before a record-breaking crowd of more than 1,000 people at the Arvest Convention Center, the event’s gubernatorial forum featured state Attorney General Gentner Drummond, former state Sen. Mike Mazzei and Oklahoma House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson.
Republicans Drummond and Mazzei are squaring off in an Aug. 25 runoff, with the winner facing Munson, a Democrat, in the general election on Nov. 3.
Forum moderator Stacy Leeds, president of the University of Tulsa, quizzed the candidates on everything from education and economic development to quality of life and health and human services.
Munson stressed investing in public schools, lowering healthcare costs and increasing subsidies for childcare to enlarge the labor force.
“It’s so critical for us to get this right,” Munson said of childcare support, “to do it as soon as possible to increase opportunities for working Oklahomans.”
Mazzei outlined his plan to make Oklahoma a zero-income-tax state. He also reiterated his support for a proposed Inola aluminum plant, which Drummond has challenged in state court, saying it will bring a $25 billion economic impact to the state.
“We can make Oklahoma a no-income-tax state and abolish property taxes for seniors and veterans and still pay all the bills,” said Mazzei, who served in the Oklahoma Senate from 2004 to 2016. “We can launch a statewide literacy program and get our kids reading at grade level.
“And I will get the 7,500 students off the 29 CareerTech waiting lists because they want a great job and a good career. This plan will launch a wave of growth and opportunity, and I’m so excited and optimistic about the future of Oklahoma…”
Drummond, a former prosecutor and fighter pilot who served in the Gulf War, cited his ability to take command. He was a captain in the Air Force and became state Attorney General in 2023.
“This race is about leadership,” he said. “This race is about someone who can take the helm of the state, who is proven in the skies of combat, in the courtrooms and board rooms of Oklahoma, and for the last three and a half years, leading the most significant agency in the state of Oklahoma, breaking the back of organized crime and protecting every household in Oklahoma. That’s serious business, no gimmick, no false promise.”
A member of the state House of Representatives since 2015, Munson vowed to work in a bipartisan fashion, a trait lacking in recent governors, she said.
“We have to get beyond party affiliation and what we’ve historically done,” she said. “Oklahoma can no longer be under one-party control. We went from 17th in the nation in public education when I graduated high school to 50th in the nation.
“We can’t have four or eight more years of the same type of leadership. We need two parties working together coming up with solutions that actually help everyday Oklahomans.”
