OKLAHOMA CITY — Gentner Drummond, the Republican Attorney General of Oklahoma, has officially announced his candidacy for governor. This announcement was made at the Osage County Fairgrounds in Pawhuska, close to his family ranch, signaling an early kickoff for the 2026 election season in a state known for its strong Republican leanings.
Drummond, 61, a prominent rancher and banker from one of the state’s well-known landowning families, emphasized that he is not entering the race to cater to party leaders. He stated, “I’m not running for governor so I can bow down to party bosses.” A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Drummond has an impressive background as a fighter pilot, actively engaging in numerous combat missions during the Gulf War in 1991. His tenure as attorney general has been marked by strong actions against illegal marijuana cultivation, following Oklahoma’s 2018 legalization of medical marijuana.
Early support for Drummond’s campaign comes from the Oklahoma State Fraternal Order of Police, which has around 6,000 members. The organization’s executive board voted unanimously to endorse him, a move highlighted by FOP President Mark Nelson.
Drummond is the first candidate to emerge in what is projected to be a competitive Republican primary, as current Governor Kevin Stitt is ineligible to run again due to term limits. Other potential candidates in this race include former state Senator Mike Mazzei, who previously served as a top budget advisor to Stitt; State Superintendent Ryan Walters, a former educator and Stitt’s ex-education secretary; former House Speaker Charles McCall, who is a banker from Atoka; Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell, who was once the national state party director for the Republican National Committee; and Chip Keating, who served as Stitt’s secretary of public safety and is the son of a former governor.
Political analyst Pat McFerron noted, “I would say that Drummond starts with the highest name ID of anyone we’ve discussed, and he has very few negatives, but it’s way too early to handicap the field overall.” Drummond previously defeated Attorney General John O’Connor, who was handpicked by Stitt, in the 2022 elections, demonstrating his independent political strength.
Drummond’s relationship with Stitt has not been without conflict; he has publicly disagreed with the governor on several crucial matters. For instance, he criticized Stitt’s backing of a pioneering publicly funded religious charter school, arguing that the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board acted unlawfully when approving the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual Charter School application in 2023. Additionally, Drummond has expressed his dissatisfaction with Stitt’s aggressive stance towards Native American tribes in Oklahoma, emphasizing his preference for a more collaborative relationship with these sovereign entities.
