Mike Mazzei, a Trump-backed businessman, won the Republican nomination for governor of Oklahoma on Tuesday, narrowly defeating the state’s attorney general, Gentner Drummond, in a primary runoff, according to The Associated Press.
Mr. Mazzei campaigned on sharply cutting taxes, including a proposal to phase out the state’s income tax over six years. His support for a $4 billion aluminum smelter helped win him President Trump’s backing.
The smelter, backed by investments from a United Arab Emirates company, split the Republican field. Many Oklahomans opposed the project, citing its foreign ownership and its demands on the state’s power grid. Mr. Drummond filed suit to try to block the smelter.
Mr. Trump championed the project. The president who Oklahoma in 2024 with 66 percent of the vote.
Mr. Mazzei came out in support of the smelter weeks before the June primary. Mr. Trump endorsed him on Truth Social on the same day
Mr. Trump recorded a video supporting Mr. Mazzei during the runoff, calling Mr. Drummond a “fake Republican.”
Both men were battered by negative ads and mailers. Mr. Drummond was attacked as a “Trump hater,” and Mr. Mazzei was accused of hypocrisy for opposing foreign ownership of Oklahoma land while backing the Emirati-financed smelter.
Mr. Drummond said he would cut taxes, but not deeply enough to threaten public schools, roads and public safety. His position set him apart from Mr. Mazzei, who had pledged to eliminate property taxes for Oklahomans who are 65 years or older and to eliminate the income tax.
Mr. Mazzei said the cuts would not shrink government services, arguing that faster growth would generate revenue from other taxes.
For much of the race, Mr. Mazzei, who is the head of a financial planning firm, funded his campaign himself, loaning it more than $11 million, according to campaign filings this month. He raised significantly less from individual contributors, about $1.4 million.
As the winner of the Republican primary in a deeply red state, Mr. Mazzei now enters the November election as the favorite against the Democratic nominee for governor, State Representative Cyndi Munson.
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