Former House Speaker to run for Oklahoma governor 

OKLAHOMA CITY – Former Oklahoma House Speaker Charles McCall on Tuesday announced he is running for governor.

“I truly believe God put President Trump back in the White House to save our great country, and I am going to do everything alongside him to Make America Great Again and Keep Oklahoma Great,” he wrote in a letter posted on X, formerly Twitter, and Facebook. “There is no time to waste.”

McCall, 54, joins Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond and Leisa Mitchell Haynes of Choctaw in seeking the Republican nomination in 2026. Gov. Kevin Stitt is finishing his second and final term.

McCall’s announcement was expected.

McCall, a banker, spent 12 years in the Oklahoma House representing Atoka. He served as House Speaker for eight years. He could not seek another term in the Legislature due to term limits.

“As your Republican Speaker, we beat the radical left every step of the way,” he wrote. “We delivered historic tax cuts, passed the toughest immigration laws in the nation, enacted constitutional carry, passed parental choice options, and banned boys from girls bathrooms, and so much more,” McCall wrote.

He said there is more to do, including departing every single illegal and building the “boldest economy” in the nation.

McCall is a former Atoka mayor and city council member.