Democratic gubernatorial nominee talks Trump, money

OKLAHOMA CITY – Cyndi Munson acknowledges she has less money to spend and a lot of Republican voters to sway, but said she has one thing her leading opponent doesn’t: momentum.

Even as Republican Mike Mazzei has pumped millions of his own money into his campaign for governor, Munson, 41, said she senses a bipartisan swell of support behind her Democratic candidacy for governor heading into the Nov. 3 general election.

The Oklahoma City resident faces Mazzei, 61, and independent candidates Jerry Griffin, 82, of Tulsa, Robert E. Brooks Sr., 47, of Moore, and Orlando Lynn Bush, 61, of Edmond.

“I have felt the momentum for quite a bit of time and it’s obviously increased since the Republican primary and Republican primary runoff,” said Munson, House Democratic minority leader.

Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, who has held the state’s top role for the past eight years, cannot run again due to term limits. The last Democrat to hold the state’s top office was Brad Henry, whose term ended in 2011. Every statewide and federal office is currently held by Republicans.

Mazzei, 61, of Tulsa, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump, initially agreed to an interview with Oklahoma Voice to discuss his campaign and priorities, but then canceled, saying he had a scheduling problem. He said he could not reschedule. 

Mazzei edged out Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond in the statewide Aug. 25 runoff by a little more than 2,000 votes.

A former state senator who later served as Stitt’s budget secretary, Mazzei works as a financial adviser for the company he founded, Trinity Strategic Wealth.

He wants to eliminate the income tax, end property taxes for seniors and veterans, stop foreign entities and out-of-state investors from buying property, and reform Oklahoma’s education system, according to his campaign website.   

Mazzei has put $11 million in bank-backed loans into his campaign.

“I do think he is trying to buy the governor’s office,” Munson said, who has raised about $1.7 million.

While all 77 Oklahoma counties voted for Trump the three times he was on the ballot, Munson believes Trump’s overwhelming disapproval rating nationwide due to inflation and the war with Iran could help her win.

She said her events are becoming more bipartisan, with some Republican voters telling her they are voting this election cycle for the candidate, not the party.

She said it is not just the war and inflation, but decisions have been made that impact farmers and ranchers and also hinder access to healthcare and food stamps. She said she will not be a rubber stamp for Trump’s policies.

“They may share the party registration of the president, or maybe even voted for him, but they see how these policies are impacting their own lives and their communities, and so I think that is where a lot of the frustration really is and why people are ready for change,” Munson said.

As of Sept. 30, Oklahoma had slightly more than 1.3 million registered Republican voters compared to just under 622,000 Democrats, about 23,600 Libertarians and nearly 498,000 independents, according to the Oklahoma Election Board.

Munson has been to all 77 counties campaigning on affordability, education, healthcare and repealing the state’s abortion ban.

She holds a degree from the University of Central Oklahoma and worked in nonprofits before being elected in 2015 to the Oklahoma House.

“You can just see financial backing, the difference between me being backed by people every day working Oklahomans and him just writing a check to himself,” Munson said. “And that disconnect is very, very clear.”