Governor of Oklahoma · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in the Oklahoma governor's race?
Cyndi Munson has the strongest record in the Oklahoma governor's race. Cyndi Munson scores 65 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Mike Mazzei at 63, as of October 9, 2026. Cyndi Munson's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Mike Mazzei's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Robert Brooks (2 of 15 criteria), Orlando Lynn Bush (1 of 15 criteria) and Jerry Griffin (4 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Independent
Robert Brooks
On the ballot as Robert E Brooks Sr
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 2 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
Independent
Orlando Lynn Bush
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 1 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 25
- Performance
- NR
Independent
Jerry Griffin
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 4 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 58
- Performance
- NR
Republican
Mike Mazzei
63 / 100
Public evidence on 10 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 80
- Performance
- 38
Democratic
Strongest record
Cyndi Munson
65 / 100
Public evidence on 10 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 80
- Performance
- 50
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Robert Brooks
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Orlando Lynn Bush
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Jerry Griffin
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Mike Mazzei
- On the record2026
His Ethics Commission filings show more than $11 million in personal loans to his campaign, partly from a bank loan secured by his share of his firm; he declined to answer questions about the loan.
Source: NonDoc, Aug. 24, 2026
- On the record2026-05-29
Announced support for the proposed Inola aluminum smelter after initially opposing it, two hours before President Trump endorsed him.
Source: NonDoc, Aug. 25, 2026
- On the record2026-06-02
A Frontier fact-check rated "Mostly false" his debate claim that he never supported the national popular vote; he voted for SB 906 in 2014, which his campaign says he misread.
- On the record2026-08
Declined a NonDoc and KSWO televised runoff debate proposal, then debated Gentner Drummond on Griffin Media and Cyndi Munson on OETA.
Sources: NonDoc, Aug. 4, 2026, NonDoc, Oct. 2, 2026
- Credit2004 to 2016
Oklahoma Watch described him as the chief architect of pension reforms during his 12 years in the Senate, where he chaired the Finance Committee.
Source: Oklahoma Watch, July 17, 2026
Cyndi Munson
- On the record2026-10-01
Debated Mike Mazzei on OETA in the only scheduled general election debate for governor.
Source: NonDoc, Oct. 2, 2026
- On the record2025 to 2026
Voted twice against $255 million in state money for the proposed Inola aluminum smelter.
Source: NonDoc, Oct. 2, 2026
- Credit2025-05-24
Her HB 2235, raising the cap on state compensation for wrongful incarceration, was approved by the governor with two provisions line-item vetoed, after passing the Senate 42 to 1.
- Credit2015
Became the first Asian American woman elected to the Oklahoma House, winning a 2015 special election to succeed a Republican representative.
Source: NonDoc, April 15, 2025
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Robert Brooks. No public record found.
Orlando Lynn Bush. No public record found.
Jerry Griffin. No public record found.
Mike Mazzei. No public record found.
Cyndi Munson. No public record found.
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Robert Brooks. No public record found.
Orlando Lynn Bush. No public record found.
Jerry Griffin. No public record found.
Mike Mazzei. No public record found.
Cyndi Munson. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Robert Brooks. No public record found.
Orlando Lynn Bush. No public record found.
Jerry Griffin. No public record found.
Mike Mazzei. Debated Gentner Drummond in the Republican runoff and Cyndi Munson in the only scheduled general election debate, on OETA on Oct. 1, 2026; he declined a separate NonDoc and KSWO runoff debate proposal.
Sources: NonDoc, Oct. 2, 2026, NonDoc, Aug. 4, 2026
Cyndi Munson. Debated Mike Mazzei in the only scheduled general election debate, on OETA on Oct. 1, 2026.
Source: NonDoc, Oct. 2, 2026
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Robert Brooks. No public record found.
Orlando Lynn Bush. No public record found.
Jerry Griffin. No public record found.
Mike Mazzei. Twelve years as a state senator and 21 months as state budget secretary with no formal conduct finding found.
Cyndi Munson. State representative since September 2015 and House minority leader since 2022, with no censure, reprimand or formal conduct finding found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Cyndi Munson, Oklahoma House member page
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Robert Brooks. No public record found.
Orlando Lynn Bush. No public record found.
Jerry Griffin. Held sworn office on the Tulsa Public Schools board from 2020 to 2024 per Ballotpedia. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Jerry Griffin
Mike Mazzei. Took the oath as a state senator from 2004 to 2016 and served as secretary of budget. No official finding of misuse of office and no recorded action to reject certified results found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Mike Mazzei
Cyndi Munson. Has held sworn office as a state representative since 2015. No official finding of misuse of office and no recorded action to reject certified results found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Cyndi Munson
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Robert Brooks. No public record found.
Orlando Lynn Bush. No public record found.
Jerry Griffin. Served on the Tulsa Public Schools board from 2020 to 2024.
Source: Ballotpedia, Jerry Griffin
Mike Mazzei. State senator for 12 years, chairing the Senate Finance Committee, and Gov. Kevin Stitt's secretary of budget in 2019 and 2020; founded a financial planning firm.
Cyndi Munson. State representative for House District 85 since 2015, in her sixth term, and House minority leader in the 59th and 60th Legislatures.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Cyndi Munson, Oklahoma House member page
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Robert Brooks. Publishes a platform built around a "People's App" through which voters would weigh in before the governor signs bills or issues pardons.
Source: Campaign site
Orlando Lynn Bush. No public record found.
Jerry Griffin. Publishes general positions and free books on his campaign site.
Source: Campaign site
Mike Mazzei. Proposes specific state measures within a governor's reach, including ending the state income tax, abolishing property taxes for seniors and veterans, and a statewide literacy program; former Senate Finance chair and budget secretary.
Source: NonDoc, Aug. 24, 2026
Cyndi Munson. House minority leader (an elected chamber leadership post) who serves on Appropriations and Budget; proposes specific actions, including a Day 1 executive order pausing new data center projects.
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Robert Brooks. Publishes a platform and policy agenda on his campaign site; NonDoc describes his platform as admittedly AI-aided.
Sources: Campaign site, NonDoc, Oct. 2, 2026
Orlando Lynn Bush. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey, and no campaign website or published issue statement was found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Orlando Lynn Bush
Jerry Griffin. Publishes issue positions on his campaign site. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Campaign site, Ballotpedia, Jerry Griffin
Mike Mazzei. Publishes issue pages and a weekly 'Mazzei Minute' blog and video series, and took part in televised debates. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: NonDoc, April 4, 2025, NonDoc, Oct. 2, 2026, Ballotpedia, Mike Mazzei
Cyndi Munson. Publishes campaign priorities, delivered the House Democrats' 2026 State of the State response and took part in the televised debate. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Campaign site, NonDoc, June 11, 2026, Ballotpedia, Cyndi Munson
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Robert Brooks. No public record found.
Orlando Lynn Bush. No public record found.
Jerry Griffin. No public record found.
Mike Mazzei. Lives in Tulsa and represented a Tulsa-area Senate district from 2004; has been active in Oklahoma politics since the 1990s. In-state share of contributions not available (state filings blocked).
Sources: NonDoc, Aug. 24, 2026, NonDoc, April 4, 2025
Cyndi Munson. Raised in Lawton and has represented a northwest Oklahoma City district since 2015. In-state share of contributions not available (state filings blocked).
Source: Oklahoma House member page
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Robert Brooks. No public record found.
Orlando Lynn Bush. No public record found.
Jerry Griffin. No public record found.
Mike Mazzei. Founded a Tulsa financial planning firm that grew to manage $1.5 billion in assets, and served as state budget secretary.
Sources: Oklahoma Watch, July 17, 2026, Governor's office release, Oct. 12, 2020
Cyndi Munson. Leads the House Democratic caucus and spent more than a decade in nonprofit roles.
Source: Oklahoma House member page
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Robert Brooks. No public record found.
Orlando Lynn Bush. No public record found.
Jerry Griffin. No public record found.
Mike Mazzei. Was the chief architect of pension reforms as a senator, per Oklahoma Watch, and as budget secretary helped lead distribution of $1.26 billion in federal COVID-19 relief.
Sources: Oklahoma Watch, July 17, 2026, Governor's office release, Oct. 12, 2020
Cyndi Munson. Principal House author of HB 2235, raising the cap on compensation for wrongful incarceration, approved by the governor in May 2025 with two provisions line-item vetoed.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Robert Brooks. No public record found.
Orlando Lynn Bush. No public record found.
Jerry Griffin. No public record found.
Mike Mazzei. Has attended 10 of 40 monthly meetings of the Oklahoma Police Pension and Retirement System board since his March 2023 appointment, last attending in April 2025: 75 percent missed, per Oklahoma Watch and NonDoc.
Sources: Oklahoma Watch, July 17, 2026, NonDoc, Aug. 25, 2026
Cyndi Munson. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Robert Brooks. No public record found.
Orlando Lynn Bush. No public record found.
Jerry Griffin. No public record found.
Mike Mazzei. No public record found.
Cyndi Munson. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Robert Brooks. No public record found.
Orlando Lynn Bush. No public record found.
Jerry Griffin. No public record found.
Mike Mazzei. No public record found.
Cyndi Munson. Her HB 2235 carried a Republican principal Senate author and Republican coauthors and passed the Senate 42 to 1.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Robert Brooks. No public record found.
Orlando Lynn Bush. No public record found.
Jerry Griffin. No public record found.
Mike Mazzei. No public record found.
Cyndi Munson. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 9, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in the Oklahoma governor's race?
Cyndi Munson has the strongest record in the Oklahoma governor's race. Cyndi Munson scores 65 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Mike Mazzei at 63, as of October 9, 2026. Cyndi Munson's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Mike Mazzei's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Robert Brooks (2 of 15 criteria), Orlando Lynn Bush (1 of 15 criteria) and Jerry Griffin (4 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in the Oklahoma governor's race in 2026?
Robert Brooks (Independent), Orlando Lynn Bush (Independent), Jerry Griffin (Independent), Mike Mazzei (Republican), Cyndi Munson (Democratic). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Robert Brooks a good candidate for Governor?
Robert Brooks has public evidence on 2 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Orlando Lynn Bush a good candidate for Governor?
Orlando Lynn Bush has public evidence on 1 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Jerry Griffin a good candidate for Governor?
Jerry Griffin has public evidence on 4 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Mike Mazzei a good candidate for Governor?
Mike Mazzei scores 63 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 10 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 80 of 100, performance 38 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Cyndi Munson a good candidate for Governor?
Cyndi Munson scores 65 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 10 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 80 of 100, performance 50 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Oklahoma race scored, and the Oklahoma 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.