Polds4OSU
Marshall
Charles McCall, former Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, is one of four Republicans who have announced that they’re running for governor in the solidly red state. Incumbent Governor Kevin Stitt (R) is not running for re-election due to term limits.
(Note: The other Republicans running in the 2026 election include Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond and former state senator Mike Mazzei. The only Democrat, so far, to declare a run is Cyndi Munson, minority leader of the Oklahoma House of Representatives).
McCall is promoting himself as a big supporter of President Donald Trump, as seen below wearing a MAGA hat at Mar-a-Lago in April with his wife.
When he announced his candidacy, McCall wrote: “I truly believe God put President Trump back in the White House.”
Six weeks after announcing his run, McCall reported that his campaign raised $1.33 million in the first six weeks. According to a press release, the McCall campaign raised $638,000 from individual donors and the candidate “personally invested an additional $601,000.” (The campaign also received a $100,000 transfer from a pre-existing campaign committee.)
Attorney General Drummond's campaign has reported receiving $1.6 million in the first quarter of 2025, and says it is “the biggest fundraising total ever for a non-incumbent in an Oklahoma gubernatorial primary.”
Note: Drummond's campaign also received funds from his Attorney General campaign account, which gives him more than $2.3 million for the race so far.
The big issue on the ballot is school choice. While McCall is for school choice, Drummond’s position on the issue is more complex. On Sunday, The Oklahoman published his op-ed titled ‘Allowing St. Isidore school would threaten religious liberty.’
Drummond wrote: “While many Oklahomans undoubtedly would support charter schools sponsored by various Christian faiths, the precedent created by approval of a Catholic charter school will compel approval of similar applications by all faiths. As a committed Christian, the last thing I want is for my tax dollars to fund the indoctrination of arguably extreme or fringe religions that most Oklahomans and I would find objectionable or even offensive. That scenario is an inevitability, not hyperbole.”
Drummond added: “Religious liberty means every citizen is free to worship as he or she believes. Religious liberty does not mean the government should fund religious teachings.
To avoid any confusion, I am very supportive of private religious schools. I sent my own children to a private Christian school for high school. Every family should be free to choose private religious education.”
While Oklahoma's Supreme Court sided with Drummond’s efforts to protect religious liberty (Drummond v. Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board), the U.S. Supreme Court will hear the case St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School v. Drummond, on Wednesday, April 30.
The Democratic candidate, State Rep. Munson said that voters in her majority-Republican district want church-state separation to be preserved: “I represent a district that is predominantly Republican and, I would say, religious.”
She added, “I have Catholics, churches in my district, pretty well-known affluent ones. And they say, ‘This is not what we want in our public schools.'”
Note: Governor Stitt, who has advocated for opening St. Isidore to expand educational options in the state, has yet to endorse a candidate in the 2026 Oklahoma gubernatorial election.
(Note: The other Republicans running in the 2026 election include Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond and former state senator Mike Mazzei. The only Democrat, so far, to declare a run is Cyndi Munson, minority leader of the Oklahoma House of Representatives).
McCall is promoting himself as a big supporter of President Donald Trump, as seen below wearing a MAGA hat at Mar-a-Lago in April with his wife.
When he announced his candidacy, McCall wrote: “I truly believe God put President Trump back in the White House.”
Six weeks after announcing his run, McCall reported that his campaign raised $1.33 million in the first six weeks. According to a press release, the McCall campaign raised $638,000 from individual donors and the candidate “personally invested an additional $601,000.” (The campaign also received a $100,000 transfer from a pre-existing campaign committee.)
Attorney General Drummond's campaign has reported receiving $1.6 million in the first quarter of 2025, and says it is “the biggest fundraising total ever for a non-incumbent in an Oklahoma gubernatorial primary.”
Note: Drummond's campaign also received funds from his Attorney General campaign account, which gives him more than $2.3 million for the race so far.
The big issue on the ballot is school choice. While McCall is for school choice, Drummond’s position on the issue is more complex. On Sunday, The Oklahoman published his op-ed titled ‘Allowing St. Isidore school would threaten religious liberty.’
Drummond wrote: “While many Oklahomans undoubtedly would support charter schools sponsored by various Christian faiths, the precedent created by approval of a Catholic charter school will compel approval of similar applications by all faiths. As a committed Christian, the last thing I want is for my tax dollars to fund the indoctrination of arguably extreme or fringe religions that most Oklahomans and I would find objectionable or even offensive. That scenario is an inevitability, not hyperbole.”
Drummond added: “Religious liberty means every citizen is free to worship as he or she believes. Religious liberty does not mean the government should fund religious teachings.
To avoid any confusion, I am very supportive of private religious schools. I sent my own children to a private Christian school for high school. Every family should be free to choose private religious education.”
While Oklahoma's Supreme Court sided with Drummond’s efforts to protect religious liberty (Drummond v. Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board), the U.S. Supreme Court will hear the case St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School v. Drummond, on Wednesday, April 30.
The Democratic candidate, State Rep. Munson said that voters in her majority-Republican district want church-state separation to be preserved: “I represent a district that is predominantly Republican and, I would say, religious.”
She added, “I have Catholics, churches in my district, pretty well-known affluent ones. And they say, ‘This is not what we want in our public schools.'”
Note: Governor Stitt, who has advocated for opening St. Isidore to expand educational options in the state, has yet to endorse a candidate in the 2026 Oklahoma gubernatorial election.
