Former state Sen. Mike Mazzei has secured the Republican nomination for governor in Oklahoma, NBC News projects, a victory for President Donald Trump’s preferred candidate.
\n\nMazzei narrowly defeated state Attorney General Gentner Drummond by about 2,000 votes in the GOP primary runoff.
\n\nThe initial June primary was also tight. Drummond finished in first place by just more than 1,000 votes over Mazzei. Since no candidate in the crowded field secured a majority, the race went to a runoff.
\n\nIn the weeks leading up to the runoff, Drummond outraised and outspent Mazzei, with his campaign reporting last week that he brought in $2.3 million between the mid-June primary and Tuesday’s runoff. Mazzei, in the same time period, raised $816,000.
\n\nBoth candidates have also loaned their campaigns significant sums: $11 million for Mazzei and $3 million for Drummond.
\n\nTrump first endorsed Mazzei in May in the race to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Kevin Stitt and continued to reiterate his support for the former state lawmaker.
\n\nIn a post on Truth Social last week, Trump praised Mazzei and criticized Drummond, writing, “Drummond is not the right guy. He’s got a bad attitude, and he doesn’t stand for the Values of Oklahoma, which must…
Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business