Mike Mazzei Runs for Oklahoma Governor With $11 Million of His Own Money
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 26
Mike Mazzei Runs for Oklahoma Governor With $11 Million of His Own Money
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 26
Summary
Mike Mazzei, 61, enters Oklahoma’s GOP governor runoff as a Trump-backed former state senator and ex-budget secretary facing Attorney General Gentner Drummond.
Trump endorsed Mazzei before the June primary and repeated that backing twice since, including last week when he called Drummond a “fake Republican.”
Mazzei has centered his campaign on eliminating Oklahoma’s income tax over six years and ending property taxes on homes owned by residents 65 or older.
More than $11 million of Mazzei’s campaign funding has come from his own loans, compared with about $1.4 million raised from individual donors.
He also backs taxpayer-funded religious charter schools and reversed his stance on a $4 billion UAE-backed aluminum smelter near Tulsa, an issue tied to Trump’s endorsement.