Trump-Backed Mazzei Wins GOP Nomination for Oklahoma Governor

Former state Sen. Mike Mazzei has won the Republican nomination for governor of Oklahoma, NBC News projects, defeating state Attorney General Gentner Drummond by about 2,000 votes in Tuesday's primary runoff.

The victory is a win for President Donald Trump, who endorsed Mazzei in May and repeatedly urged Oklahoma Republicans to back him over Drummond in the closing weeks of the race.

The initial June primary was also close, with Drummond finishing about 1,000 votes ahead of Mazzei. Because no candidate in the crowded field won a majority, the race advanced to a runoff.

Drummond outraised and outspent Mazzei heading into the runoff, bringing in $2.3 million since the June primary compared with Mazzei's $816,000. Both candidates supplemented their campaigns with personal loans — $11 million from Mazzei and $3 million from Drummond.

Trump's criticism of Drummond intensified after the attorney general sued to block construction of what would be the largest aluminum smelter in the country, in Inola, Oklahoma, citing environmental and public health concerns. Trump called the project "one of the best projects ever conceived or built" and said Drummond "doesn't stand for the Values of Oklahoma." Mazzei supports the smelter's construction.

Drummond also broke with Trump this week over the president's decision to waive tariffs on some beef imports, telling NewsNation that most Oklahomans believe the move "only injures Oklahoma's cattlemen, ranchers and farmers."

Trump's endorsement remains highly sought after in Republican politics, though he has had setbacks in gubernatorial races this year, with five of his endorsed candidates losing their primaries.

Mazzei is now considered the heavy favorite to win November's general election in the deeply Republican state. He will face Democratic state Rep. Cyndi Munson.