A new governor and other election results
Mazzei is scheduled to take office on Jan. 11, 2027, succeeding term-limited Gov. Kevin Stitt. His victory followed a much closer Republican primary runoff in August: He edged Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond by less than 1%, or just over 2,000 votes. Drummond conceded, according to The Journal Record.
Mazzei campaigned on ending the state income tax, reducing insurance costs and eliminating property taxes for seniors and veterans. The Journal Record reported that he also backed the proposed $4 billion aluminum smelter in Inola after President Donald Trump endorsed him in May.
A Munson victory would have made her Oklahoma's first Asian American governor. She became the state's first Asian American state lawmaker when she won an Oklahoma House seat in 2015, The Journal Record reported.
In other results reported by The Journal Record, former Oklahoma House Speaker T.W. Shannon won the lieutenant governor's race, while Republican U.S. Rep. Kevin Hern defeated Democrat N'Kiyla Jasmine Thomas by a wide margin for the open U.S. Senate seat. Republican U.S. Rep. Stephanie Bice narrowly retained her seat, receiving 49.67% to Democrat Jena Nelson's 48.04%.
The election results were among the topics on the Nov. 6 edition of KOSU's This Week in Oklahoma Politics. Host Michael Cross, civic leader Andy Moore and former Republican state Sen. A.J. Griffin also discussed Democratic wins in the Oklahoma House and ballot measures statewide and in Oklahoma and Tulsa counties.
Voters turn down tax and judicial measures
Oklahoma County voters rejected the proposed jail sales tax, with 62.32% voting no, according to The Journal Record. Both statewide questions on the Nov. 3 ballot also failed.
State Question 845, concerning the Judicial Nominating Commission, drew opposition from 72.63% of voters. The vote was closer on State Question 847, which would have slowed property tax growth: 54.33% voted against it.
Top-two primary proposal awaits a court ruling
The KOSU panel also discussed the legal dispute over State Question 836. The proposal would put candidates of all parties on a single primary ballot, with the two candidates receiving the most votes advancing to the general election, according to Oklahoma Voice.
Oklahoma Secretary of State Benjamin Lepak rejected the initiative petition in March 2026. His office counted 142,567 valid signatures out of more than 209,000 submitted, short of the required 172,993. It reported rejecting 57,841 signatures, about 29%.
The Oklahoma Supreme Court heard nearly two hours of oral arguments on Nov. 2 but issued no immediate ruling, Oklahoma Voice reported.
Operation Guardian reaches beyond Oklahoma
Federal and state officials' expansion of Oklahoma's Operation Guardian immigration program to surrounding states was another topic on the KOSU program. According to the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement worked with state and local partners on a 72-hour enforcement operation across 15 states from Oct. 26 through Oct. 28, 2026.
DHS said the operation targeted immigrants with unauthorized commercial driver's licenses and other public-safety threats in the trucking industry. More than 230 immigrants were arrested, including more than 40 commercial driver's license holders. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin presented the results at a Nov. 2 press conference at Melton Truck Lines headquarters in Tulsa.
DHS described Operation Guardian as part of a broader federal crackdown involving immigrants with commercial driver's licenses. A separate nationwide effort, Operation Guardrail, began Sept. 25, 2026, and had led to 303 arrests by Oct. 29.
For the period from Jan. 20, 2025, through Oct. 28, 2026, DHS reported 4,795 CDL-related arrests nationwide and 1,233 arrests involving CDL holders.
