Oklahoma Governor Voter Guide: Mazzei, Munson, Brooks, Bush and Griffin on Education and Data Centers
Five candidates are on the ballot for governor of Oklahoma on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026: Republican Mike Mazzei, Democrat Cyndi Munson and independents Robert E. Brooks Sr., Orlando Lynn Bush and Jerry Griffin, according to the Oklahoma State Election Board's list of candidates. The seat is open because Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt cannot run again due to term limits, Oklahoma Voice reported.
The Digital Free Press voter guide video compares Mazzei and Munson on education and data centers, based on their debate positions, and lists all five candidates. Here is where each one stands, based on the video, the candidates' own words and Oklahoma reporting.
Data centers have become a campaign issue as artificial intelligence drives demand for computing power. About 45 data centers are operating or planned in Oklahoma, News 9 reported. Mazzei and Munson met in a televised debate on OETA on Oct. 1. Brooks, Bush and Griffin did not meet the fundraising threshold OETA set for the debate, NonDoc reported.
Mike Mazzei (Republican)
Mazzei, 61, of Tulsa, served 12 years in the Oklahoma State Senate and was appointed by Stitt as Oklahoma's budget secretary in 2018, News 9 reported. He works as a financial adviser for the company he founded, Trinity Strategic Wealth, according to Oklahoma Voice. He won the Republican nomination on Aug. 25 after defeating Attorney General Gentner Drummond by about 2,000 votes in a runoff, and he has been endorsed by President Donald Trump.
On education, the video says Mazzei would hire a statewide literacy director in his first week to copy Mississippi's reading model. In an interview with News On 6, he said that model includes phonics-based reading instruction, reading coaches and a third-grade reading benchmark. "That's why I will hire a statewide literacy director in the very first week," he said. He also said he would sign an executive order early on to end what he called "the bad reading curriculum" at the State Department of Education, bring back deans of discipline in schools, expand career and technical education and support school choice. His campaign website says he would "pay teachers tops in the region," tie higher pay to performance, prioritize reading proficiency by third grade and move school board elections to the November statewide election date with party labels. "She wants to pour more and more money into an already dysfunctional system," Mazzei said of Munson at the OETA debate, according to NonDoc.
On data centers, the video says Mazzei wants four guardrails, including no taxpayer funds and having data centers pay for their own electricity. At the OETA debate, he said data centers should not be funded with taxpayer money, should provide their own electricity, should only be built on locally approved industrial sites and should use closed-loop cooling systems, News 9 reported. "If local communities approve data centers, I believe those should be the proper guardrails in this new technological era," he said. Mazzei has also said Oklahoma needs data centers because of the competition over artificial intelligence, according to News On 6. His campaign website calls for ending "special interest property tax breaks for green energy and data centers."
Cyndi Munson (Democrat)
Munson, 41, of Oklahoma City, has served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives since 2015 and is the House Democratic minority leader, Oklahoma Voice reported. She was the first Asian American woman elected to the Oklahoma Legislature. According to her campaign website, she grew up in Lawton, the daughter of a Vietnam War veteran and a South Korean immigrant, was the first in her family to graduate from college, at the University of Central Oklahoma, and spent more than a decade working for nonprofits.
On education, the video says Munson would raise pay for teachers and support staff and target funding to special education. "He wants to cut funding to our public schools. I want to invest in our public schools, raise teacher and support staff pay," she said of Mazzei in her opening statement at the OETA debate, according to NonDoc. Her campaign website says teachers and support staff "deserve a real pay raise" that is competitive with surrounding states, and that she would work to fully fund public schools and repeal the Parental Choice Tax Credit, which it says "diverts nearly $300 million of public money to private schools." She told News On 6 that special education and mental health services for teachers are issues she wants to look into, and that the state should review mandates on teachers and school districts that "just aren't working." Her website also says she would expand Oklahoma's Promise, the college tuition program, to veterans and all public school employees and their families, and provide free school breakfast and lunch statewide.
On data centers, the video says Munson would sign an executive order pausing new data center projects. "On Day 1, I will sign an executive order putting a moratorium on any new data center projects," she said at the OETA debate, NonDoc reported. "We need a standardized, uniform approach on how we deal with big tech. They want to come to Oklahoma because of our land and our loose regulations." Her campaign website says the moratorium would allow the state "to set guidelines and keep big tech companies accountable." She has also said Oklahomans should not "pay a single dime" for the infrastructure, energy or electricity costs data centers create, News 9 reported, and said that in the Legislature she supported bills requiring data centers to build their own infrastructure and pay for their own electricity and utilities.
Robert E. Brooks Sr. (Independent)
Brooks, 47, of Moore, is running as an independent and calls himself the "Farmer Servant," Oklahoma Voice and KOCO reported. According to his campaign website, he grew up on a small farm in Lindsay and has worked as a welder and machinist, a police officer, a county jailer and dispatcher, a sheriff's deputy, a detective, a firefighter, an EMT and an insurance professional. His campaign centers on letting voters weigh in on state decisions through a proposed "People's App," according to the site.
On education, the video lists Brooks without positions. His campaign's education plan supports letting parents choose among public, charter, private, faith-based, home, online and career-tech schooling, with funding that "should follow the student." It also calls for voluntary learning resources for families with children ages 3 to 5, performance-based help paying for day care, moving students ahead by mastery instead of grade level, testing throughout the year instead of relying mainly on one standardized test, less paperwork for teachers, earlier screening for learning challenges, more school mental health services and stronger special education services.
On data centers, his campaign website says, "I am not against data centers." It supports "a temporary pause on approving new high-impact projects," including large data centers, until the state completes a review of water availability, electric grid capacity, environmental impacts, infrastructure costs and community impacts. The site also calls for independent environmental reviews, early notice and public meetings for nearby property owners, and agreements that encourage data centers to help pay for the power they need, avoid shifting infrastructure costs onto residential customers and protect groundwater.
Brooks pleaded not guilty on Oct. 22 in Rogers County to a misdemeanor charge of threatening to perform an act of violence, KOCO reported; his attorneys said he denies the allegation, and his next hearing is set for Dec. 15, according to FOX23.
Orlando Lynn Bush (Independent)
Bush, 61, of Edmond, is running as an independent, according to Oklahoma Voice and the State Election Board's candidate list.
On education and data centers, the video lists Bush without positions. No campaign website or public statement by Bush on education or data centers could be found.
Jerry Griffin (Independent)
Griffin, 82, of Tulsa, is running as an independent, Oklahoma Voice reported. He served on the Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education before resigning in January 2024 and has described himself as an educator and author, News On 6 reported. He ran briefly for state superintendent as a Republican in 2022 and filed to run for the office again in 2025 as an independent, according to Oklahoma Voice.
On education, the video lists Griffin without positions. In 2023, Griffin published a reading-centric blueprint for education reform, Oklahoma Voice reported. When he announced his 2025 run for state superintendent, he said he would focus on raising academic standards, empowering educators and a "reading-centric education model," News On 6 reported. "It's time to restore excellence in our schools and ensure every child has the literacy foundation they need to succeed," he said then. His campaign website for governor was not loading on Oct. 25, 2026, so this guide relies on his earlier public statements.
On data centers, the video lists Griffin without positions. No public statement by Griffin on data centers could be found.
Where to Follow the Candidates
Mike Mazzei: @MazzeiMike on X and @mikemazzeiforok on TikTok. Cyndi Munson: @CyndiMunsonOK on X and @cyndimunsonok on TikTok. Robert E. Brooks Sr.: @robertebrooksforgovernor on TikTok. No campaign social media accounts were found for Orlando Lynn Bush or Jerry Griffin.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. This guide is for information only; The Digital Free Press does not endorse any candidate.
Yossi Schmidt, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, The Digital Free Press
Hold Everyone Accountable.
Sources: Oklahoma State Election Board, November 2026 list of elections: https://hosting.okelections.gov/electionlist.html ; Oklahoma Voice, "Democratic gubernatorial nominee talks Trump, money" (Oct. 21, 2026): https://oklahomavoice.com/2026/10/21/democratic-gubernatorial-nominee-talks-trump-money/ ; News 9, "In data center debate, Munson wants moratorium, Mazzei wants management" (Oct. 22, 2026): https://www.news9.com/oklahoma-elections/oklahoma-data-center-mike-mazzei-cyndi-munson ; News On 6, "Mike Mazzei shares priorities if elected" (Oct. 21, 2026): https://www.newson6.com/oklahoma-elections/mike-mazzei-priorities-governor-oklahoma ; News On 6, "Cyndi Munson outlines priorities ahead of election" (Oct. 21, 2026): https://www.newson6.com/oklahoma-politics/cyndi-munson-priorities-governor-oklahoma ; NonDoc, "In OETA debate, Mazzei, Munson face 'the elephant in the room'" (Oct. 2, 2026): https://nondoc.com/2026/10/02/in-oeta-debate-mazzei-munson-face-the-elephant-in-the-room/ ; KOCO, "Mike Mazzei, Cyndi Munson weigh teacher pay raises" (Oct. 21, 2026): https://www.koco.com/article/oklahoma-governor-race-teacher-pay-raises-mazzei-munson/74204669 ; KOCO, "Oklahoma gubernatorial candidate: Independent Robert Brooks": https://www.koco.com/article/oklahoma-gubernatorial-candidate-robert-brooks/74122995 ; News On 6, "Former TPS board member Jerry Griffin announces 2nd campaign for state superintendent" (March 7, 2025): https://www.newson6.com/story/67cac7ad7fcf24870f9254a2/jerry-griffin-state-superintendent-announcement-tps ; Oklahoma Voice, state superintendent candidates (Aug. 21, 2025): https://oklahomavoice.com/2025/08/21/former-tulsa-school-board-members-rural-school-leader-enter-race-for-state-superintendent/ ; Mike Mazzei campaign, The Plan: https://mikeforok.com/the-plan/ ; Cyndi Munson campaign, Priorities: https://www.cyndimunson.com/Priorities ; Cyndi Munson campaign, Meet Cyndi: https://www.cyndimunson.com/Meet_Cyndi ; Robert E. Brooks Sr. campaign, Meet Robert Brooks: https://votewethepeople.com/about-robert-brooks/ ; Robert E. Brooks Sr. campaign, Education Plan: https://votewethepeople.com/the-farmer-servant-education-plan/ ; Robert E. Brooks Sr. campaign, Responsible Economic Development: https://votewethepeople.com/data-centers/ ; Robert E. Brooks Sr. campaign, Energy Partnership: https://votewethepeople.com/the-peoples-oklahoma-energy-partnership/ ; KOCO, "Oklahoma candidate for governor appears in court on threat charge" (Oct. 22, 2026): https://www.koco.com/article/oklahoma-candidate-governor-robert-brooks-in-court-threat-charge/74221698 ; FOX23, "Oklahoma gubernatorial candidate Robert Brooks pleads not guilty in Rogers County case" (Oct. 23, 2026): https://fox23.com/news/politics/oklahoma-gubernatorial-candidate-robert-brooks-pleads-not-guilty-in-rogers-county-case
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