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MEET THE CANDIDATES: Who is running for office in Oklahoma
He defeated incumbent Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond in an August runoff election to win the nomination.
Updated Oct 16, 2026, 2:28 PM ET
Democratic · 3 November 2026
Cyndi Munson
Minority Leader of the Oklahoma House of Representatives (since 2022)
Cyndi Munson, minority leader of the Oklahoma House of Representatives since 2022, is the Democrats' 2026 nominee for Oklahoma governor.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
Live TruthIndex™ and prediction market consensus for races contested by Cyndi Munson.
Latest coverage
Live News
Recent media coverage for Cyndi Munson.
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Oklahoma reopens Jim Thorpe building after $70M renovation
OKLAHOMA CITY: After three years and $70 million of renovations, state leaders announced Wednesday that the Jim Thorpe Office Building on the Oklahoma State Capitol Complex is reopening.
journalrecord.com
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Stacey Abrams speaks at OKC luncheon, rallies behind Cyndi Munson
When national voting rights advocate, author and political leader Stacey Abrams recalled taking photos with a slew of people running for public office in
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Stacey Abrams speaks at 2026 Powerful Women's Luncheon in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City School Board Member Galilea Martinez talks with Sen. Julia Kirt. Stacey Abrams was the guest speaker at Sally’s List luncheon at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026.
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Oklahoma Midterm Elections 2026: Key Races, Candidates and Past Results
See whether Oklahoma's 2026 early voters participated in the 2022 and 2024 elections, broken down by party.
NBC News
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What does the latest Oklahoma governor poll show about Mike Mazzei and Cyndi Munson?
Split-screen photo of Oklahoma governor candidates Cyndi Munson, wearing a yellow dress, and Mike Mazzei, wearing a dark suit and red tie.
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Oklahoma Midterm: Democratic gubernatorial candidate Cyndi Munson
Cyndi Munson is the Democratic candidate in Oklahoma’s gubernatorial race. She previously served in the Oklahoma House (District 85), becoming the first Asian-American woman elected to the Oklahoma Legislature.
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Oklahoma governor’s race remains a statistical tie, poll finds
Republican Mike Mazzei and Democrat Cyndi Munson remain in a statistical tie in the Oklahoma governor’s race, according to a second survey from Cross Timbers Poll, a nonpartisan, member-funded polling project.
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University of Tulsa aims to promote civic engagement in latest candidate forum
Cyndi Munson, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Oklahoma, attended a University of Tulsa candidate forum aimed at promoting civic engagement.
No story this week names this candidate.
- Born
- May 24, 1985
- Birthplace
- Monterey, California
- Education
- University of Central Oklahoma (B.A. in political science)
University of Nebraska–Lincoln (M.S. in leadership education)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Cyndi Ann Munson was born on May 24, 1985, in Monterey, California, and was raised in Lawton, Oklahoma, by her father, a Vietnam War veteran; her mother is a native of Seoul, South Korea.
The first member of her family to complete college, she obtained a political science degree (Bachelor of Arts) from the University of Central Oklahoma with help from Oklahoma's Promise, an income-based state tuition program, and later a University of Nebraska–Lincoln master's degree in leadership education.
Before entering politics she worked for nonprofit organizations, including the OK Messages Project and the Girl Scouts of Western Oklahoma.
Career
After losing a 2014 bid for the Oklahoma House of Representatives, Munson won a 2015 special election in the 85th district, which covers part of Oklahoma City, to succeed David Dank, taking more than 54 percent of the vote in a seat Republicans had held.
She became the first Asian American woman elected to the Oklahoma Legislature. In 2019 she joined the Oversight Committee for the Legislative Office for Fiscal Transparency, and in 2022 she took over from Emily Virgin as House minority leader.
Her legislative work has included criminal justice measures, among them a bill expanding compensation for people exonerated after wrongful convictions.
2026 race
Munson declared her candidacy for governor in April 2025, the first Democrat in the race to succeed term-limited Republican governor Kevin Stitt.
Her platform includes more money for public schools, higher teacher salaries, tax relief for low- and middle-income Oklahomans, broader health care access and a ballot referendum to repeal the state's near-total abortion ban.
She won the Democratic primary on June 16, 2026, with about 74.9 percent of the vote and faces Republican former state senator Mike Mazzei in the November 3, 2026, general election. A victory would make her Oklahoma's first governor who is a woman of color.