The 2018 Oklahoma gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 2018. Businessman Kevin Stitt was elected Governor, succeeding fellow Republican Mary Fallin, who was term-limited. Primary elections occurred on June 26, 2018, with primary runoff elections having occurred on August 28, 2018.
The Democratic Party nominated former Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson. The Republican primary eliminated Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb, resulting in a runoff election between former Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett and businessman Kevin Stitt. On August 28, 2018, Stitt won the Republican primary runoff and became the Republican nominee for the office. The Libertarian primary also advanced to a runoff, with Chris Powell, a former chair of the Libertarian Party of Oklahoma, winning the nomination. This was also the first election in which the Libertarian Party has been on the ballot to participate in a gubernatorial election in Oklahoma, and the first time since 1986 that a candidate from the president's party was elected Governor of Oklahoma.
A member of the Cherokee Nation, Stitt became the first tribally enrolled Native American to serve as governor of a U.S. state.
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominated
Kevin Stitt, businessman
Eliminated in the primary runoff
Mick Cornett, former mayor of Oklahoma City
Eliminated in the initial primary
Christopher Barnett, businessman
Dan Fisher, former state representative
Eric Foutch, veteran
Barry Gowdy, nurse
Gary Jones, Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector
Todd Lamb, Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma
Gary Richardson, former United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, nominee for OK-02 in 1978 and 1980, and independent candidate for governor in 2002 Blake "Cowboy" Stephens, rancher and educator
Endorsements
First round
Polling
Results
Runoff
Campaign finance
Polling
Results
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominated
Drew Edmondson, former attorney general of Oklahoma and candidate for Governor of Oklahoma in 2010
Eliminated in the primary
Connie Johnson, former state senator and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2014
Withdrew
Scott Inman, state representative
Norman Jay Brown, auto mechanic
Declined
Dan Boren, former U.S. Representative
Joe Dorman, former state representative and nominee for governor in 2014
Endorsements
Polling
with Norman Brown
Results
Libertarian primary
Candidates
Nominated
Chris Powell, former chair of the Oklahoma Libertarian Party and candidate for Oklahoma County Clerk in 2016
Eliminated in the primary runoff
Rex L. Lawhorn, former chair of the Oklahoma Americans Elect Party and Oklahoma State Director for Our America Initiative
Eliminated in the initial primary
Joe Exotic, zoo operator
Endorsements
First round
Results
Runoff
Campaign finance
Results
General election
Oklahoma determines ballot order by a random drawing which took place for this election cycle on July 12, resulting in the Libertarian Party being listed first, Republicans second, and Democrats third.
Debates
Complete video of debate , September 24, 2018
Predictions
Polling
Graphical summary
with Mick Cornett
with Todd Lamb
Results
Statewide results
County results
Stitt won 73 counties, while Edmondson won four. Stitt won 56 counties with at least 60% of the popular vote, 14 counties with at least 70%, and three counties – Beaver, Cimarron, and Ellis – with upwards of 80%. Stitt had the largest margin of victory in Cimarron with 73.09% more votes than Edmondson's 12.27%, the latter's lowest county performance in the election. The largest county per vote count won by Stitt was Tulsa County, home of Tulsa. Oklahoma County, of which Oklahoma City is county seat, was the only county where Stitt failed to acquire three out of every seven votes.
Edmondson won Muskogee by a single vote, and had an 11.84% margin of victory – his only margin of victory above 10% – in Oklahoma County. Edmondson won his four counties with typically narrower margins than that of Stitt, having missed 50% of the popular vote in Muskogee. Powell never came close to winning any counties, but won his highest percentage of votes in Washita County, with 4.97%