With four Republican candidates already announced for Oklahoma’s 2026 gubernatorial election, House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson became the field’s first Democrat today, declaring her candidacy in front of the State Capitol and calling for investment in education, working class tax cuts and a referendum on the state’s abortion ban.
Alongside some light criticism of billionaires, Munson laid out her campaign priorities.
“We need to fund our public schools to the regional average and increase the pay for teachers and support staff. We have to find tax relief for working families and the middle class, not just billionaires and the top 1 percent,” said Munson (D-OKC). “I led the bipartisan effort to repeal the state tax on groceries, and I will continue to find ways to help everyday people. Oklahoma has one of the strictest abortion bans in the country that continually puts Oklahoma women’s lives at risk because they cannot afford the health care that they need. I will put a repeal of the abortion ban to a vote of the people because Oklahoma’s families should make their own health care decisions with their doctors, not state government.”
First elected to House District 85 in a 2015 special election to succeed Republican Rep. David Dank, Munson worked for years with the Girl Scouts of Western Oklahoma and is a former nonprofit development and community engagement coordinator for the OK Messages Project. She became the first Asian American woman elected to the Oklahoma House and has served as the chamber’s minority leader since the end of 2022. If elected in 2026, she would be the first woman of color to serve in the governor’s office.
“When I attend the University of Central Oklahoma, I was able to afford it because of Oklahoma’s Promise, and I became the first in my family to graduate from college,” she said. “And I am here today because Oklahoma and its leaders invested in me, and I want Oklahoma to continue to be a state that invests in its people and help all of those other little Cyndis out there who are working toward their dreams.”
After a century of domination in the state, Democrats now face long political odds in Oklahoma, with Republicans holding all statewide elected positions since 2011. With Gov. Kevin Stitt term limited, Attorney General Gentner Drummond, former House Speaker Charles McCall and former Sen. Mike Mazzei have all launched early efforts to secure the Republican nomination for governor. Longshot candidate Leisa Mitchell Haynes was the first to form her campaign committee in the race.
This century, Oklahoma Democratic gubernatorial candidates have generally received between 40 percent (Jari Askins in 2010) and 42 percent (Drew Edmondson in 2018 and Joy Hofmeister in 2022) support. Brad Henry won the 2002 open gubernatorial election with 43.3 percent of the vote in a contest where independent candidate Gary Richardson received 14.1 percent support and drew votes away from Republican nominee Steve Largent. Henry was reelected in 2006 with 66.5 percent of the vote.
Munson, who grew up in Lawton, had been rumored as a 2026 gubernatorial candidate for weeks, casually telling media she was always pondering her political future but that a decision would be made at a later date. She formally filed her campaign committee with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission on Monday.
“I know I am not what you would call a typical candidate for governor,” Munson said. “I work for a living. I pay my student loans. I rent my house, and I know what is like to live within a budget. I feel the pressure of rising costs of our daily necessities.”
Cyndi Munson touts background in early video
Hours before her press conference, Munson released a two-minute campaign advertisement on YouTube that features her loading a cardboard box of treasured memories into a pickup truck.
“Growing up, I moved 10 times, all in the same small town,” Munson says in the ad. “I was raised by a single dad who worked multiple jobs while serving in the U.S. Army so that he could support my sister and me. But money was always tight, and that meant loading up dad’s truck over and over again chasing cheaper rent. When you move a lot, you learn what’s important, and you hold on tight to what you value most.”
In the video, Munson says she has “fought for education funding and survivors of sexual assault” in the Legislature and that she “stood up to insurance companies.”
“I’ve always tried to do right by every person I represent, and I keep every letter they send to me,” Munson says. “When I look at my life, I know that Oklahoma’s leaders can help people, and I believe a campaign should be about people. During this campaign, I want to fill box after box with your stories, your photos and your letters — anything that speaks to why you love Oklahoma.”
