On a recent visit to Oral Roberts University, Republican candidate Charles McCall described the role of governor not as a position of personal power, but of public service.
“I want the job because the next four years will define the next 50 years for the state of Oklahoma,” McCall said. “A window is opening, and we can see unprecedented opportunities for people and businesses in the state to invest. Eventually, that window will close.”
A former speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representative, McCall hopes to secure the GOP nomination in June and win the governor’s race this November to replace incumbent Kevin Stitt. McCall came to ORU last month to speak to the College Republicans club and gave an interview to the Oracle.
“The number one issue I see with people is that Oklahomans don’t like being last in anything, and they want to know how we can be 50th in education outcomes when $1.5 billion has been invested in it,” McCall said. “The Legislature has caught up, but we need a strong executive branch that exerts power with the right hands and the right mindset.”
A banker by profession, McCall graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor’s degree in finance in 1992. He later represented House District 22 and became the longest-serving House speaker in Oklahoma history. He left the post in early 2025 due to term limits.
“The fact that I am the most prominent speaker in the House makes me the most qualified and experienced to be an effective governor. I have that over every other candidate in the race,” McCall said. “I’ll be effective on day one. There will not be a ramp-up time. There won’t be a learning curve.”
Describing himself as “a big proponent of education,” McCall emphasized the need to spend funding more effectively in both K-12 and higher education.
“In education, we do not have a legislative problem in Oklahoma,” he said. “We have an executive branch problem, and as the next governor, I will move us forward. I know how to do it.”
His faith has helped prepare him to make the difficult decisions that the next governor will face, McCall said, because “living out a Christian life is tough, too, and you have to make some hard choices.”
“I will work for the people of the state of Oklahoma, not the other way around,” he said. “The government exists to serve people, and that’s what I’m going to make sure I do.”
McCall will face a crowded field in the June 16 primary. Other Republican candidates include Gentner Drummond, the sitting Oklahoma attorney general; Chip Keating, a former secretary of public safety and onetime Highway Patrol trooper; Mike Mazzei, a former state senator and financial-services executive; Jake Merrick, a former state senator and small-business owner; Leisa Mitchell Haynes, an Oklahoma native and former city manager; and Kenneth Sturgell, an HVAC business owner.
On the Democratic side, Cyndi Munson, the Oklahoma House minority leader from Oklahoma City, has launched a campaign centered on her legislative leadership experience, while Arya Azma, a finance professional and former U.S. Senate candidate, is also seeking the nomination.
