Cyndi Munson, a Democrat and state representative from District 85, is running for Oklahoma governor in the Nov. 3 general election against Republican Mike Mazzei.

Asked why she is running, Munson said in our candidate questionnaire, "I believe that Oklahomans deserve better than where we are at as a state right now. It is simply unacceptable that we are at the top of every bad list and the bottom of every good list." She added, "Oklahoma is ready for leadership that brings people together, puts party politics aside, and gets to work on what actually matters."

Candidate information

Party: Democrat

Background: Munson was born in Monterey, California, and raised in Lawton, Oklahoma. She said in our questionnaire, "I grew up in Lawton, Oklahoma and was raised by my single father, a Vietnam War veteran. Everyday, I watched him put on his uniform to serve his country in the morning, and deliver pizzas or work at convenience stores at night - always working multiple jobs to give my younger sister and me the best possible future."

Education: Munson said in our questionnaire, "I was the first in my family to attend college, as an Oklahoma's Promise recipient. I graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, followed by the University of Nebraska with a Master of Science in Leadership Education."

Experience and public service

Munson described her career in our questionnaire: "My professional career began in the nonprofit sector, where I spent over a decade at the Girl Scouts of Western Oklahoma, providing leadership programs for girls in low-income schools, juvenile detention centers, and public housing."

She added, "In 2015, I became the first Asian-American woman to be elected in the state legislature, and in 2021 I was elected as the House Democratic Leader."

Munson won the Democratic primary on June 16, 2026, with approximately 74.9% of the vote, according to Wikipedia.

On the issues

Top priority — public education: Munson said in our questionnaire, "Public education is unequivocally Oklahoma's biggest issue and is critically at stake in this election." She said she would pursue "raising teacher and support staff pay, providing free school lunch and breakfast, expanding Oklahoma's Promise to veteran and public school employee families, increasing CareerTech opportunities, and repealing the private school tuition tax voucher."

Economy and cost of living: Munson said in our questionnaire, "I led the bipartisan effort to repeal the state sales tax on groceries and provided tax relief to everyday Oklahomans. As Governor, I would support a clean, simple minimum wage increase bill through the legislature." She added that investments in education, health care, child care and housing "can be made without raising taxes, and instead reprioritizing where our tax dollars are being spent."

Public safety: Munson said in our questionnaire, "I believe that preventive action is key in improving public safety and reducing crime, which is why mental health is a high priority of mine." She said she supports "protecting medicaid dollars for youth preventative treatment" and "expanding behavioral treatment to low-income/uninsured individuals."

Rural health care: Munson said in our questionnaire, "I have always stood up and fought for protecting the Medicaid dollars that our people and hospitals rely on, especially in rural Oklahoma." She said she would "broaden access models, like telehealth networks, increase community paramedic/EMS coordination, expand rural scholarship programs, and utilize federal rural health funding."

Tribal relations: Munson said in our questionnaire, "Oklahoma's tribal nations are our greatest friends and partners. As Governor I will work to heal the fractured relationships with the state, treating them as sovereign nations, with the respect and dignity they deserve."

Corporate accountability: Munson said on her campaign website that on her first day in office she would issue a moratorium on new data center construction projects to set guidelines and hold large technology companies accountable. She also said she would end corporate giveaways to large out-of-state corporations that do not bring good jobs, according to the site.