The field of candidates vying to become Oklahoma’s Republican nominee for governor in 2026 continues to grow.
Chip Keating, a former Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper who served as secretary of public safety from February 2019 to December 2020, announced his candidacy on Oct. 1. He’s the son of Frank Keating, who served two terms as governor from 1995 to 2003.
Similar to Gentner Drummond and Charles McCall, who announced their respective candidacies at the beginning of the year, Keating immediately attempted to align himself with President Donald Trump.
“I’m a man of action, not a career politician, and I’ll follow the Trump playbook to keep Oklahoma safe, stand firm in our conservative values, and build a safer, stronger state together,” Keating said in a statement.
While Keating hasn’t held elected office like Drummond and McCall, he’s been an influential behind-the-scenes figure in Oklahoma politics for years.
Last year The Frontier reported that Keating was a main funder of a dark money political action committee created to unseat former Sen. Greg McCortney, R-Ada. McCortney was on track to become President Pro Tempore of the Senate before being unseated by Jonathan Wingard in the Republican primary.
With just over eight months to go until the June primary election, no frontrunner has emerged in the Republican gubernatorial primary, according to a Stratus Intelligence poll of likely GOP voters. The survey, conducted from Sept. 23-25, showed Drummond at 32%, McCall at 31% and Keating with 6% support.
Jake Merrick, a former state Senator from Yukon, and Mike Mazzei, who previously served as Oklahoma’s secretary of budget, are also seeking the Republican nomination for governor.
House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson, D-Oklahoma City, is the sole Democrat to announce a gubernatorial campaign. No Libertarian or independent candidates have announced.
The formal candidate filing period will be held April 1-3 at the State Capitol.
Thoughts, questions or story ideas? Let me know at Kross@Oklahomawatch.org.
— Keaton Ross
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