Sooner Survey: Volume 37 No. 10 ⎸August 13, 2026 ⎸With the Republican runoff for Governor so competitive and so contentious, it is little wonder that down ballot contests are not receiving more attention. In fact, all three of the statewide runoffs for secondary offices are currently within the margin of error and have at least 44% of voters still undecided.

Sooner Survey: Volume 37 No. 9 ⎸August 10, 2026 ⎸Oklahoma’s Republican runoff election for Governor is currently as tight as it can be.  Our recent study (completed August 6, 2026) of 600 Likely Voters has the contest a dead-heat with Gentner Drummond and Mike Mazzei both drawing support from 44% of likely runoff voters.  If one were to take out “leaners” (those asked to make a choice after initially saying they were still undecided), Drummond would have a two point lead (42% Drummond; 40% Mazzei).

Sooner Survey: Volume 37 No. 8 ⎸May 14, 2026 ⎸I have to admit, I have been hesitant to release these numbers because what they tell us is that voters are NOT yet engaged in this contest. There is simply not a great deal of insight into the state of the race other than that one statement. Not a single candidate is in double-digits at this time and a remarkable 61% say they are undecided.
One demonstration of how wide open this contest is that Debra Herlihy – unknown to even the most politically active insiders – sits tied for third at 6% and actually leads among women (8%). The most prominent and likely explanation for her support is that her first name of Debra is the only name that is generally exclusively used for females (especially on the phone, Toni can come across as a male name).

Sooner Survey: Volume 37 No. 7 ⎸May 12, 2026 ⎸When the effort to increase Oklahoma’s minimum wage was launched, no statewide initiative to raise the minimum wage had been defeated at the ballot box anywhere in America in almost 30 years. But in 2024, California of all places, rejected an increase to $18 an hour. Now, Oklahomans will largely be credited with determining if this was an anomaly or if the inflation of recent years has changed voter perception. Our current study shows that while the contest is not over, if it were held today, SQ 832 would pass.

Sooner Survey: Volume 37 No. 4 ⎸March 24, 2026 ⎸This edition of The Sooner Survey is a little different. Instead of looking at voters, this study examines the responses of 500 parents and/or guardians of school-aged children in the Sooner State. For the simplicity and clarity, when this analysis uses the term “parent” it is referring to both parents and guardians.