Lankford Disputes Speculation He’s Planning Run For Governor

Those who follow Oklahoma politics, and even those who don't, may already be hearing talk about who will run for governor in two years when term limits force Governor Kevin Stitt to step down. It’s harmless speculation, for the most part, but one rumored candidate is ready to put the speculation to rest.

There are four names being consistently mentioned: Speaker of the House Charles McCall, Attorney General Gentner Drummond, Schools Superintendent Ryan Walter, and Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell. A fifth name that frequently comes up is that is United States Senator James Lankford.

“That is fake news,” said Sen. Lankford (R-OK) in an interview last week.

Senator Lankford says running for governor is not what God has called him to do. He says he has had to repeatedly tell people this for the past year. 

"I’ve probably answered 100 times to people: ‘No, not running for governor’, but this continues to be able to bubble up in all these places."

"Definitely it's making the rounds,” said Oklahoma political analyst Scott Mitchell.

In a Zoom interview Monday, Mitchell said an open governor's seat, which Oklahoma will have in two years, is fodder for the folks at 23rd and Lincoln.

"That's where all the sources I have are coming from on this,” Mitchell noted. “I'm not hearing it from Tulsa. I'm hearing it from the Capitol."

Of course, is this age of social media, rumors — if they don’t start through social media posts — are often amplified by them. Lankford pointed to a recent post on X that cited unnamed sources that say “he’s running for governor and he’s still not endorsed President Trump,” explained  Lankford. “And I laughed and said the only thing accurate in that story was how they spelled my name, because I have supported President Trump and, no, I’m not running for governor."

Mitchell doesn’t know if someone is intentionally pushing this narrative, or if it just the result of innocent speculation, but he says it doesn't really make sense.

"It's counterintuitive to think about a United States Senator wanting to come here,” Mitchell stated. “Generally, the direction of the path is upward — It's I want to be attorney general, so I can be governor, so I can be senator, that's how it usually works."