Oklahoma attorney general and 2026 gubernatorial candidate Gentner Drummond says he’s different from current Gov. Kevin Stitt. That was partly the message delivered to the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of Oklahoma on Monday.
Drummond said at the River Spirit Casino event he’d work with tribes as governor.
“There’s a lot of strength and power in our tribal partnerships. We have been fighting as the state of Oklahoma, fracturing the relationships for the last seven years,” Drummond said. “That is about the dumbest damn thing you can do as a state.”
Stitt’s relationships with tribal nations haven’t always been harmonious. They’ve disputed casino revenue, tobacco sales, motor vehicle tags, taxes and criminal jurisdiction.
No income tax
Drummond was circumspect when discussing the “path to zero income tax” touted by Stitt during his February State of the State address.
Drummond said Oklahoma’s neighbor to the south is an example of how states end up coping with zero income tax.
“Texans tax the living hell out of each other. They do. That’s how they fund state government,” Drummond said. “So, for us to go to zero income tax that’s lovely, but we have to have an alternative.”
The Oklahoma Policy Institute found that losing income tax revenue totally would cost $5.4 billion, which is about 44% of this year’s budget.
Drummond cited Texas’ high ad valorem property taxes and more than six percent fee on services as levies that the Lone Star state relies on instead of income tax.
Three candidates have officially entered the race for the Republican nomination in the Oklahoma governor’s primary.
Joining Drummond are former Oklahoma Speaker of the House Charles McCall and former city manager of Rio Communities in New Mexico Leisa Mitchell Haynes.
