Dr. Gerald Ray Griffin has formally announced his candidacy for Governor of Oklahoma as an Independent.

Over the past several months, Dr. Griffin conducted structured comparative research on the 2026 gubernatorial field. After extended review discussions with a colleague who chose to support Charles McCall in the Republican primary, Dr. Griffin continued his independent evaluation.

Applying what he refers to as the “Cheney Effect”—a reference to Dick Cheney’s evaluation of potential running mates for George W. Bush—Dr. Griffin entered his own record into the same comparative matrix used to assess other candidates. Across executive experience, incumbent defeats, education policy depth, fiscal discipline, and constitutional grounding, he ranked first or second in nearly every major category reviewed.

Dr. Griffin has entered four races in Oklahoma and has won two. In 1974, at age 28, he defeated a sixyear incumbent and became the Republican nominee for Tulsa Police and Fire Commissioner. In 2020, he defeated a sixteen-year incumbent to secure a seat on the Tulsa School Board as the Republican nominee. This gubernatorial race will be the first open-seat contest he has entered.

Before making a final decision, Dr. Griffin conducted a separate viability analysis. He confirmed that no Independent candidate has ever won a statewide race in Oklahoma.

Two of the most credible Independent gubernatorial efforts in modern Oklahoma history include Wes Watkins in 1990 and Gary Richardson in 2002.

Watkins ran as an Independent against Democrat David Walters and Republican Bill Price; Walters won that election decisively.

Richardson ran as an Independent against Democrat Brad Henry and Republican Steve Largent; Henry prevailed in that contest.

Dr. Griffin acknowledges that history does not favor Independent statewide candidates. He also states that he has never entered a race without a credible, databased belief that victory was attainable.

For more than five decades, Dr. Griffin has maintained an active and detailed knowledge base of Oklahoma politics. While pursuing professional, academic, military, and entrepreneurial endeavors— often maintaining a deliberate low public profile—he has compiled extensive files on virtually every major race, candidate, and ballot issue at the Tulsa municipal, statewide, and federal levels.

Dr. Griffin previously filed with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission for a campaign committee related to a run for State Superintendent of Public Instruction. He has formally dissolved that committee and has now filed a new committee with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission for his gubernatorial campaign.

As an Independent candidate, Dr. Griffin anticipates limited institutional support and early dismissal by major party structures. He states that he is prepared, if necessary, to commit up to $1,000,000 of personal resources to the race.

In June 2026, Dr. Griffin will release what he calls his “Path to Victory,” outlining county-level modeling, independent voter expansion strategy, and cross-partisan coalition building.

“This campaign is about measurable performance, disciplined governance, and respect for ideas based on merit rather than label,” Griffin said.