Trump Endorsement Flips Script: Oklahoma Smelter Divides Gubernatorial Race

When Attorney General Gentner Drummond filed a lawsuit this week to block what would be the country’s largest proposed aluminum smelter near Inola, he wasn’t just taking on a massive industrial project—he was stepping into one of the messiest political tangles of Oklahoma’s 2026 gubernatorial race.

Here’s where it gets interesting: Mike Mazzei, Drummond’s opponent for governor, just won a coveted endorsement from President Donald Trump on May 29. That same Trump who announced this very smelter project at the White House last May. Hours before Trump’s endorsement, Mazzei posted his strong support for the aluminum plant. But rewind to March, and Mazzei was criticizing the hefty tax incentives and the fact that Oklahoma Primary Aluminum is majority-owned by a company based in the United Arab Emirates. At that March 30 debate, Mazzei said,“In a Mazzei administration, we’re going to collaborate with Oklahoma-based businesses.”So what changed between March and June?

Drummond says his timing has nothing to do with Trump’s endorsement—he points to May 19, when Oklahoma Primary Aluminum completed its application, as the index date. He’s now seeking an injunction on the grounds of threatened pollution and public nuisance concerns, arguing that“an aluminum smelter does not belong in the backyard of an Oklahoma community.”The plant would produce more than 750,000 tons of aluminum annually on about 350 acres inside the Port of Inola, potentially emitting tons of pollution onto sensitive agricultural land every year.

But residents living near the proposed site aren’t buying the spin either way. Local people at Drummond’s press conference at Inola High School pointed directly to what they see as Mazzei’s flip-flopping. Matt Peters, an Inola resident, said the about-face“undoubtedly”cost Mazzei votes in the area. Brian Hill, whose property sits directly adjacent to the smelter site, even questioned whether Trump’s support should carry that much weight:“I see some of the good things he’s done for the country, but he needs to learn to keep his mouth closed. He’s smarter when his mouth is closed.”

Mazzei’s team responded by reframing the entire debate. Spokesman Andrew Speno emphasized that the state Legislature approved the plant more than a year ago and argued it’s become more critical as the U.S. faces ongoing conflict with Iran and other nations. Aluminum, Speno noted, is essential for making munitions.“Oklahoma has always been a cornerstone of national defense, and our state is packed with patriots ready to answer the call of duty,”he said. Drummond, meanwhile, pushed back on suggestions he’s out of step with Trump, touting his law enforcement record and strong deportations numbers in the state.

What we’re watching unfold is a clash between national politics and local impact—and it’s exposing real questions about how far a presidential endorsement should pull a candidate away from positions taken just months earlier. For Lawton and the broader region, this race just got a whole lot more complicated.