Oklahoma City mayor announces GOP bid for governor in 2018

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett, a four-term mayor who played a key role in recruiting the NBA to the state’s capital city, said Thursday he will seek the Republican nomination for Oklahoma governor in 2018.

Cornett, 58, joins a crowded GOP field that includes State Auditor Gary Jones, Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb and Tulsa attorney Gary Richardson. Gov. Mary Fallin is term-limited and can’t run again.

“I’m just putting the campaign together,” Cornett said. “I’m still assembling the team ... but we’re running.”

Cornett first announced his plans late Wednesday on Twitter and Facebook, saying: “We want to take our record of success to all of Oklahoma.”

A former television news and sports reporter in Oklahoma City, Cornett was first elected mayor of Oklahoma City in 2004 and became the first mayor to serve four terms in office. He has spent the last year as the president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

He helped relocate the New Orleans Hornets to Oklahoma City temporarily in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina and then pushed an initiative in 2007 to renovate Oklahoma City’s downtown arena to help attract an NBA team permanently. The Seattle Supersonics relocated to Oklahoma City the following year and became the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Cornett also helped spearhead the continuation of the Metropolitan Area Projects, or MAPS, sales tax initiative that has revitalized the downtown and Oklahoma City River districts, provided funding for local schools and paved the way for a new convention center, downtown park, walking trails and senior wellness centers.

In 2008, he also challenged residents of his city, which has a reputation as one of the fattest in America, to go on a diet and record their progress on a website. He took on the challenge himself, dropping 40 pounds from his 5-foot-10 inch frame, and has managed to keep the weight off.

Democratic candidates who have announced plans to run include former Attorney General Drew Edmondson, House Democratic Leader Rep. Scott Inman, former state Sen. Connie Johnson and retired auto mechanic Norman Brown.

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