AG Drummond - Candidate for Governor: An Interview

Jake interviews AG Gentner Drummond ahead of the August 25 runoff, covering a wide range of topics in direct Q&A style. Key topics covered: OCA Forum & Cattlemen's Association — Drummond addressed the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association pulling its endorsement (pressure from out-of-state ag lobbyists), framing himself as a lifelong rancher who showed up despite the snub. He criticized "big ag" (Tyson, Cargill, Simmons) for prioritizing corporate interests over small producers. Property tax plan — Drummond pushed back on Mazzei's zero-property-tax pitch, calling it unrealistic since property taxes fund schools/career tech. His plan: freeze rates for fixed-income seniors and veterans, raise the homestead exemption from $1,000 to $2,500–3,000. He argued Mazzei's consumption-tax alternative would hit lower earners harder. Poultry lawsuit — Drummond detailed the multi-year litigation against poultry integrators (Simmons, Tyson) over watershed pollution, saying a mediator-endorsed settlement is now headed to the Tenth Circuit for dismissal, with contract-renewal protections for Oklahoma producers. Trump endorsement & aluminum smelter — Drummond gave his account of losing Trump's endorsement to Mazzei (alleging Mazzei paid a Roger Stone-linked consultant), and laid out detailed objections to the Inola aluminum smelter (Emirates Global Aluminum): undisclosed water/sludge plans, proximity to residents, and tax incentives. He raised — and Jake pressed him on — the foreign/Islamic ownership angle, tying it to a Muslim Brotherhood-related investigation. Data centers vs. the smelter — Distinguished data centers (domestic ownership, ability to require local control, ad valorem taxes, own power generation) from the smelter situation; discussed his fight with Google/PSO over data center power costs and mentioned nuclear/SMRs as a future part of the energy mix. Eminent domain / OTA turnpike — Shared personal family history losing ranch land to Corps of Engineers projects, criticized…