Mayor David Holt re-elected in historic landslide

Published on February 10, 2026

With 86.5%, Holt nearly sets all-time record and becomes fifth OKC mayor elected to third term

Mayor David Holt became only the fifth mayor in city history elected to a third term on Tuesday, Feb. 10.

Against challenger Matthew Pallares, Mayor Holt received 86.5% of the vote, just a percentage point short of the highest percentage ever received by a candidate for Oklahoma City Mayor, dating back to the city’s founding in 1889. Mayor Holt easily set the record for the highest percentage received by an Oklahoma City Mayor seeking a third term.

Mayor Holt received 33,608 votes; Pallares received 5,252 votes. A total of 38,860 votes were cast.

“I am deeply honored to receive this validation from the people of Oklahoma City,” Mayor Holt said. “This is our city’s golden age, and I am excited to continue leading this community as we face the challenges and opportunities ahead. The next four years will bring about major progress on MAPS 4 and the 2025 bond issue, the opening of our new arena, and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. It will also bring an important community conversation about public transit. I look forward to this work, and I thank the people of Oklahoma City for the trust they have placed in me.”

Mayor Holt’s third four-year term begins May 5, 2026, and lasts until 2030.

Mayor Holt has recorded a series of historic elections since first running for mayor in 2018. In 2018, he received 78.5% of the vote, the highest percentage by a non-incumbent for mayor since 1947.

In 2022, he won with 60% against three other candidates, receiving the second-most votes for mayor in city history, and the most since 1959.

And in this 2026 election, he received the second-highest percentage ever by an Oklahoma City mayoral candidate, falling just short of the record set by Mayor Mick Cornett in 2006 (87.6%). And with a 75% average across his three elections, Holt has the highest average support of all the Oklahoma City mayors ever elected at least three times.

All election results are unofficial until certified by the Oklahoma County Election Board.

Highest percentage received by any candidate for OKC Mayor (final round of election)

Mick Cornett (2006) – 87.6%
David Holt (2026) – 86.5%
Allen Street (1947) – 82%
Ron Norick (1991) – 80%
Robert Hefner (1943) – 79%
David Holt (2018) – 78.5%

Oklahoma City Mayors elected at least three times

Allen Street – elected in 1947, 1951 and 1955
Patience Latting – elected in 1971, 1975 and 1979
Ron Norick – elected in 1987, 1991 and 1994 (note: in 1990, OKC voters amended the charter to change the election years for mayor, causing Mayor Norick’s second term to be three years long)
Mick Cornett – elected in 2004, 2006, 2010 and 2014 (note: Mayor Cornett’s first election was a special election to replace Mayor Humphreys, causing Mayor Cornett’s first term to be two years long)
David Holt - elected in 2018, 2022 and 2026

Levels of support for Mayors seeking third term (final round)

Allen Street (1955) – 53%
Patience Latting (1979) – 50.2%
Ron Norick (1994) – 70%
Mick Cornett (2010) – 58%
David Holt (2026) – 86.5%

Average level of support across all mayoral elections (calculation is an average of three final round elections, except for Mayor Cornett, who was elected four times)

Allen Street – 65%
Patience Latting – 54%
Ron Norick – 67%
Mick Cornett – 67.5%
David Holt – 75%

About Mayor Holt

Mayor David Holt is the 38th Mayor of Oklahoma City and is also the current President of the United States Conference of Mayors. He was first elected Mayor in 2018 and re-elected in 2022 and 2026. Mayor Holt also currently serves as Dean of the Oklahoma City University School of Law.

Mayor Holt is a member of the Osage Nation and is Oklahoma City’s first Native American mayor. In 2023, Mayor Holt was named by TIME as one of its “100 Next” most influential people in the world.

Mayor Holt’s achievements include:

The development, passage and implementation of MAPS 4, a $1.1 billion investment in the city’s quality of life;
The development and passage of a $2.7 billion investment in the city’s core infrastructure;
Keeping the NBA champion Thunder in OKC through at least 2053 thanks to the development and passage of a $1 billion new arena;
Securing Oklahoma City as the host of two sports and seven events from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics;
Presiding over an unprecedented period of economic growth and diversification, city investment, development and elevated international profile, fueled by an inclusive approach that has made Oklahoma City a unique model of effectiveness and unity.

Mayor Holt previously served in the Oklahoma Senate for eight years. He received his B.A. from The George Washington University and his J.D. from the Oklahoma City University School of Law. His wife, Rachel, is the President & CEO of the United Way of Central Oklahoma, and they reside in OKC with their two children.

About the Oklahoma City Mayor

The Mayor of Oklahoma City is the “Chief Executive of the City” and “President of the Council,” according to the Oklahoma City Charter. The Mayor is the only person elected citywide, is a voting member of the City Council and presides over its meetings, makes appointments to boards and commissions, represents the City at home and around the nation and world, articulates a vision for the City, leads major initiatives, issues proclamations, delivers an annual State of the City address, and with the Council hires the City Manager, the Municipal Counselor, the City Auditor and municipal judges. The mayor is one of nine members of the Oklahoma City Council.

The other members represent each of Oklahoma City’s eight Wards. The Council is nonpartisan and members serve part-time at the head of the City’s Council-Manager form of government. The mayor’s annual salary is $24,000, and Council members’ annual salary is $12,000.

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