(Update: On Tuesday, June 16, Jennifer Mayo won the Democratic nomination for Oklahoma County Board of Commissioners District 3.)
Democrats Corey Winston, Tom Guild and Jennifer Mayo are running in their party’s June 16 primary for Oklahoma County Board of Commissioners District 3, seeking a nomination they hope can spur a general election victory to flip a seat long held by Republicans.
The eventual nominee faces long odds in the November general election. The GOP has held the District 3 seat for nearly two decades, and five Republicans filed for the race this year. Most recently, the late Cathy Cummings won the Democratic nomination for District 3 in 2022 but ultimately lost the open-seat contest to Myles Davidson in the general election by 12 points. This year, the seat again is open following Davidson’s resignation in March.
Guild is a perennial candidate for office, while Winston and Mayo are newcomers. Whoever is elected to represent District 3 could be a swing vote when it comes to addressing issues with the Oklahoma County Jail, including the massive funding gap that has delayed construction of a new one. The county is also grappling with a possible sales tax to pay for the new jail’s construction and its ongoing operations. In addition, the county has a backlog of other maintenance projects.
Spanning the northern third of Oklahoma County, District 3 covers far northwest Oklahoma City, Edmond, Arcadia and Luther. If no candidate earns more than 50 percent of the vote June 16, the top two finishers will proceed to a runoff Aug. 25.
The following cheat sheet provides an overview of the Oklahoma County District 3 Democratic candidates and is derived from publicly available information, such as campaign websites, news reports and social media accounts. The candidates are listed alphabetically.
Tom Guild
Age: 71
Profession/background: This is Tom Guild’s eighth run for office since 2012, when he was the Democratic Party’s nominee for Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional District.
Since then, he has run for that seat in four elections, and most recently, he sought the Oklahoma County treasurer and clerk offices in 2020 and 2023, respectively. He also ran for state treasurer in 2022. He is a retired professor at the University of Central Oklahoma, where he taught political science. According to a 2014 article by News 9, Guilt received a law degree at Southern Methodist University. During a run for Congress in 2018, Guild stirred controversy after getting caught stealing an opponent’s signs, an act for which later apologized. During his 2012 congressional campaign, he aired an ad about women’s health care that featured an infamous “octopus” reference.
Platform: Guild does not appear to be actively campaigning online. During a candidate forum for his 2023 county clerk race, he said that, if elected, he would draw on his leadership experience in the classroom.
“As someone who has managed classes for more than 30 years and never had a formal complaint filed against me in 30 years, I have a wealth of experience of creating a relaxed learning environment for all faiths, races and socioeconomic statuses,” Guild said. “I will lead by example and will get involved early in any potentially serious situation and I’ll take appropriate action to protect employees.”
At a 2023 county clerk candidate forum, Guild said his priorities included creating initiatives to combat homelessness and promote housing affordability, improving mental health services and addressing food insecurity.
Online: None
Jennifer Mayo
Age: 35
Profession/background: Jennifer Mayo is a food access and public health advocate. Mayo has helped launch food centers for the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, and she also worked at the Capital Area Food Bank in Washington, D.C., according to her campaign website.
Platform: If elected, Mayo’s priorities include reevaluating projects without a committed funding source, as well as a back-to-basics approach of prioritizing work on roads, bridges and drainage projects to accommodate a growing district.
Mayo’s campaign materials say she hopes to address criminal justice reforms and properly fund jail staffing, and further called for accountability with the county’s struggle to build a new jail.
“What began as roughly $260 million is now projected at $860 million and rising during inflation, delays and scope changes,” she wrote on her campaign website. “Residents deserve a clear accounting of how that happened and what safeguards are in place moving forward.”
In a press release announcing her campaign, Mayo also talked about the jail.
“Oklahoma County is facing clear leadership challenges, particularly when it comes to managing complex, long-term responsibilities,” Mayo said. “One of the most visible example is the county jail, an issue overseen through county funding, contracts and governance that cannot continue to be deferred, fragmented or treated as someone else’s responsibility.”
Corey Winston
Age: 32
Profession/background: In December 2024, Winston initially filed to run for an Edmond City Council to bring attention to an unconstitutional provision in the Edmond City Charter that says residents are only eligible to hold office if they are “freeholders” or landowners. Winston quickly withdrew his candidacy, saying in a statement that he hoped his candidacy would “spark conversations” about “eliminating barriers that exclude so many from participating in our democratic process.”
Now, he is running for District 3 on the Oklahoma County Board of Commissioners. According to his campaign website, Winston is a U.S. Army veteran who has worked in public service for more than a decade. He is currently a community business equity outreach advisor, according to his LinkedIn.
Platform: Winston says he is running for county office because he believes residents deserve a more responsible, accountable and focused government that delivers results.
“Home is why I do this work. My wife and I will celebrate 10 years of marriage this September. Kensley and Clarke are the reason I show up every single day with everything I have,” he wrote on his campaign’s Facebook page. “I grew up here. I served in the U.S. Army here. I’ve spent 13 years working in public service for Oklahomans because I believe government should work for people, not against them. Oklahoma County deserves leadership that shows up when it matters most. That’s a promise I make to my family every day, and it’s the same promise I make to this community.”
According to his campaign website, Winston’s policy priorities include providing more oversight and transparency for county operations, taking a longer-term approach to budgeting and insisting on “operational accountability” at the county jail.
“Good government starts with trust,” wrote on his website. “I am committed to strengthening oversight, improving transparency, and ensuring clear accountability across county operations. Residents deserve to know how decisions are made, how funds are used, and what outcomes are being achieved.”
