Stitt, Hofmeister Hold Funding Edge in Oklahoma Governor Bid

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma’s Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt and Democratic challenger Joy Hofmeister both took massive fundraising advantages over their opponents into Tuesday’s primary election in a state where hot-button issues like abortion, firearms and the death penalty are likely to be a focus in the race.

Stitt, 49, the wealthy former head of a Jenks-based mortgage company, raised about $5.4 million, nearly 20 times as much as his three GOP primary opponents combined, and is a heavy favorite to advance. But the first-term governor also was forced to spend heavily on advertising to counter millions of dollars in dark-money attack ads that painted him as soft on crime.

His Republican primary opponents include the head of the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs Joel Kintsel, 46, political unknown Moira McCabe, 40, and former Tulsa police officer Mark Sherwood, 57, a naturopathic doctor.

Polls across the state are open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Stitt took strong positions on hot-button issues important to conservatives during his first term in office, signing into law one of the nation’s strictest abortion bans in May, expanding access to firearms and overseeing a return of the death penalty after a nearly seven-year hiatus.

On the campaign stump, Stitt focused on what he called “Oklahoma’s Turnaround” and emphasized the state’s low unemployment and rebounding economy, including more than $2 billion that’s been socked away in state savings accounts. Even after four years in office, Stitt painted himself as a businessman and political outsider in the mold of former President Donald Trump.

“I was a complete outsider to politics,” Stitt said this year at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Florida. “In fact, my first ever political donation was to Donald J. Trump for president.”

Oklahoma Republican Governor Kevin Stitt

On the Democratic side, Hofmeister, 57, a longtime Republican and two-term head of Oklahoma’s public schools system, announced last year she was switching parties to run against Stitt. The two had clashed over the state’s handling of COVID-19 in schools, including a prohibition on mask mandates, and Stitt’s support for a voucher plan that would divert public education funds to private schools.

Democratic challenger Joy Hofmeister

Hofmeister faces longtime Oklahoma Democratic Party loyalist and former state Sen. Connie Johnson, 70, who was a leading liberal voice during her 12 years as a state legislator.

As a lifelong Republican, Hofmeister doesn’t provide as clear an alternative to Stitt as most Democrats would. She describes herself as “pro-life,” even though she says a decision on an abortion should be between a woman and her doctor. Johnson, on the other hand, was a staunch supporter of abortion rights during her time in the Senate.

Hofmeister had a major fundraising advantage over Johnson, raising more than $1.1 million compared to Johnson’s $53,000. Of all the gubernatorial candidates, including Stitt, Hofmeister had the most cash on hand, about $490,000, heading into Tuesday’s primary, according to the latest campaign finance reports.

Independent Ervin Yen, an Oklahoma City anesthesiologist and former Republican state senator, and Libertarian Natalie Bruno of Edmond also will be on the November ballot.