Three Republican challengers seek to gain the party’s nomination for Oklahoma governor over current Gov. Kevin Stitt, while two Democratic candidates compete for their nomination and one Libertarian and one Independent are running uncontested.
Kevin Stitt (R)
Incumbent Gov. Kevin Stitt, former CEO of Gateway Mortgage Group, grew up in Norman, graduating from Norman High School before attending Oklahoma State University. During his first campaign, he was endorsed by then-President Donald Trump and ran on the idea of being a “political outsider.”
As stated during his 2022 State of the State Address and throughout his campaign, Stitt aims to raise Oklahoma’s state rankings to become a top ten state in employment, infrastructure and education.
Also in his 2022 address, Stitt announced the ACCESS Oklahoma turnpike project, which has received massive pushback from Normanites and surrounding Cleveland County residents.
Other aspects of his platform include public safety, where he “backs the blue” by establishing Oklahoma Highway Patrol academies, and working with district attorneys and other public safety professionals regarding the “McGirt v. Oklahoma” Supreme Court ruling.
The governor’s comments about the McGirt ruling over the past year sparked backlash from tribal nations, notably the Choctaw Nation, following an interview with Tucker Carlson on Fox News, and from the Cherokee Nation, a tribe of which Stitt is a member.
Upon his 2018 election win, Stitt became Oklahoma’s first governor who was an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation, though they have publicly denounced his actions in the past.
Stitt has a series of actions regarding incarceration, including signing the nation’s largest commutation of low-level drug offenders in 2019 and creating the Sarah Stitt Act with his wife that aims to help formerly incarcerated individuals to reenter the workforce.
In November 2021, Stitt announced the commutation of Julius Jones’ death penalty sentence four hours before his scheduled execution following a nationwide movement.
Among his other major bill signings includes Senate Bill 612, which classifies the act of performing an abortion as a felony, and Senate Bill 2 or the “Save Women’s Sports Act” that prevents transgender girls and women from competing on female teams.
In April 2022, Stitt faced claims of corruption following the breaking of the Swadley’s Foggy Bottom Kitchen scandal by NonDoc after a state fire marshal report found that the restaurant operated with “life-safety issues” and claims of fraudulent accounting practices arose.
According to Mike Jackson, director of watchdog group the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency, taxpayers lost $12.4 million in the Swadley’s scandal.
On June 9, Stitt announced plans for a $100 million USA Rare Earth manufacturing plant in Stillwater that will create over 100 jobs. According to the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, this facility will be the first in the United States.
Stitt is again endorsed by former President Trump, along with the National Rifle Association and 68 Republican members of the Oklahoma State Legislature.
Mark Sherwood (R)
Naturopathic doctor and former Tulsa SWAT team officer Mark Sherwood vows to stop the “infringement” on Oklahomans’ “civil liberties” by addressing 10 hot-button issues within his first 90 days in office.
The first issue Sherwood prioritizes is banning abortion “totally and completely.” Sherwood claimed that the COVID-19 vaccines could contain aborted fetal tissue, which was declared false by The Frontier during a fact check in February. Sherwood stated on his campaign website that he will stop all mask and vaccine mandates in regards as part of his 90-day plan.
Newsweek reported that in an interview with David Brody, host of "The Water Cooler" from Real America’s Voice, Sherwood said life begins “before conception,” arguing that abortion should be banned under all circumstances.
Sherwood also plans to end funding to any school that “propagates” critical race theory, social emotional learning or the “LGBT+ agenda.”
Sherwood aims to propose a major tax break for Oklahomans, “audit everything” and is outspoken against the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority’s proposed turnpikes in the ACCESS Oklahoma project, saying he wants a plan developed for the authority to pay off old debt.
His 90-day plan rounds out with plans to support the Oklahoma oil and gas industries, “losing Oklahoma’s borders to illegal immigrants and restoring relations with sovereign nations.
Sherwood is endorsed by Jackson Lahmeyer, candidate for James Lankford’s senate seat, Blake Gideon, former president of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, and Gen. Michael Flynn, former U.S. National Security Advisor under Trump for the first 23 days of his presidency.
Joel Kintsel (R)
Executive Director of the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs, National Guard veteran and OU College of Law alum Joel Kintsel calls himself a “Ronald Reagan Republican” and aims to focus on veteran matters if elected governor, according to his campaign website.
Kintsel, who served as parliamentarian in the Oklahoma House of Representatives for 12 years, said he’s a traditional conservative on his campaign website. One of his main focuses is to end “corruption” in the governor’s office.
In a Ballotpedia survey, Kintsel said all of his appointees to government positions will be required to disclose their sources of income and any financial conflicts of interest. In April, Stitt vetoed Senate Bill 1695, which passed unanimously through the Senate and would have required this.
Kintsel is outspoken against the OTA ACCESS Project on his social media pages, vowing to halt the turnpikes and demanding a financial audit of the OTA’s operations. He supports overturning Roe v. Wade and is against federal mask and vaccine mandates. He also wants to “confront” the border crisis.
Regarding education reform, Kintsel said he will work to develop a “blue ribbon” panel of education experts and parents to develop policy and reform, adding on his website that education should not be politicized.
Aiming to solve challenges presented by the McGirt decision while respecting the state and tribal sovereignty, Kintsel said he wants to work with all Oklahoma leaders, including Tribal Nations.
Moira McCabe (R)
Stay-at-home mother Moria McCabe calls herself an “abolitionist against murder,” saying she is anti-abortion on a Ballotpedia survey and adding on her campaign website that she wants to make birth control more available to anyone who needs it.
McCabe aims to repeal “unconstitutional” gun laws and is a “strong believer” in the Second Amendment, and as someone who has depression, she wants to improve how mental health is handled in the state.
By modeling the state’s preexisting price gouging laws in natural disasters and emergencies, McCabe aims to reduce hospital costs.
McCabe has a goal of making the state more self-sustaining, helping family farms if needed, organizing a voluntary “second line of defense” to assist the National Guard during emergencies and auditing education funding.
McCabe is outspoken against the OTA on her Facebook page and aims to end the practice of eminent domain.
Joy Hofmeister (D)
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister switched parties from Republican to Democratic in October when she announced her run for governor. While her campaign website doesn’t directly list a series of issues, she’s detailed her campaign travels on her social media pages.
While in Bartlesville, Hofmeister talked with voters, posting on Facebook that there is “much work to do” in education, health care and gun safety.
On her Instagram, Hofmeister detailed her plan for gun reform, saying she supports raising the purchasing age from 18 to 21 and adding a three-day waiting period for guns to be taken home after purchase. Her plan also includes addressing student mental health through school counselors and investing in school security measures.
Hofmeister also expressed her opposition to the OTA ACCESS project on Facebook.
Hofmeister spoke out against Stitt’s abortion bill signing, adding that while she is “personally pro-life,” she believes that abortion is a personal healthcare choice made by women and their doctors.
In an interview with FOX23, Hofmeister said she would never want to “hurt” any 2SLGBTQ+ students, adding it’s important to focus on how children are bullied in schools. She also said teachers shouldn’t fear teaching important historical events like the Tulsa Race Massacre because of critical race theory criticism.
Previous to running for state superintendent, Hofmeister served on the Oklahoma State Board of Education from 2012-13. Hofmeister was charged with four felony counts, two for violating campaign finance law and two for conspiracy, following claims she was colluding with Oklahomans for Public School Excellence, an outside political group.
These charges were later dismissed in 2017.
Connie Johnson (D)
Former Oklahoma State Senator Connie Johnson seeks the Democratic Party’s nomination for governor for a second time, hoping to become the country’s first Black Indigenous female governor.
Johnson introduced the state’s first cannabis bill in 2007, and reintroduced the bill several times. Johnson continues to advocate for further education about cannabis on her campaign website, considering establishing a Cannabis Legislative Caucus.
Other healthcare-related matters of Johnson’s campaign include upholding abortion as reproductive care and working to protect victims of domestic violence by funding law enforcement programs for domestic violence.
Johnson is anti-death penalty, formerly holding the position of chair of the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. She also has a history of sentencing reform, introducing bills during her time as a senator to eliminate life without parole for drug offenses and habitual offender enhancement — or three-strikes policy — for non-violent offenses.
Education reform is a priority for Johnson, aiming to make funding “student-centered," higher education more affordable and focus on teacher training, retention and recruitment. Johnson also aims to invest in education and infrastructure spending in hopes that it will prompt jobs and “innovation.”
Environmental concerns are also important to Johnson’s campaign, as she supports clean energy independence and investing in clean energy endeavors.
Johnson also supports increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Natalie Bruno (L)
Marketing director Natalie Bruno is the only Libertarian candidate on the ballot, earning her the party’s nomination.
Bruno emphasized her view against mask and vaccine mandates and business closures due to COVID-19 on her campaign website, believing the virus was turned into a political matter rather than a healthcare issue.
She aims to increase transparency regarding healthcare prices, presenting tax reductions to healthcare providers who offer “transparent, cash” pricing and the idea of making healthcare expenses tax-deductible.
Bruno also said she wants to work with tribal leaders, adding it's “time” for the state to “respect” the McGirt decision and tribal sovereignty.
Though she would like to see “less" abortions, Bruno doesn’t believe abortions should be illegal, saying that the government has no place in personal healthcare decisions. Bruno also promotes quality sex education, over-the-counter birth control and accountability from men.
Bruno aims to end the militarization of law enforcement, end the “failed” war on drugs, decriminalize cannabis federally and wants to release non-violent offenders from jail.
She wants to get rid of the state board of education, hoping to give control to school districts, staff and parents, adding that the government should be out of education as much as possible.
Bruno has pledged her support of U.S. congressional term limits for both the House and Senate. She has also presented the idea of Joshua’s Law, which would remove the ability to charge inmates or their families for phone calls.
Ervin Stone Yen (I)
Former Oklahoma State Senator Ervin Stone Yen is the only Independent candidate on the ballot. He changed his registration from Republican to Independent in October 2021, prior to announcing his run for office.
Yen, a graduate of OU School of Medicine, disagreed with how the Republican Party handled COVID-19. Part of his campaign includes a COVID-19 and contagious disease plan and prioritizes reasonably priced prescription drug laws.
Yen wants to stop the manufacturing and distributing of opioids by working with law enforcement, hoping it will decrease Oklahoma’s current opioid crisis.
If Roe v. Wade were to be overturned, Yen believes abortion should be placed on a ballot. He aims to address the “lack of” prenatal care in rural areas and said on his campaign website he understands extenuating circumstances that need to be taken into consideration.
Yen wants to uphold prior agreements with Tribal Nations, adding he believes Indigenous people are, “at minimum,” owed an apology, issuing one on his campaign website.
Yen also believes in stricter gun laws are needed to “ensure” safety, banning the sale of high capacity magazines, age limits on purchasing military grade assault weapons, enforcing a 30-day waiting period, background checks, red flag laws and accessible safety courses for firearms.
Yen also wants to increase funding for education and encourage more responsible oil and gas exploration and production.
The primary and special elections are on June 28. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. To find your polling location and see a sample ballot for your precinct, go to the OK Voter Portal.
Early voting is on the Thursday and Friday before elections from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Saturday immediately before the election. No excuse is needed to vote early.
