{"id":502923,"date":"2022-10-22T19:00:28","date_gmt":"2022-10-22T16:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/gop-looks-to-avoid-upset-in-oklahoma-governors-race\/"},"modified":"2022-10-22T19:00:28","modified_gmt":"2022-10-22T16:00:28","slug":"gop-looks-to-avoid-upset-in-oklahoma-governors-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/gop-looks-to-avoid-upset-in-oklahoma-governors-race\/","title":{"rendered":"#GOP looks to avoid upset in Oklahoma governor\u2019s race"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3c59a84ace8\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3c59a84ace8\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/gop-looks-to-avoid-upset-in-oklahoma-governors-race\/#GOP_looks_to_avoid_upset_in_Oklahoma_governors_race\" >GOP looks to avoid upset in Oklahoma governor\u2019s race<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"GOP_looks_to_avoid_upset_in_Oklahoma_governors_race\"><\/span>GOP looks to avoid upset in Oklahoma governor\u2019s race<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/10\/stittkevin-hofmeisterjoy_102122ap-sue-ogrocki_oklahoma.jpeg?w=900\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Republicans are looking to avert an upset in Oklahoma\u2019s gubernatorial race as polls show a closer-than-expected contest less than three weeks out from Election\u00a0Day.<\/p>\n<p>Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) has seen the gap in recent surveys close between him and opponent Joy Hofmeister, who\u2019s aiming to become the first Democrat elected to statewide office in the Sooner State since 2006.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr1_ab\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>In a sign of how the dynamic has shifted, the Republican Governors Association (RGA) launched a major ad buy in the state this week attacking\u00a0Hofmeister.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u00a0the\u00a0RGA\u2019s out there with a million dollars three weeks out tells you that their polling is showing what everything else is showing,\u201d said Chad Alexander, a former chair of the state Republican Party and GOP consultant. \u201cI don\u2019t think they would spend a million dollars for no reason.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hofmeister\u00a0has served\u00a0as the state\u2019s superintendent of public instruction\u00a0since 2015. She was elected to the position twice as a Republican but changed her party registration to Democrat last year.<\/p>\n<p>One poll <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/okcfox.com\/news\/local\/oklahoma-governor-election-midterm-2022-joy-hofmeister-kevin-stitt-democrat-republican-independent-vote-poll-ascend-action-joe-biden\">showed Hofmeister\u00a0leading<\/a>\u00a0by 7 points, and multiple\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amberintegrated.com\/news\/amber-integrated-october-2022-oklahoma-general-election-survey\">surveys\u00a0have\u00a0shown<\/a>\u00a0the candidates locked in <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.publicradiotulsa.org\/local-regional\/2022-09-26\/new-poll-finds-kevin-stitt-has-narrow-lead-on-joy-hofmeister-in-race-for-oklahoma-governor\">a tight race<\/a> within the margin of error.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans acknowledged the race\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ears headed for a photo finish,\u00a0but\u00a0they expect Stitt to pull through.<\/p>\n<p>Stitt\u2019s campaign told The Hill in a statement that the governor will win the race because of key differences between the candidates.\u00a0An ad from the campaign and the one from the\u00a0RGA\u00a0seek to tie Hofmeister to President\u00a0Biden\u00a0and claim both support gas tax increases as supply issues remain, which would cost Oklahoma jobs.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr2_ab\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cKevin\u00a0Stitt\u00a0is going to win this race because Oklahomans know Kevin\u00a0Stitt\u00a0is fighting for them, cutting taxes, balancing the budget, and funding pay increases for every teacher, while his Democratic opponent supports tax increases and marches in lock-step with Joe\u00a0Biden\u2019s liberal agenda that\u2019s threatening Oklahoma,\u201d said Donelle Harder, Stitt\u2019s campaign manager.<\/p>\n<p>The RGA similarly sought to tie Hofmeister and Biden in a statement provided to The Hill.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe difference between Joy Hofmeister\u2019s and Joe Biden\u2019s plans for Oklahoma are negligible \u2014 both want to push a radical agenda on students and make it harder for families to put food on the table,\u201d\u00a0said RGA spokesman Will Reinert.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr3_ab\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Still, recent surveys have shown Stitt\u2019s <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/okcfox.com\/news\/local\/new-poll-finds-oklahoma-voters-are-souring-on-gov-kevin-stitt-change-research-joy-hofmeister-corruption-natalie-bruno-ervin-yen\">approval rating underwater<\/a>\u00a0this year,\u00a0with 42 percent of Oklahomans approving of his job performance and 52\u00a0percent disapproving\u00a0in\u00a0a\u00a0poll\u00a0earlier this month.<\/p>\n<p>Alexander said\u00a0no one issue is responsible for <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.oklahoman.com\/story\/news\/politics\/state\/2022\/10\/17\/poll-oklahoma-governors-race-a-dead-heat-between-stitt-hofmeister\/69569704007\/\">the tight race<\/a>, pointing instead to a combination of factors.<\/p>\n<p>Education has been a central issue in the race as\u00a0Stitt has made supporting school vouchers a major part of his campaign.\u00a0Stitt\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.oklahoman.com\/story\/news\/politics\/elections\/2022\/09\/25\/school-vouchers-education-defining-issue-oklahoma-governor-election-2022-kevin-stitt-joy-hofmeister\/69503901007\/\">promoted\u00a0school voucher legislation<\/a> during the past legislative session, but\u00a0the bill failed.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr4_ab\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Alexander said the bill was unpopular in rural\u00a0parts of the state\u00a0because it would have pulled money out of the state funding formula, causing\u00a0major budget cuts for the schools in those areas.<\/p>\n<p>In\u00a0many cases, rural students in Oklahoma do not have any other options of nearby schools they could attend, so the voucher program would not help them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn rural Oklahoma, a lot of times the schools are the lifeblood of those communities,\u201d Alexander said.<\/p>\n<p>Hofmeister and Stitt sparred over education at\u00a0the race\u2019s only debate\u00a0on Wednesday. Stitt criticized Hofmeister\u2019s record as superintendent, pointing to the state\u2019s continued\u00a0low test\u00a0scores, while Hofmeister called Stitt\u2019s voucher proposal a \u201crural school killer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hofmeister also attacked Stitt over crime, in a notable reverse of the trend seen in other races, where Republicans have hammered their Democratic opponents over the issue. During the debate, she claimed Oklahoma had a higher\u00a0violent\u00a0crime rate than California\u00a0and\u00a0New York, something\u00a0Stitt denied. However, data from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchs\/pressroom\/sosmap\/homicide_mortality\/homicide.htm\">the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a>\u00a0appears to back up her argument.<\/p>\n<p>Amid all of this, Stitt has been in a public feud with Native American tribes in the state, several of which have waded directly into the governor\u2019s race in a major break from tradition.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this month, five of Oklahoma\u2019s largest tribes issued a joint endorsement of Hofmeister, a surprise move that came after Stitt ended hunting and fishing license agreements with the Cherokee and Choctaw nations; opposed a Supreme Court ruling that found a large part of the state should remain tribal reservation; and unsuccessfully attempted to renegotiate the state\u2019s share of casino revenue with tribes, which exclusively operate casinos there.<\/p>\n<p>Hudson Talley, the co-founder of Ascend Action, the political consulting firm that conducted the poll showing Hofmeister up by 7 points, said the Democrat has focused her campaign heavily on criticizing Stitt\u2019s record, while Stitt has concentrated on positive messaging around his platform.<\/p>\n<p>But he said Stitt has shifted to negative campaigning as polls have shown a tighter race.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr5_ab\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Meanwhile, Hofmeister has hammered Stitt over allegations of corruption.<\/p>\n<p>A <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2022\/05\/02\/stitt-gave-families-8-million-for-school-supplies-in-the-pandemic-they-bought-christmas-trees-gaming-consoles-and-hundreds-of-tvs\/\">recent investigation\u00a0revealed<\/a>\u00a0that\u00a0millions of dollars\u00a0intended for families to purchase\u00a0school supplies amid the COVID-19 pandemic\u00a0were\u00a0used for electronics like televisions and gaming consoles under Stitt.<\/p>\n<p>Reports also showed that the state\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.readfrontier.org\/stories\/seeking-to-boost-the-image-of-state-parks-oklahoma-tourism-officials-sank-millions-into-a-private-restaurant-venture\/\">paid\u00a0millions of dollars<\/a>\u00a0in taxpayer dollars\u00a0to a restaurant as part of a state contract designed to attract interest in Oklahoma\u2019s state parks.\u00a0The money reportedly\u00a0funded\u00a0renovations\u00a0and management fees\u00a0and covered\u00a0revenue losses.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats said they are hopeful about Hofmeister\u2019s chances and her competitiveness in the race is a strong sign regardless of the result.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr6_ab\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cKevin Stitt\u2019s pattern of corruption and record of failing public schools has forced the\u00a0RGA\u00a0to spend over\u00a0$1.5 million\u00a0in Oklahoma to try to bail him out,\u201d said Sam Newton, the Democratic Governors Association\u2019s deputy communications director. \u201cIn contrast, Joy Hofmeister continues to build a strong, bipartisan coalition by focusing on solving the state\u2019s biggest issues like improving public education and public safety.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Alicia Andrews, the chairwoman of the Oklahoma Democratic Party, said elections are often a reflection of \u201csomething big,\u201d and she believes people are responding to the \u201ccorruption and scandal\u201d that the state is mired in.\u00a0She said people\u00a0want to feel that they are being heard and desire transparency.<\/p>\n<p>She\u00a0said the\u00a0RGA\u00a0and Republican National Committee have not needed to spend resources in Oklahoma in a long time, showing that Hofmeister\u2019s message is\u00a0resonating.<\/p>\n<p>Andrews said she is \u201cvery optimistic\u201d about the race and people need to understand that they cannot sit out this election.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr7_ab\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s what my focus is on right now, just making sure that people participate, that everybody who\u2019s eligible and registered participates.\u00a0And\u00a0I think when that happens, we will have a new governor,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Oklahoma State Sen. Nathan Dahm (R) also emphasized turnout on the Republican side. He said he is skeptical about the accuracy of the polls showing\u00a0the race so close, but he expects the race to be closer than in certain other\u00a0solidly\u00a0Republican\u00a0states.<\/p>\n<p>He pointed to Oklahoma\u2019s long history as an overwhelmingly Democratic state since it gained statehood.<\/p>\n<p>Pat McFerron, a pollster for the Oklahoma City-based polling and consulting firm CMA Strategies, said\u00a0what\u00a0swing\u00a0voters will think about when they go into the polls is unclear.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf they walk into the ballot box thinking about Joe\u00a0Biden, I think Kevin Stitt\u2019s going to win reelection,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf they\u2019re thinking about\u00a0the direction of the state, Hofmeister has a\u00a0shot,\u201d he added.\u00a0\n<\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/campaign\/3699030-gop-looks-to-avoid-upset-in-oklahoma-governors-race\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>GOP looks to avoid upset in Oklahoma governor\u2019s race Republicans are looking to avert an upset in Oklahoma\u2019s gubernatorial race as polls show a closer-than-expected contest less than three weeks out from Election\u00a0Day. Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) has seen the gap in recent surveys close between him and opponent Joy Hofmeister, who\u2019s aiming to become&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":502924,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/10\/stittkevin-hofmeisterjoy_102122ap-sue-ogrocki_oklahoma.jpeg?w=1280","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[134343,90482,124783,991,134439,134440,115,15092,134438,134345,42873],"class_list":["post-502923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-campaign","tag-house","tag-international","tag-joe-biden","tag-joy-hofmeister","tag-kevin-stitt","tag-news","tag-oklahoma","tag-prevention-cures","tag-state-watch","tag-white-house"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/502923","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=502923"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/502923\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/502924"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=502923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=502923"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=502923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}