Joy Hofmeister in 2022 OK Governor's race
On Abortion:
Personally pro-life; against extremism on both sides
What about her stance on abortion? "My values haven't changed," Hofmeister said. "I'm personally pro-life. I haven't walked in every woman's shoes.
I'm against extremism on both sides. "What matters most is having access to high-quality health care and well-paying jobs," Hofmeister said.
Source: Tahlequah Daily Press on 2022 Oklahoma Gubernatorial race
Dec 14, 2021
On Abortion:
Personal decision between woman, her doctor and her faith
Hofmeister said there are limits to what legislation she would approve, although she calls herself pro-life. "This is a decision that is personal and one between a woman, her doctor and her faith," Hofmeister told The Frontier. Hofmeister criticized
bills Stitt signed that courts later declared unconstitutional. Two new abortion laws struck down banned abortions if a fetal heartbeat is detected and declared abortion "unprofessional conduct" for doctors.
Source: The Frontier on 2022 Oklahoma Gubernatorial race
Oct 22, 2021
On Civil Rights:
Listen to perspective and priorities of tribal nations
[On Native American tribes]: "We need to respect and listen to the input, the perspective and the priorities of the tribal governments within Oklahoma. From the beginning, I have worked to understand that, to listen and to be a collaborator toward the
common good of all Oklahomans," she said. "I will not betray the trust that I have personally established with our tribal nations." Hofmeister has touted the State Education Department's cooperation with tribes in American Indian education.
Source: Tulsa World on 2022 Oklahoma Gubernatorial race
Nov 22, 2021
On Civil Rights:
Transgender bathroom policy: let local schools decide
A spokesperson for Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister says transgender bathroom policies are subject to local control in public schools and not mandated by any court ruling, apparently contradicting a prior statement from Hofmeister's
office.Hofmeister has suggested in a formal letter that passage of a state law banning boys from competing in girls' athletic events shows lawmakers nonetheless signaled their intent to allow boys to use the girls' restrooms in public schools.
Source: Council of Public Affairs on 2022 Oklahoma Governor race
Apr 25, 2022
On Crime:
Suspend death penalty until it be properly carried out
This latest example of a botched execution should give all Oklahomans serious concerns about the State's ability to properly administer the death penalty. It is the governor's job to ensure executions are carried out appropriately. After reviewing
eyewitness reports from the death chamber, it is clear the governor has failed to do that. Governor Stitt should immediately suspend executions until he can guarantee the people of Oklahoma that his administration can properly carry out the sentence.
Source: KFOR-4-TV on 2022 Oklahoma Gubernatorial race
Oct 28, 2021
On Education:
My focus will be on education, particularly public schools
[On teacher hiring]: "My focus will always be on education, particularly in our public schools," said Hofmeister. She said she supports higher pay, not only for teachers, but also for support personnel such as bus drivers and teacher aides.
Hofmeister said she has a plan to get more teachers certified in Oklahoma, by paying college students a salary during their 15-week internships. Some interns have to drop out because they simply cannot afford to go so long without being paid, she said.
Source: Tahlequah Daily Press on 2022 Oklahoma Gubernatorial race
Dec 14, 2021
On Energy & Oil:
Support Oklahoma business, including oil and gas industry
One of the main drivers of Oklahoma's economy has traditionally been the oil and gas industry. What would she do to support it, given that the nation's top Democrat, President Joe Biden, said during his campaign he would
work to put oil and gas companies out business? "I support all of our various businesses in Oklahoma, and we want to reduce red tape and barriers," Hofmeister said.
Source: Tahlequah Daily Press on 2022 Oklahoma Gubernatorial race
Dec 14, 2021
On Gun Control:
I'm an Oklahoman; I have a conceal and carry permit
What's her stance on gun control? Has that changed since she changed from a Republican to a Democrat? "I'm an Oklahoman. I have a conceal and carry permit,"
Hofmeister said. "I grew up with guns in my family."
Source: Tahlequah Daily Press on 2022 Oklahoma Gubernatorial race
Dec 14, 2021
On Health Care:
COVID: I'd have listened to experts instead of changing them
[On COVID response]: "We have a global pandemic, and it mattered who was governor in 2020," said Hofmeister. "We've had 10,000 Oklahomans lost. When you understand now how critical it was to have had a leader who contemplated expert
advice and opinion and set an example to help protect Oklahomans, we could have avoided thousands of people dying."So what would she have done differently? "I wouldn't have churned through four state epidemiologists in the middle of a pandemic."
Source: Tulsa World on 2022 Oklahoma Gubernatorial race
Jan 22, 2022
On Health Care:
Supported Medicaid expansion under Obamacare
Ms. Hofmeister also recognizes the other challenges facing Oklahomans, including infrastructure and access to healthcare. Healthcare in particular is where Ms. Hofmeister takes aim at current Governor Stitt, who supported twice-impeached former
President Donald Trump's managed health care plans for Oklahoma citizens. Ms. Hofmeister, on the other hand, has supported the Medicaid expansion--which saw hundreds of thousands of Oklahoma families receive medical benefits.
Source: The Black Wall Street Times on 2022 Oklahoma Governor race
Jan 22, 2022
On Principles & Values:
Lifelong Republican became Democrat to challenge incumbent
State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister is running for governor--as a Democrat. The 57-year-old lifelong Republican is changing her party registration in order to launch a bid to unseat Republican incumbent
Kevin Stitt. "Gov. Stitt is running the state into the ground," said Hofmeister. "Through extremism, partisanship, ineffective leadership, he is hurting our education system, our health care, our infrastructure.
Source: Tulsa World on 2022 Oklahoma Gubernatorial race
Jan 22, 2022
On Principles & Values:
Throughout my life, I've valued hard work and perseverance
Throughout my life, I've valued hard work and perseverance. When I was a child, with the help of committed teachers, I worked to overcome the challenges of living with dyslexia and now am proud to be an advocate for dyslexia awareness.
As a young adult, I faced the uncertainty of dropping out of college, only to later graduate at the top of my class at Texas Christian University with a degree in education.
Source: 2022 Oklahoma Gubernatorial campaign website JoyForOK.com
Jul 19, 2021
On Principles & Values:
Tried to bar religious discrimination in scholarship program
The LNH law includes a provision mandating that participating private schools cannot discriminate "on the ground of race, color, or national origin." During the administration of Hofmeister, the Department of Education rewrote regulations to
also bar discrimination based on sexual orientation and religious affiliation. The regulations effectively required religious schools to hire atheists as teachers and/or abandon student code-of-conduct requirements regarding sexuality and marriage.
Source: Council of Public Affairs on 2022 Oklahoma Governor race
Jun 28, 2022
On Tax Reform:
Fiscally conservative but praised tax boosting teacher pay
Hofmeister would not say if she favors raising taxes to increase funding for education and calls herself "fiscally very conservative." However, she praised a 2018 tax increase that funded a pay raise for teachers in the state.
Stitt objected to the tax increase when he ran for governor in 2018, although it was enacted by a Republican-controlled Legislature and governor.
Source: The Frontier on 2022 Oklahoma Gubernatorial race
Oct 22, 2021
On Crime:
FactCheck: Yes, OK has higher crime rate than NY and CA
Claim: Hofmeister claimed that, under Stitt's administration, that "the rates of violent crime are higher in Oklahoma under your watch, than in NY and CA. That's a fact."Fact check: True, but misleading. It's true that in 2020, Oklahoma had a higher
between 2019 and 2020, the increase tracked closely with a nationwide rise in reported violent crime during the lockdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Oklahoma has consistently had a higher crime rate than the national average since 2001. The data shows
Oklahoma has had a higher rate of violent crime than California since 2008 for every year except 2019 and the violent crime rate in New York has been lower than Oklahoma's for every year since 2002.
Source: The Frontier FactCheck on 2022 Oklahoma Gubernatorial race
Oct 21, 2022
On Education:
Vouchers are "rural schools killers" that pull funding
Educational options in rural communities are now center stage as voters prepare to choose their next governor. Incumbent Gov. Kevin Stitt is campaigning on a statewide "fund-students-not-systems" platform and promises to "support any bills that would
give parents and students more freedom to attend the schools that best fit their learning needs."A voucher plan that died in the Senate earlier this year would have opened them to children in families that earn roughly three times what it takes to
qualify for free or reduced-price lunches, with most awards ranging from $5,900 to about $8,100.
But Hofmeister has called the proposal a "rural schools killer" because it would pull funding from traditional districts. "I have gone to those
communities that have lost their school, and then they lose their town," Hofmeister told The 74. Recent polls show Stitt's lead over Hofmeister shrinking--a reflection of the power of her message about rural schools.
Source: The74million.org on 2022 Oklahoma Gubernatorial race
Oct 14, 2022
On Energy & Oil:
Work with oil & gas industry to craft policies suited to OK
Gov. Stitt said that Hofmeister joined the "Biden party," which he said has villainized the oil and gas industry. "My opponent joins the Biden party in the same year they canceled the Keystone Pipeline," Stitt said. Hofmeister switched parties from
Republican to Democrat in 2021 in order to run against Stitt for the governor's seat. Also in 2021, the Biden administration canceled the permit for the portion of the Keystone Pipeline that would have linked Canada and Montana; the
Oklahoma portion of the pipeline has been up and running since 2011.Hofmeister said she was "very concerned about the rhetoric we hear from the Biden administration."
"We also know that this industry, the energy sector has been under attack and
it is real," Hofmeister said. "We have still hundreds of wells that are not online. We do not have a state comprehensive energy plan." Hofmeister said she would work with industry leaders to craft policies suited to Oklahoma.
Source: The Journal-Record on 2022 Oklahoma Gubernatorial race
Oct 12, 2022
On Local Issues:
Make a jurisdiction compact with Indian tribes
Hofmeister, who has garnered the endorsement of the leaders of the five largest tribes in Oklahoma, said the tribes have a $15.5 billion annual economic impact in the state and when taken collectively are the state's largest employer.
When the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma created uncertainty regarding jurisdiction for much of eastern Oklahoma--which the decision determined to be Indian land--Stitt mishandled the situation,
Hofmeister said. "He could have had compacts right away with the affected tribes," Hofmeister said. "But he didn't because he had already burned bridges with the tribal nations in Oklahoma. He cares more about fighting with the U.S. Supreme Court
than fighting for our jobs and fighting for better jobs and I will do that."
"McGirt was a disaster for the state of Oklahoma," Stitt said. "I was not going to be the governor that goes down in history that gives half of my state away."
Source: The Journal-Record on 2022 Oklahoma Gubernatorial race
Oct 12, 2022
Page last updated: Feb 14, 2023