Kevin Stitt in 2022 OK Governor's race

On Abortion: FactCheck: Less than 1% of abortions are after 21 weeks

Claim: Stitt said: "There are states like Colorado and California and New York, that will abort babies, all the way up until the time of birth."

Fact check: Mostly false.

According to an Associated Press review of state abortion laws, California only allows abortions until the point of fetal viability which is around 23 to 24 weeks. In New York, abortion is permitted in the first 24 weeks of pregnancy, with an exception for non-viable fetuses, or to save the life of a mother.

In Colorado, there is no limit on when an abortion can take place, but late-term abortions are rare. Less than 1% of abortions in the United States occur after 21 weeks of gestation, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. The Frontier fact-checked this claim about Colorado earlier this year and found it true, but misleading.

Source: The Frontier FactCheck on 2022 Oklahoma Gubernatorial race Oct 21, 2022

On Civil Rights: Oppose bathrooms that match their gender identity

As the leader of one of the reddest states in the country, Stitt fully embraces the GOP education agenda, from restricting how teachers discuss race and gender to ending a policy that allowed students to use bathrooms that match their gender identity. In his State of the State address this year, he said, "God gave kids to parents--not the government!" He blames Hofmeister, who is finishing her 2nd term, for a lack of improvement in Okla. schools, while she points to financial scandals under his watch. Source: The74million.org on 2022 Oklahoma Gubernatorial race Oct 14, 2022

On Crime: FactCheck: OK has higher violent crime rate than NY and CA

Joy 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 rate of violent crime than both NY and CA, but that's been the case for much of the last 20 years.

Stitt said: "That's not true" in response to the claim by Hofmeister. "Oklahomans, do you believe we have higher crime than New York or California?

Fact check: False. Oklahoma does have a higher violent crime rate than both NY and CA, according to law enforcement data collected annually by the FBI. In 2020, the latest year for which complete data is available, Oklahoma had a violent crime rate of 458 incidents per 100,000 people. California had a violent crime rate of 442 incidents per 100,000 people for the same period, while NY had a violent crime rate of 363 incidents per 100,000 people. The national average for violent crime in 2020 was 398.

Source: The Frontier FactCheck on 2022 Oklahoma Gubernatorial race Oct 21, 2022

On Education: Fund students not systems, including vouchers

Educational options in rural communities are now center stage as voters prepare to choose their next governor. 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 Joy Hofmeister, who switched parties to challenge Stitt as a Democrat, 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: EPA is weaponized to restrict drilling on federal lands

Stitt said that Joy Hofmeister, his opponent in the governor's race, 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.

Stitt said the Biden administration has been weaponizing Environmental Protection Agency laws and has restricted drilling on federal lands. "They have a Russian tanker at the Boston harbor trying to deliver natural gas to the East Coast instead of just building new pipelines," Stitt said. The United States has not imported any petroleum gases from Russia since 2019; a Russian tanker made news for attempting to deliver natural gas in Boston in 2018, when former President Donald Trump was still in office.

Source: The Journal-Record on 2022 Oklahoma Gubernatorial race Oct 12, 2022

On Local Issues: I'm not giving away half my state to Indian tribes

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."

"For her to sit here and say she would just let our state go, that is terrible," Stitt said. "We need a governor that's not beholden to anybody but the people of Oklahoma."

Source: The Journal-Record on 2022 Oklahoma Gubernatorial race Oct 12, 2022

The above quotations are from 2022 Oklahoma Gubernatorial race: debates and news coverage. Click here for other excerpts from 2022 Oklahoma Gubernatorial race: debates and news coverage. Click here for other excerpts by Kevin Stitt. Click here for other excerpts by other Governors.
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Page last updated: Feb 14, 2023