There may not have been a great red wave in Congressional races that was anticipated on Election Night but Republican governors had a very good night. One surprise sleeper gubernatorial race was that of Oklahoma Republican Governor Kevin Stitt who faced a challenge from Joy Hofmeister, the the Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction. Polling toward the end of the campaign was not looking so good for Stitt, showing Hofmeister with a slight edge over the incumbent governor. What made the difference in this race? His fellow governors rescued him.

The Republican Governors Association (RGA) pumped in an infusion of money for late campaign ads and it made the difference. Though Stitt outperformed Hofmeister in fundraising, she received millions from dark money groups who put up ads that hammered Stitt. The RGA spent $1.6M in independent expenditures on behalf of Stitt.

Stitt put in almost $2 million of his own money into his re-election campaign. In his first race, he put in $5 million of his own money. The race got uncomfortably tight towards the end so the RGA stepped in to lend a hand to a fellow governor.

Hofmeister switched parties, from Republican to Democrat, in order to challenge Stitt in the gubernatorial race. Stitt emphasized that fact during the campaign and linked Hofmeister to Joe Biden. That strategy worked and voters chose Stitt over Hofmeister. With 100% of the vote in, Stitt had 55.45% of the vote. Hofmeister received 41.78% of the vote and Libertarian Natalie Bruno and Ervin Yen, an independent and former Republican state senator from Oklahoma City, both received less than 1.5% of the votes. That’s a solid drubbing by Stitt.

“Folks, the past year we ran on the record of limited government, lower taxes and traditional family values,” Stitt told a crowd at the Republican watch party in Oklahoma City. “On this campaign, we talk a lot about the Oklahoma turnaround from budget deficits to record surpluses.”

“Today, dark money lost and the people of Oklahoma won,” Stitt said, adding that Oklahomans knew the truth.

“Tonight’s victory is a resounding rejection of the secret, dishonest tactics in Oklahoma politics and a rejection of every one of them that deployed them,” Stitt said. “In the end, truth won tonight.”

Dark money contributors to Hofmeister ran ads spotlighting charges of corruption which have plagued Stitt’s first term as governor. I’ve written about this race and explained the alleged corruption that left Stitt vulnerable.

Biden is as deeply unpopular in Oklahoma as he is in the rest of the country. Oklahoma is an energy state and Stitt reminded voters of Biden’s determination to destroy the fossil fuels industry.

Stitt told voters Biden had targeted the state’s oil and gas industry and was responsible for historic levels of inflation.

During his first term, Stitt often butted heads with lawmakers and had an ongoing, very public feud with the state’s tribes over gaming compacts and other legal matters. The Five Tribes endorsed Hofmeister.

Stitt campaigned on the state’s record savings account, economic development, tax cuts, the low unemployment rate, a teacher pay raise and giving additional dollars to education.

During his second term, he said he would work to eliminate the state’s sales tax on groceries.

“In our state, we are going to focus on teaching kids and not indoctrinating them,” Stitt said.

Hofmeister, who is term-limited out of her current position, often blasted Stitt for his support of school vouchers in public education. She appealed to voters in rural areas who may have few private school options with a voucher program.

The good news is that Stitt joins the ranks of Republican governors who have won re-election. That’s important during presidential election years, like the cycle that begins today for 2024. I know. I don’t want to think about that right now, either. Anyway, thanks to Governors Doug Ducey (R-AZ) and Pete Ricketts (R-NE) as co-chairs of the RGA for stepping in and helping to rescue Governor Stitt. Party unity is crucial moving forward.

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