Stitt grew up in Norman, Oklahoma, and graduated from Oklahoma State University with a degree in accounting. He is the founder and former chairman and CEO of Gateway Mortgage Group.
Stitt started his career working for the Southwestern Company, a door-to-door educational bookseller. He later moved to Tulsa, where he met his wife Sarah Hazen. The couple founded Gateway Mortgage in 2000.[5] Stitt was president and CEO until January 2014, when he became chairman-CEO.[6] He has said he started Gateway in 2000 with "$1,000 and a computer".[3]
In August 2018, after winning the Republican nomination, Stitt stepped down as Gateway CEO as the company announced a merger with a state-licensed bank and sought its banking license.[7] Legal Counsel Scott Gesell became CEO in 2020 and Stitt remained chairman.[8] Gateway is a midsize company based in Jenks, Oklahoma.[9]
Gateway Mortgage license
After a decade of rapid growth, a few Gateway employees were fired for making non-compliant loans.[10] In 2009, Gateway was listed in a Business Insider article as one of the 15 shadiest lenders in the government-backed mortgage industry.[11][12] The article said Gateway originated nearly twice as many bad mortgages as its competitors.[12] An August 19, 2018, Oklahoman newspaper article highlighted the Business Insider article's inaccuracies, reporting that "in the Illinois case, a consent order states that the Illinois banking agency investigated a Gateway loan originator for an 'alleged real estate, appraisal, and mortgage fraud scheme.' Gateway fired the employee, asked for a hearing and then agreed to what investigators found. Gateway agreed to a $10,000 fine. The Stitt campaign responded with a press release that said, "the license in Illinois was never revoked. The state agreed after the appeal not to revoke the license."[10]
NEWS9 also said that according to Georgia's Department of Banking and Finance, Stitt was banned for five years and the company was banned for life from origination mortgages in Georgia. According to the Oklahoman, a Gateway corporate attorney said there were misrepresentations and insufficient background checks by employees in the Georgia office but Stitt was not involved. The employees were fired and Gateway paid a $2,000 fine. The state overturned the lifetime ban on Gateway, effective November 2017. Gateway is able to do business in all 50 states.[10]
During Stitt's gubernatorial campaign, Oklahoma Watch reported that Wisconsin regulators fined Gateway for a "clerical error" regarding its history with regulators from other states. Gateway corrected the application and was issued a license in 2009. It remains in good standing in Wisconsin.[13]
In July 2017, Stitt announced his candidacy[14][15][16] for the Republican nomination[17][18] for governor in 2018.[19][20] Facing nine other candidates in the primary election, he ran a statewide campaign with stops in nearly every city and town in all 77 counties. He finished second, defeating, among others, Lieutenant Governor Todd Lamb.[21][22] In the August 28 primary runoff, Stitt defeated Mick Cornett, a former mayor of Oklahoma City.[23] In the November general election, Stitt defeated the Democratic nominee, former Attorney GeneralDrew Edmondson, and LibertarianChris Powell.[1]
In the GOP runoff, political newcomer Stitt received crucial support from a trio of conservative leaders: U.S. Senator Ted Cruz[24] and former U.S. Senators Rick Santorum[25] and Tom Coburn.[26] In the general election, Stitt was endorsed by former primary rival Mick Cornett,[27] incumbent governor of Oklahoma Mary Fallin,[28] and President Donald Trump.[29]
The Stitt campaign responded to Fallin's endorsement with a press release: "We did not seek [Fallin's endorsement], and Kevin Stitt has run on a campaign message that he will do things a lot differently. He is focused on changing the structure of state government and cleaning up the mess we are currently in at the Capitol."[27]
During his campaign, Stitt called himself "the only job creator with proven business experience" running for governor[30] and emphasized his business background.[31] He called on the state to become "top 10 in job growth, top 10 in education and top 10 in infrastructure."[32]
During the general election, the close race drew increased attention from national media and political figures.[33] Vice President Mike Pence campaigned for Stitt.[34][35][36]
Before taking office, Stitt nominated former state Representative Michael Rogers as his Secretary of State and Tulsa Deputy Mayor Michael Junk (a former advisor to U.S. Senators Jim Inhofe and Tom Coburn)[41] as his chief of staff.[42]
On December 23, 2019, citing disagreements with Stitt over his handling of negotiations with the state's various Indian tribes about gambling compacts, Lisa Johnson Billy became the first member of the Stitt's cabinet to resign. A member of the Chickasaw Nation and former Republican state representative, Billy viewed Stitt's negotiation position as one of "unnecessary conflict."[43] Stitt tapped his Secretary of State Mike Rogers to assume those duties and temporarily combined the two positions.
In April 2022, Stitt supported, and signed into law, SB 612, which makes performing an abortion a crime punishable by 10 years in prison or a $100,000 fine, with exceptions for medical emergencies but none for rape or incest.[48][49] Later in May, Stitt signed into law an even more restrictive bill, House Bill 4327, "banning abortions from the stage of 'fertilization' and allowing private citizens to sue abortion providers who 'knowingly' perform or induce an abortion 'on a pregnant woman.'" Abortion in cases of rape, incest, or high-risk pregnancies will continue to be permitted.[50] It is the most restrictive ban on elective abortion in the United States.[51][52] The ACLU announced that it would fight the ban in court.[53]
Capital punishment
Oklahoma has a long history with capital punishment, having conducted the second-most executions since the death penalty was reinstated in Gregg v. Georgia (1976).[54] But in 2015, a moratorium was placed on all state executions following the botched execution of Clayton Lockett in April 2014 and the execution of Charles Warner by unauthorized methods in January 2015.[55] On February 13, 2020, Stitt announced that the moratorium would be lifted and executions resumed under his tenure.[56] On November 18, 2021, he commuted the death sentence of Julius Jones to life without the possibility of parole.[57]
Criminal justice and mass incarceration
Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board
Three of the five Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board members are appointed by the governor. They serve four year terms that run concurrent with the governor's.[58] Before Adam Luck and Kelley Doyle were pressured to resign from the Board in 2022, Stitt had expressed full confidence in the board over criticisms from District Attorneys like Steve Kunzweiler who want the board to be more conservative in their considerations for parole and commutation. The Tulsa World reported that the District Attorneys were taking an increasingly more political role that has "to some degree weakened" the board's influence.[59] This came at the same time that dark money conservative advertisements targeting Stitt as not tough enough on crime began to air.[60] All of this plays out despite Oklahoma incarcerating a "higher percentage of its people than any democracy on earth."[61] According to Prison Policy Initiative, Oklahoma had the third-highest incarceration rate in 2021, and in 2018, it incarcerated the most women per capita.[62][63]
In 2022, Stitt at first agreed to grant parole to Jimmie Stohler, the Crossbow Killer, after a recommendation from the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, but later rescinded his decision.[64]
Findings in a 2022 grand jury report filed by David Prater criticized Stitt for being grossly improper, claimed that he pressured the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, and that his private meetings seem to have violated the Open Meetings Act.[65][66] DAs have the ability to bring grand juries.[67][68] When the report came out, Stitt's office issued a statement saying, "This is the latest in a string of unfounded hit jobs by the Oklahoma County District Attorney and other political insiders."[69] A spokesman for Stitt said, "Oklahoma law explicitly prohibits grand juries from making allegations that public officials have engaged in misconduct, and it is clear the outgoing prosecutor took advantage of the citizens who served on this grand jury to unwittingly carry out his partisan feud against Governor Stitt and the Pardon and Parole Board."[70] The report noted that the jury "had no legal authority to accuse the governor of official misconduct, which can only be done in impeachment proceedings."[71] Later, Stitt "asked a judge to strike from a grand jury report a finding that he placed 'improper political pressure' on his appointees to the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board."
Legislation
Stitt attempted to address the state's overincarceration crisis. Beginning with the adoption of State Question 780 by Oklahoma voters in 2016, advocates for criminal justice reform sought additional measures. SQ780, which changed the classification of simple drug possession crimes from felony to misdemeanor and increased the cap for property crimes to be considered felonies, had already reduced the rate of felony prosecution statewide by 26% by 2018.[72] In May 2019, Stitt proposed several ideas, including making SQ780's sentencing standards retroactive, prohibiting criminal records from being considered for professional licensing, and restructuring the funding scheme for the various district attorney offices.[73] The legislature made SQ780 retroactive by allowing parole for those convicted before SQ780 became effective and reforming professional licensing,[74] but did not approve bills to reform Oklahoma's cash bail system.[75] In response to legislative defeats, Stitt issued an executive order to form a study group to make recommendations for future criminal justice reform for consideration during the 2020 legislative session, with particular emphasis on reducing Oklahoma's incarceration rate.[76]
In mid-2018, Oklahoma voters approved State Question 788, which legalized the licensed use, sale, and growth of marijuana for medical purposes. As a candidate, Stitt cited a need to implement the results of the election by enacting a comprehensive regulatory scheme.[77] After months of negotiation with legislative leaders, Stitt signed HB2612, the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana and Patient Protection Act. Also known as the "Marijuana Unity Bill", HB2612 provided an extensive medical marijuana framework, including licensing requirements and rights for patients.[78]
Critical race theory
On May 7, 2021, Stitt signed a bill prohibiting the teaching of critical race theory or its gender equivalent in public schools.[79][80]The Oklahoman wrote that it was unclear whether critical race theory was taught at any Oklahoma public schools.[79] Opponents of the bill said it was intended to discourage nuanced discussions about race and whitewash the United States' history on race.[79] Stitt invoked Martin Luther King Jr. when he signed the bill.[79]
LGBT issues
In November, Stitt issued an executive order that prohibited transgender individuals from changing the gender on their birth certificates. In 2022, Stitt signed a bill into law that prohibited nonbinary gender markers on birth certificates. Stitt said that "people are created by God to be male or female. There is no such thing as nonbinary sex." Transgender people criticized Stitt's actions, saying it was difficult for trans individuals to navigate life when their official documents do not match their gender identity. According to the American Medical Association, "empirical evidence has demonstrated that trans and nonbinary gender identities are normal variations of human identity and expression."[81]
On May 25, 2022, Stitt signed a bill into law that will require students at public charter schools and public schools to use locker rooms and bathrooms that match the sex listed on their birth certificate.[82]
In May 2023, Stitt vetoed funding for Oklahoma's PBS network OETA, accusing it of broadcasting pro-LGBT content that "indoctrinat[es]" children.[83][84] The Oklahoma Legislature overrode the veto.[85][86]
On August 1, 2023, Stitt issued the Women's Bill of Rights by executive order. It narrowly defines the words "male" and "female" to mean biological sex at birth.[87]
Gamefowl Commission
In November 2023, Stitt appeared in a prerecorded video at the Oklahoma Gamefowl Commission's annual meeting, saying: "You all know Oklahoma's long and storied history with gamefowl, from statehood to today. Oklahomans like yourselves remain dedicated to the spirit of competition and camaraderie that runs deep in our communities."[88] The statement was criticized by former Governor Frank Keating, former attorney general Drew Edmondson, and animal rights groups as an endorsement of the commission's efforts to reduce the penalty for cockfighting in Oklahoma to a misdemeanor.[88] A Stitt spokesperson responded: "The governor of course does not support animal cruelty. He supports Oklahoma agriculture and often records videos for ag groups around the state... [the governor] has not seen or endorsed any legislation on this topic."[89]YouTube later took the video down for violating community standards by promoting animal cruelty.[90] After Stitt's video message, the Gamefowl Commission asked its members to oppose the nomination of Sara E. Hill to the federal judiciary, saying, "our governor, Kevin Stitt, has asked that we call and email Senators Lankford and Mullin to rescind their approval of Ms. Sara Hill as a federal judge in Northern Oklahoma."[91] Stitt had previously opposed Hill's nomination.[92] The governor's office denied requesting that the commission oppose Hill's nomination.[91] Its communications director, Abegail Cave, said that Stitt will not support bills that lessen cockfighting penalties.[93]
In exchange for additional appointment powers and at legislative leaders' request, Stitt signed into law SB1, which established the Oklahoma Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency in the legislative branch. Under the direction of an oversight committee composed of members of the State Senate and House of Representatives, the office will provide auditing, evaluation, and investigative services for the legislature relating to the governor's proposed budget and expenditures by the executive branch.[95]
Guns
The first law Stitt signed after taking office permitted anyone 21 or older, or 18 if a member or veteran of the United States Armed Forces, to carry a firearm without obtaining a permit or completing training.[96] Stitt also signed HB2010, which expands the places a firearm may be carried to include municipal zoos and parks, regardless of size, as long as it is concealed.[97]
Healthcare
Stitt opposes Medicaid expansion in Oklahoma.[98] His refusal to expand the program resulted in the filing of an citizens' initiative petition, State Question 802, to enact the expansion into the state constitution notwithstanding Stitt's opposition.
Tribal relations
Under the authority of the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, in 2004 Oklahoma voters approved State Question 712, which adopted the Oklahoma State-Tribal Gaming Act. Under the Act, the State of Oklahoma offers each federally recognized Indian tribe the right to conduct commercial gambling within its territory upon accepting the terms of a uniform state-tribal gaming compact. The compact allowed the compacting tribes to conduct gaming in return for "exclusivity fees" to the state treasury averaging 6% of gaming revenues.[99] The compact was scheduled to automatically renew on January 1, 2020.
In a July 2019 op-ed in the Tulsa World followed by a letter to the chiefs of 35 Oklahoma tribes, Stitt called on tribal leaders to renegotiate the terms of the compact before its expiration date.[100] In particular, he called for increasing the exclusivity fees to between 13% and 25%.[101] Stitt's office maintained the compact is not subject to automatic renewal, a claim the tribes rejected, believing it will continue indefinitely unless changes are mutually agreed upon.[102][103] In either event, the Oklahoma Legislature would presumably have to be involved in any renegotiation, since the state's compact offer is defined and controlled by state statute, and federal law requires that the United States Department of the Interior approve any new compact terms.[104]
In August 2019, the various tribes refused to meet with Stitt to negotiate the amount of the exclusivity fees unless he conceded that the compact would otherwise automatically renew.[105] Stitt had proposed a September 3 date to begin discussions but the tribes rejected it.
On July 28, 2020, U.S. District Judge Timothy D. DeGiusti ruled in the tribes' favor, holding that their compacts with the state automatically renewed for an additional 15-year term on January 1, 2020. A week earlier, on July 21, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that the new gaming compacts signed by the state and the Comanche Nation and the Otoe-Missouria Tribe are invalid under state law. The Court ruled that Stitt "exceeded his authorities" in entering into the compacts because they would have allowed gaming that is illegal in Oklahoma, like sports betting.[108]
On July 9, 2020, the United States Supreme Court decided in McGirt v. Oklahoma that half of the land of the state of Oklahoma made up of tribal nations like the Cherokee are officially Native American tribal land jurisdictions.[109] Stitt, a Cherokee Nation citizen, sought to reverse the Supreme Court decision, but in 2021 Oklahoma could not block the federal action to grant the Cherokee Nation along with the Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek) and Seminole Nations reservation status.[110]
In May 2023, Stitt vetoed legislation that would have allowed students to wear tribal regalia during their graduation ceremonies,[111] but the state legislature overrode his veto.[112]
In June 2023, Senator Greg Treat criticized senators who did not show up for a tribal compact vote to override one of Stitt's vetoes.[113] The next month, he called Stitt "ineffective" and said they were one vote shy of overriding.[114] When the override vote was called again, they got enough votes, but Stitt called it an "illegitimate process".[115] Tribal leaders applauded the override.[116] In July 2020, a video Stitt made had a number of erroneous claims about Native American rights, such as that they do not have to obey the speed limit.[117]
Also, one day after the veto override, Attorney General Gentner Drummond entered a "federal lawsuit on behalf of the state" originally brought by Stitt against the U.S. Department of Interior and four tribal nations. Drummond claimed Stitt was "betraying his duties to the state and wasting taxpayer money on private law firms" and that the compacts Stitt signed "with the Comanche Nation, the Otoe-Missouria Tribe, the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, and the Kialegee Tribal Town are invalid because he signed the compacts without first getting legislative approval for expanded types of gaming listed within them, including sports betting."[118]
Response to disasters and emergencies
Coronavirus outbreak
In March 2020, Stitt went out to restaurants amid the coronavirus pandemic and posted a photo on Twitter of him doing so with two of his children.[119][120] He later deleted the tweet, and his spokesperson said, "the governor will continue to take his family out to dinner and to the grocery store without living in fear and encourages Oklahomans to do the same."[121] President Trump said he did not advocate going out to eat but did not criticize Stitt.[122] In the tweet, Stitt wrote, "Eating with my kids and all my fellow Oklahomans ... It's packed tonight!" The photograph he posted with his kids showed them smiling while surrounded by restaurant patrons.[123] On June 20, Stitt attended the Trump rally in Tulsa, and was seen without wearing a mask.[124] On July 15, Stitt announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19.[125] He was the first United States governor diagnosed with COVID-19.[126]
In April 2020, Stitt ordered a massive purchase of hydroxychloroquine, a drug of unproven efficacy as a treatment against the coronavirus but which had been heavily promoted by Donald Trump and his allies.[127] By January 2021, Oklahoma had a $2 million stockpile of hydroxychloroquine which it sought to offload.[127]
On July 30, 2021, Oklahoma Watch released a review of Stitt's Twitter since he received the COVID-19 vaccine and found he posted the least on social media to encourage vaccination of all the governors of states surrounding Oklahoma, including Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, and New Mexico. Only 1.53%, or 3 out of 193, of Stitt's tweets encouraged COVID-19 vaccination. It also found that Stitt had not used his Facebook account to encourage vaccination in months and that none of his last 45 press releases were about vaccination, at a time when Oklahoma had one of the highest COVID-19 test positivity rates in the country.[128]
Stitt sent U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin a letter requesting that COVID-19 vaccine requirements for the Oklahoma National Guard be suspended.[129] Stitt subsequently fired the commander of the Oklahoma National Guard because the commander had advocated for his troops to be vaccinated.[130][129] Stitt's new appointee refused to implement the COVID-19 vaccine requirements.[131][130]
Natural disasters
In June 2023, after severe storms hit parts of Oklahoma with hurricane-force winds and tornadic activity that knocked out power for days for more than 100,000 energy customers during severe heat waves,[132]Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum requested that Stitt announce a state of emergency, but Stitt did not respond to Bynum's calls.[133][134] Days later, Senate Pro TemGreg Treat was informed he was the acting governor and could declare a state of emergency, which he eventually did.[135][136] Stitt was in Paris and Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell was also out of state.[137][138] Six days after the event, Stitt said he was in contact with Bynum[139] and Bynum tried to redirect attention from the story.[140] At least three people died from the storms.[141]
Stitt signed legislation reorganizing the Oklahoma Supreme Court and the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals. Before the reforms, Supreme Court justices were appointed from nine separate districts representing various collections of counties. Under the legislation, as of 2020 the Court's nine judicial districts were redrawn such that five were made coequal with the state's five congressional districts and the other four are at large with the state as whole.[143] Similarly, the five judicial districts used to appoint judges to the Court of Criminal Appeals were made coequal with the congressional districts. The legislation left the method for appointing appellate judges via the Oklahoma Judicial Nominating Commission unchanged. The reform's ostensible purpose was to increase the pool of applicants to the appellate courts.
The governor of Oklahoma is responsible for making appointments to Oklahoma state courts upon a vacancy. Candidates for appointment are reviewed by the Oklahoma Judicial Nominating Commission, which forwards three names to the governor. The governor appoints one of the three without further confirmation. As of 2020, there are 29 appellate court judges (nine Supreme Court justices, five Court of Criminal Appeals judge, 12 Court of Civil Appeals judges, and three Court of Military Appeals judges) and 156 trial judges (75 district judges, 77 associate district judges, and four Workers Compensation Court judges) subject to the gubernatorial appointment process.
Stitt addresses his remarks during a roundtable discussion with Governors and small business owners on the reopening of America's small businesses.
Stitt is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation through his great-grandfather, Robert Benton Dawson. Dawson was given land in the Skiatook area because of his tribal citizenship, and the land is still in the family, now owned by an uncle of Stitt's.[3] The veracity of his claim to Cherokee ancestry has been questioned due to the Cherokee Nation's failed attempt to remove Robert Benton Dawson from the Dawes Rolls around 1900 for allegedly having bribed a tribal official in order for himself and dozens of his relatives to be included in the tribal roll around 1880;[144] the current Cherokee Nation no longer disputes Stitt's citizenship.[145][146][147] Stitt's maternal grandparents were dairy farmers in Skiatook. His paternal grandfather was the head veterinarian at the Oklahoma City Stockyards.[148]
Stitt married Sarah Hazen on June 1, 1998, and they have six children.[1][149] The Stitts are active with the Woodlake Church, an Assemblies of God USA church in Tulsa.[150][151] On October 31, 2022, Stitt's 20-year-old son was found intoxicated in a parking lot in Guthrie, Oklahoma, in possession of firearms, including a gun belonging to his father. No charges were filed, though the Logan County Sheriff's Office recommended filing charges.[152][153]
Electoral history
June 26, 2018 Republican gubernatorial primary[154]
^U.S. News & World Report, Mortgage Company Head Wins GOP Primary for Oklahoma Governor, "Tulsa mortgage company owner and political newcomer Kevin Stitt won the Republican nomination in the race to become Oklahoma's next governor.", August 28, 2018,
^The Journal Record, (Mike Simons/Tulsa World via AP), Pence campaigns for Stitt in Tulsa, Vice President Mike Pence speaks at a rally for gubernatorial candidate Kevin Stitt at the Mabee Center in Tulsa on Thursday. With the general election less than three weeks away, Kevin Stitt is trying to get by with a little help from his friends.
^U.S. News & World Report, October 18, 2018, VP Mike Pence Campaigns for GOP's Kevin Stitt for Governor
"Vice President Mike Pence headlined a campaign rally for Republican Kevin Stitt as they worked to keep the Oklahoma governor's office in GOP hands."
^Corrections Director Scott Crow was named interim director on June 14, 2019 and nominated to the permanent post on December 6, 2019. [1]
^State Banking Commissioner Mick Thompson was initially appointed in 1992 by Governor David Walters. He was subsequently reappointed in 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020.
^OHP Chief Michael Harrell was initially appointed in 2017 under Governor Mary Fallin. He was subsequently retained by Stitt.
^OSBI Ricky Adams was initially appointed in 2018 under Governor Mary Fallin. He was subsequently retained by Stitt.
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