Thread by @reesejgorman

The #OKGov debate is about to start. I will be live tweeting it below

Also, there is an open bar here tonight so any misspellings or grammatical errors can be attributed to that

Stitt touts the state's saving account in his opening and expresses his support for tax cuts and says "Biden's party wants to raise taxes."

Hofmeister talks about saving rural schools. Says her grandpa inspired her to "put education first."

Q1: What hobby or activity helps you relax.

Stitt: Most of my time is spent chasing kids around and trying to work in a date night is important.

Hofmeister: I love to spend time with our new granddaughter Willow.

Q2: Stitt, you campaigned on making Oklahoma a top 10 state, but we remain near the bottom. Where have you moved the needle the most?

Stitt: As a leader you have to set a vision for your employees, its a goal. Being Top 10 is something we're "never going to hit."

Same Q to Hofmeister but about education

Hofmeister: Oklahoma has a teacher shortage that leads the nation. We haven't had the team we've needed to.

Stitt: The only thing that hasn't improved is education. Asks Hofmeister why is that?

Oklahoma ranks 49 in oklahoma

Q3: What inspired you to switch party and run for Gov.

Joy: Our governor has hijacked the Republican party.

Storme asked how much of the Dem party platform she subscribes too.

Joy: I'm an indepedent thinker. I was a Republican longer then Stitt was registered to vote

Stitt: Joy couldn't see a path forward in the Rep party so she switched to Biden's party who cancelled the Keystone Pipeline.

Stitt says Oklahoma is number 11 in migration of people moving to the state. Says its because of people coming here for our "business friendly policies."

Q: Will you support rec marijuana and have you ever smoked weed?

Joy: No I haven't smoked weed, and whether or not I will support rec weed depends on whose governor because under Stitt medical marijuana is a mess.

Stitt: Says he has smoked weed. talks about all the laws he's passed to tighten down on illegal marijuana grows and is not supporting rec marijuana.

What do you say to those Oklahomans whose lives are being upended by the new turnpike.

Stitt: We have to be top 10 in infrastructure and we have to fix our rural roads and rural highways. and we're going to accomodate every Oklahoman. But we can't have gridlock on I-35

Joy: Says she is not in favor of the southern portion of the turnpike that would displace people in Norman. Calls for an audit of the OTA

Q: Do you agree that humans contirbute to climate change and do you agree with dramatic action to fix it.

Joy:We need more energy not less,there is no such thing as good and bad energy and no such thing as clean energy. I'm critical of Biden for not doing enough for Okla energy.

Stitt: We have decreased our emissions under Biden's attack. We're number 2 in wind energy. And we're one in only four state were over 40% of our energy comes from renewables.

Stitt: we have more charging station per capita then any other state

Q: Why did you (Stitt) commute Julius Jones sentence?

Stitt: I felt like hearing all the information that was the best decision for Oklahoma.

he declines to get into specifics as to why he did it

Q: support for the death penalty.

Joy: expresses support for death penalty and hits Stitt on letting out a criminal who then killed someone.

Stitt: Right now we are leading the country of the lowest people going back to prison. Touts his 2019 mass commutation of non-violent offenders.

Joy: We have higher crime then NY and California

Stitt: Thats a like, you really believe we have higher crime then NY or Calif.

Stitt says he would sign a law to allow for abortion in the instances of rape and incest.

Right now, abortion is banned in Oklahoma except to save the life of a mother

Joy says we will build relationship with the Republican Leg. to repeal the abortion ban.

Q about vouchers

Stitt says it is untrue that his voucher plan would "defund" rural schools. I'm going to stand with parents not big unions. My opponent shut down schools for over a year.

Joy: What's disgusting is a gov who presents his own argument as fact. His voucher scheme is a rural school killer. And it will be Epic on sterorids. You kill a school you kill the community

Q on McGirt.

Joy: What this gov has done is sewed chaos and division. It is pitting neighbor against neighbor. touts the "sovereign tribal nations" economic impact.

She declines to give a yes or no answer to whether or not McGirt applies to civil issues as well.

Stitt: the McGirt decision was a federalization of eastern Oklahoma. It gave eastern Oklahoma over to Biden

Says McGirt does not apply to civil issues. "Can you imagine a bank CEO in eastern Oklahoma not paying taxes but a single mother having too?"

Stitt: "The tribes have sovereignty over what they have sovereignty over."

Stitt: Joy is for federalizing eastern Oklahoma so no longer the state is in control.

Joy: It is breathtaking how the gov processes this and sees it.

Q on Swadley's

Stitt says the state has not lost $17 million b/c the state owns the 6 new restraunts. "Folks we will be transparent with your dollars." Says Jerry Winchester did an amazing job when he was exec director.

Joy says his appointees have cost the taxpayers millions, cites the Swadley scandal, the GEER fund scandal, and the pandemic center.

Q on GEER funds.

Stitt doesn't answer the question but hits Joy on not keeping school districts open after the millions of dollars they got from fed government.

Q "How do Oklahomans know you will fight for Oklahomans and not the dark money backers backing you."

Joy: I don't have anything to do with something that is not my campaign. Calls Janet Barresi an "underhanded politician."

Stitt: I give you 20 million reasons why Joy will be beholden to special interests and not the citizens of Oklahoma.

Q to Joy about why she won't welcome an audit of the ed department.

Joy: Stitt doesn't understand what he asked for. She then hits Stitt on closing the state and "allowing the hospitals to surge."

Stitt: Why are we 49th in test scores? What is everyone else doing differently? says thats why he called for an audit.

Joy: Says we are 46th in the nation for investment into ed. says It is pitiful that we have a governor who doesn't get that we have to meet the kids' needs.

Closing statements:

Stitt: I want to remind Oklahomans how far we have come. My opponent joined Joe Biden's party when she couldn't see a path forward in the Republican party. But it's no surprise, she closed schools for weeks. Says the 20 million reason line again

Joy says that freedom is on the ballot, freedom to choose is on the ballot and rural schools and rural communities is on the ballot.