Gov. Kevin Stitt, Democrat Joy Hofmeister spar in only scheduled debate for governor candidates

Gov. Kevin Stitt and state schools Superintendent Joy Hofmeister took the gloves off Wednesday night in the lone scheduled gubernatorial debate this election cycle.

As Stitt and Hofmeister detailed their goals for the state, they sparred on abortion, enforcement of the state's medical marijuana laws, tribal issues and criminal justice reform, as well as blamed each other for the state's poor education rankings in the 90-minute debate hosted by NonDoc and News9.

At times, the moderators' questions appeared to become an afterthought as Stitt and Hofmeister centered their answers on attacking each other.

Hofmeister, a Democrat, criticized the past four years of the Stitt administration while the GOP incumbent tried to tie his opponent to President Joe Biden, a largely unpopular figure in the state where all 77 counties went for Donald Trump in back-to-back presidential elections.

Although Stitt and Hofmeister were once members of the same political party, the debate gave voters a glimpse at the differences between the leading candidates for governor.

Stitt said he would sign exceptions to Oklahoma's abortion ban

Facing criticism for signing into law a near-total abortion ban, Stitt softened his stance on regulating the procedure.

While maintaining he still believes life begins at conception, Stitt said he would sign legislation allowing abortions for women who become pregnant through rape or incest.

The state's abortion ban only includes an exception to save the life of the mother in the event of a medical emergency. There are no exceptions for rape or incest.

“If the (Oklahoma) Legislature put that on my desk, I would sign that,” Stitt said.

The governor accused Hofmeister of supporting abortions "all the way up until the time of birth," which has become a common phrase Republican politicians use to attack their Democratic opponents.

Late-term abortions are extremely rare. Fewer than 2% occur after 21 weeks of pregnancy, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Medical experts say late-term abortions are not elective and the procedure is not done when a mother is at full term, according to PolitiFact.

Formerly a lifelong Republican, Hofmeister has not come out as a full-throated supporter of abortion rights since switching parties. Her views on the issue are more nuanced. Reiterating that she considers herself "personally pro-life," Hofmeister said she doesn't support extremes on either side of the abortion issue.

She criticized that current state law lacks exceptions for rape or incest, and vowed to repeal the near-total ban.

But Hofmeister has been vague on where she would draw the line on when a woman could or could not seek an abortion. "This is a health care decision between a woman and her doctor and her faith," she said.

Hofmeister doesn't take a position on State Question 820

Asked about a state question that would legalize recreational marijuana, Hofmeister didn't take a position on the measure that will go before voters on March 7, 2023.

Hofmeister said Oklahoma's medical marijuana program is already similar to a recreational program, a common refrain among the state's GOP politicians.

Provisions of State Question 820 that would tax recreational marijuana at a higher rate than medical marijuana are appealing because that tax revenue would go to schools and other areas, Hofmeister said.

Noting marijuana use is still illegal at the federal level, Stitt said he opposes legalizing recreational marijuana.

Unlike his opponent, though, he said he had previously consumed marijuana. He joked that his answer might upset his parents, who were in the audience for the debate at the Will Rogers Theatre in Oklahoma City.

SQ 820 would legalize recreational marijuana for those 21 and older and implement criminal justice reforms.

Hofmeister attacked the Republican governor for not being more conservative on the issue of cannabis. She accused the governor of not doing more to enforce the state's medical marijuana laws and blamed him for the explosion of dispensaries and illegal cannabis operations.

Stitt called the state question to legalize medical cannabis "poorly worded" and said the state was unprepared to enforce State Question 788, which passed in 2018. Medical cannabis sales started before Stitt took office.

The governor listed off several reforms, including a new moratorium on medical cannabis business licenses, he supported to beef up enforcement of the industry and prevent black market marijuana operations.

Stitt addresses Swadley's controversy

The governor quibbled with a debate moderator over a question about Swadley's Foggy Bottom Kitchen's now-defunct contracts with the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department.

Stitt defended the director he appointed to oversee the agency. Former Director Jerry Winchester resigned after the agency's contracts with a local barbecue chain spurred a forensic audit and criminal probe.

Pointing to the Swadley's debacle and other recent controversies in state government, Hofmeister has accused the Stitt administration of being rife with corruption, cronyism and self-dealing.

"This is a governor who has squandered, mismanaged and lost millions of taxpayer dollars on his watch with his appointees," she said.

Taking issue with the wording of the question, Stitt said it was "simply not true" that the state had lost $17 million in the questionable deal. He noted Swadley's had renovated six state park restaurants that will continue to be used once the tourism department selects a new operator.

The state paid Swadley's roughly $17 million for its work to renovate and operate the eateries. The head of a legislative watchdog office estimates the tourism department overpaid the barbecue business $12.4 million in taxpayer funds.

After the deal came to light through media reports, the state sued Swadley's for breach of contract.

"There's 4,600 vendors that participate with the state of Oklahoma," Stitt said. "If we find out any vendor is doing things wrong, we're going to hold them accountable."

Stitt criticizes Biden while Hofmeister distances herself from Democratic ideals

Party politics came into play as Hofmeister was questioned about her party switch and how closely she aligns with Democratic values.

Hofmeister distanced herself from the Democratic Party as Stitt repeatedly tried to link her to Biden.

"My opponent, she couldn't see a path forward for herself as a Republican, so she joined Biden's party," Stitt said. The Democratic Party backs open borders and higher taxes and wants to defund the police, he said.

When asked what she thinks of the Democratic Party platform, Hofmeister did not directly answer the question. She repeatedly characterized herself as a political moderate.

"I'm an independent thinker," she said. "I'm running as an Oklahoman. I'm on one team, and that's team Oklahoma."

Candidates find some agreement on the death penalty

Although Stitt and Hofmeister traded barbs over criminal justice reform, both candidates agreed they would not halt the state's use of the death penalty.

Despite the Oklahoma Democratic Party calling for an end to capital punishment, Hofmeister said she would not stop executions if she were elected governor.

Voters were clear about where they stand on the issue, she said, referencing a state question that updated the Oklahoma constitution to say the death penalty is not cruel and unusual punishment. Stitt offered a similar answer.

Stitt offered few details about his reasoning behind commuting the sentence of high profile death row inmate Julius Jones.

Commuting Jones' sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole was the right decision for the state, he said. Stitt did not directly answer questions about whether he thinks Jones is innocent.

The governor laughed and disputed as untrue Hofmeister's claim that Oklahoma has higher rates of violent crime than New York and California. However, FBI crime statistics from 2020 show Oklahoma's violent crime rate was higher than both states. With the exception of 2019 — when Oklahoma's violent crime rate was higher than New York's but lower than California's — the Sooner State has had higher crime rates than the other two states since at least 2015.

Hofmeister accused Stitt of taking a cavalier approach to commutations and pardons. She noted that Stitt commuted the sentence of convicted cocaine dealer Lawrence Paul Anderson, who is accused of fatally stabbing several people in Chickasha after his release.

Stitt, who has prioritized criminal justice reform, called Hofmeister's comments "disgusting" and suggested she was taking cheap shots.

Stitt characterized the Anderson case as an outlier. When the Pardon and Parole Board recommended his sentence be commuted, they couldn't have known he would allegedly commit such heinous crimes when he got out, Stitt said.

Hofmeister punts on the extent of McGirt decision

Hofmeister punted when asked whether the U.S. Supreme Court's McGirt v. Oklahoma decision, which led to roughly half the state being affirmed as tribal reservations, applies to civil matters.

Since the court issued its decision that the state's major tribes have hailed as a win for their sovereignty, Stitt has pushed for the court to limit its decision so it doesn't bleed over into civil matters, such as taxation and environmental regulations. The Oklahoma Tax Commission recently agreed with the high court and concluded the McGirt decision only applies to jurisdiction over major crimes, not tax issues.

Saying Oklahoma's tribes are not a monolith, Hofmeister, who has been endorsed by leaders of the Five Tribes, refused to directly answer the question.

"That's not a yes or no answer because those are different tribes that all have a different view on this," Hofmeister said.

While gesturing at Stitt, she said: "You collectively lump people together. That is not the kind of leader that understands we have 39 unique sovereign nations in this state, and they don't speak with one voice."

A member of the Cherokee Nation, Stitt has had a rocky relationship with the state's tribes since he pushed to renegotiate the tribal gaming compacts.

Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Natalie Bruno and independent Ervin Yen were not invited to participate in the debate.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Hofmeister, Stitt spar in only Oklahoma governor's debate