In a new Oklahoma poll conducted by Ascend Action for a state Fox affiliate, Republican Governor Kevin Stitt is losing by seven percent against his general election challenger, Democratic pick Joy Hofmeister.
Hofmeister is currently the state superintendent for public schools, a position to which she has been elected twice — as a Republican. She changed her party affiliation to the Democrats prior to entering the governor’s race against Stitt. Among other distinctions between the contenders, Hofmeister is in support of reproductive rights — which until recently were a decades-old standard. In contrast, Stitt has made a pledge to sign any anti-abortion legislation approved by state legislators. Abortion is presently banned in the state throughout the entirety of pregnancy with rare exceptions. Even in GOP-leaning states, opposition to abortion among the majority of voters isn’t a given. In Kansas, voters recently rejected a constitutional amendment that would have formally stated the guiding document doesn’t provide rights to an abortion, letting state legislators impose harsh restrictions.
In the Ascend Action poll, Hofmeister had 49 percent of the support, while Stitt had 42 percent, with eight percent undecided. The poll reflected the responses of likely voters. Hofmeister has led in the last three public polls cataloged by FiveThirtyEight, and in the new survey data, the source of some of her tentative, pre-Election Day success becomes clear: she has some one-fifth of Republicans supporting her campaign. She also led by a considerable margin, well into the double digits, among independents. A full 69 percent of independents backed Hofmeister, while just 22 percent supported Stitt. The governor got only 69 percent of Republicans in the poll, with 20 percent instead supporting Hofmeister. In contrast, 89 percent of Democrats expressed support for Hofmeister, so she is faring better with her party.
In comments on other recent polling data showing her with a lead, Hofmeister criticized Stitt for a plan — unsuccessful for now — to provide vouchers for Oklahoma students to use in attending private instead of public school. “It’s clear Oklahomans want change,” she said Monday. “We’ll keep talking with voters about issues that matter like rising costs, standing against Stitt’s voucher scheme, opportunities for better jobs and increased accountability so our tax dollars aren’t squandered by self-dealing and corruption.” There have been concerns a school voucher system could seriously undercut public schools, putting funding towards sources potentially less accessible to many, including those in rural areas without as many overall options for a school. A March survey from Amber Integrated showed Stitt ahead by double digits — and that’s the same pollster that found Stitt losing in numbers Hofmeister spotlighted. In the Ascend Action poll, Hofmeister does better than Stitt on favorability among Oklahoma voters.
It's clear Oklahomans want change.
We’ll keep talking with voters about issues that matter like rising costs, standing against Stitt's voucher scheme, opportunities for better jobs and increased accountability so our tax dollars aren't squandered by self-dealing and corruption. https://t.co/1MstCFR3aZ
— Joy Hofmeister (@joy4ok) October 17, 2022
