The 2022 Oklahoma gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2022, to elect the

governor of Oklahoma The governor of Oklahoma is the head of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor serves as the head of the Oklahoma Executive (government), executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma. The gove ...

. Incumbent

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Governor

Kevin Stitt John Kevin Stitt (born December 28, 1972) is an American businessman and politician serving as the 28th governor of Oklahoma. A member of the Republican Party, he began his first term as governor in January 2019 and was reelected to a second t ...

was re-elected to a second term, defeating his Democratic challenger

Joy Hofmeister Joy Lynn Hofmeister (born September 7, 1964) is an American educator and politician who served as the Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction from 2015 to 2023. Hofmeister was sworn in as Oklahoma's 14th State Superintendent on January 12, ...

. former Republican state senator Ervin Yen ran as an independent, and Natalie Bruno was the

Libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...

nominee. Although Stitt won by a comfortable margin, and even expanded his margin from

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, his performance was the worst of any 2022 Republican candidate for statewide office in Oklahoma. Meanwhile, Hofmeister's performance was the second best of any 2022 Democratic statewide candidate in Oklahoma, only behind State Superintendent of Public Instruction nominee Jena Nelson. The

primary elections Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

for the

and Democratic parties' nominations took place on June 28, 2022. The deadline for candidates to file was April 15, 2022.

Republican primary

Candidates

Ervin Yen, former State Senator from the 40th district, was the first to declare their campaign for the

Republican Party of Oklahoma The Oklahoma Republican Party is the Oklahoma state affiliate of the Republican Party (GOP). Along with the Oklahoma Democratic Party, it is one of the two major parties in the state. It is currently the dominant party in the state, controlling ...

's nomination on November 8, 2020. Yen later publicly announced on October 19, 2021, that he was leaving the

. He criticized the party's opposition to mask and vaccine mandates for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, saying "The Oklahoma GOP has left me." Incumbent

was reported as joining the race in January 2021 after officially filing for

re-election The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-ele ...

. Mark Sherwood, a naturopath, was reported as joining the race in September 2021. His platform includes a "zero tolerance policy" for vaccine and mask mandates, stating "I believe the concept of vaccine and mask mandates needs to end." Joel Kintsel announced his candidacy on April 7. Moira McCabe was reported to have launched their campaign around the same time. In early June, Stitt's campaign pulled one of its commercials after Oklahoma County District Attorney,

David Prater David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

announced an investigation into whether it violated state law for featuring

Oklahoma Attorney General The Attorney General of Oklahoma is the State Attorney General for the state of Oklahoma. The attorney general serves as the chief legal and law enforcement officer of the State of Oklahoma and head of the Office of the Oklahoma Attorney General. ...

John O'Connor. While pulling the ad, the campaign maintained they "are confident that it is an acceptable campaign ad focused on the Governor's accomplishments and fulfilled campaign promises." Incumbent Kevin Stitt won the June 28 Republican primary.

Nominee

, incumbent Governor (2019–present)

Eliminated in primary

*Joel Kintsel, director of the Oklahoma Department of Veteran Affairs and former Oklahoma House of Representatives’ parliamentarian *Moira McCabe, "stay-at-home mom" *Mark Sherwood, naturopath and former

Tulsa Police Department The Tulsa Police Department (TPD) is the principal law enforcement agency for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States. It is nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies It is the second largest municipa ...

officer

Withdrew before filing

* Ervin Yen (''switched to Independent'')

Declined

* T. W. Shannon, former

Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives The Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives is the speaker (politics), presiding officer of the lower house of the Oklahoma Legislature, the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The speaker exercises administrative and procedural functions ...

(2013–2014) and former

state representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

(2007–2015) ''( running for the Class 2 U.S. Senate seat)''

Endorsements

Polling

Results

Democratic primary

Former state senator Connie Johnson was the first Democrat to enter the race, officially declaring her candidacy on July 6, 2021. Her platform includes expanding access to healthcare, revitalizing Oklahoma's infrastructure, pursuing criminal justice reforms like banning the

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

, support for

reproductive rights Reproductive rights are legal rights and freedoms relating to reproduction and reproductive health that vary amongst countries around the world. The World Health Organization defines reproductive rights as follows: Reproductive rights rest on t ...

, and legalizing marijuana (marijuana is currently legal in Oklahoma for

medicinal purposes ''Medicinal Purposes'' is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Plot Edinburgh, 1827. Body snatchers William Burke and William Hare are on the loose while the ...

, but is illegal for

recreational use Recreational drug use indicates the use of one or more psychoactive drugs to induce an altered state of consciousness either for pleasure or for some other casual purpose or pastime by modifying the perceptions and emotions of the user. When a ...

). A political progressive, Johnson was the only Oklahoma

superdelegate In American politics, a superdelegate is an unpledged delegate to the Democratic National Convention who is seated automatically and chooses for themselves for whom they vote. These Democratic Party superdelegates (who make up slightly under 15 ...

who supported

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

Senator

Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007 ...

in the 2016 presidential primary. On October 7, 2021,

Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction The Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction, sometimes called the Oklahoma State School Superintendent, is the chief executive officer for the Oklahoma State Department of Education and the president of the Oklahoma State Board of E ...

Joy Hofmeister announced her plans to switch from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party and run for governor. Hofmeister had first been elected as a Republican in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

and

. This marked the first time that a Democrat held a statewide elected position in Oklahoma since Republicans swept every statewide office in

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

. Hofmeister had frequently clashed with Republican governor

during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. In particular, she opposed the decision by the

Oklahoma State Department of Education The Oklahoma State Department of Education is the state education agency of the State of Oklahoma charged with determining the policies and directing the administration and supervision of the public school system of Oklahoma. The State Board of Ed ...

, whose members were appointed by Stitt, to forego imposing a

mask mandate During the COVID-19 pandemic, face masks or coverings, including N95, FFP2, surgical, and cloth masks, have been employed as public and personal health control measures against the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. In com ...

on schools. Her platform includes increasing education funding, investing in infrastructure, expanding mental health services, sentencing reform, and support for

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

rights. Johnson was openly skeptical of Hofmeister's decision to change parties, calling it a "big hoax." She pointed out that Hofmeister could still switch back to the Republican Party after being elected. However, other Democrats in the state were more receptive, with the

Oklahoma Democratic Party The Oklahoma Democratic Party is an Oklahoma political party affiliated with the Democratic Party. Along with the Oklahoma Republican Party, it is one of the two major parties in Oklahoma politics. The party dominated local politics in Oklahoma ...

issuing a statement welcoming Hofmeister to the party. Oklahoma Democratic Party chair Alicia Andrews admitted she was suspicious at first, but after talking with Hofmeister she became convinced that Hofmeister's intentions were good. Hofmeister emphasized that she was not changing her political beliefs, just her party, and is considerably more

moderate Moderate is an ideological category which designates a rejection of radical or extreme views, especially in regard to politics and religion. A moderate is considered someone occupying any mainstream position avoiding extreme views. In American ...

in comparison to Johnson. Andrews commented that they are "two very different candidates," and they give Democratic voters "a real choice. If you don’t have a super progressive bent and maybe Connie scares you because she is so progressive, you have Joy. If Joy is too moderate, you have Connie."

Candidates

Nominee

(2015–present)

Eliminated in primary

* Connie Johnson, former state senator (2006–2014), former vice chair of the

(2015–2016), nominee for the U.S. Senate in

and candidate for governor in

Declined

* Monroe Nichols,

(2016–present) *

Anastasia Pittman Anastasia A. Pittman (born July 19, 1970) is an American politician from the state of Oklahoma. She represented the 99th district in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, as a member of the Democratic Party. Pittman served in the House from 20 ...

, former

state senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

(2014–2018) and nominee for

Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma The lieutenant governor of Oklahoma is the second-highest executive official of the state government of Oklahoma. As first in the gubernatorial line of succession, the lieutenant governor becomes the new governor of Oklahoma upon the death, resi ...

''(running for

Oklahoma County Oklahoma County is located in the central part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 718,633, making it the most populous county in Oklahoma. The county seat is Oklahoma City, the state capital and largest ci ...

Commission)''

Polling

Results

General election

Candidates

(Republican) *

(Democratic) *Natalie Bruno, digital marketing strategy executive (Libertarian) * Ervin Yen, physician and former Republican

(2014–2018) (Independent)

Declared, but failed to file

*Paul Tay,

perennial candidate A perennial candidate is a political candidate who frequently runs for elected office and rarely, if ever, wins. Perennial candidates' existence lies in the fact that in some countries, there are no laws that limit a number of times a person can ...

(Independent)

Debates

Endorsements

Predictions

Polling

;Aggregate polls ;Graphical summary

Results

Notes

;Partisan clients

References

External links

;Official campaign websites
Natalie Bruno (L) for Governor

Joy Hofmeister (D) for Governor

Kevin Stitt (R) for Governor

Ervin Yen (I) for Governor
{{2022 United States elections

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Eliminated in primary

Withdrew before filing

Declined

Endorsements

Polling

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Eliminated in primary

Declined

Polling

Results

General election

Candidates

Declared, but failed to file

Debates

Endorsements

Predictions

Polling

Results

See also

Notes

References

External links