In a televised debate Wednesday night, Republican gubernatorial candidates Mick Cornett and Kevin Stitt agreed on a few points but continued trying to paint the other as unsuited for the office.
Stitt repeatedly said Oklahomans need "an outsider" to fix state government, while Cornett said his experience in local government makes him the better choice.
Both candidates said Oklahoma needs to continue diversifying its economy. Cornett said he’ll continue work he did as mayor at the state level, touting Oklahoma City’s WalletHub ranking as the country’s seventh-most diversified economy.
"We did it by adding aviation jobs, biomedical jobs, tourism jobs. There are now 7 million visitors a year coming into Bricktown. And we’ve also placed a heavy priority on technology," Cornett said.
Gateway Mortgage founder Stitt said he’ll promote Oklahoma’s location and natural resources, and not just domestically.
"I’m going to take [the Oklahoma Department of Commerce] overseas to start attracting businesses. I think there’s tons of European companies that need a U.S. presence. Oklahoma’s the perfect spot for it," Stitt said.
The candidates see slightly different paths to increasing school safety. Cornett said it’s a matter best left to districts.
"Well, I don’t think the state should be micromanaging the safety plans of each individual school district. I’d like to think, though, that the state can be a partner if individual school districts need some help," Cornett said.
Stitt agreed it’s an issue of local control but added another step districts could take.
"I would like to see more school districts maybe arming the teachers or the administrators because I think the best weapon for — the best defense for a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun," Stitt said.
Oklahoma schools are currently required to conduct four security drills a year to prepare for threats like an active shooter. Each must be at a different time of day and schools can’t hold more than two per semester, but there are no further requirements.
The candidates have different positions on Medicaid. Asked whether they’d expand Medicaid, Stitt was an emphatic "no."
"Listen, I believe in a trampoline, but I do not believe a hammock. We have got to get working-bodied people off of the system," Stitt said.
Cornett was closer to a maybe.
"There are a lot of strings attached to any federal program that comes along, and I’m all for bringing in federal dollars to the state of Oklahoma but you have to be careful about the strings that are attached to it," Cornett said.
Around 150,000 Oklahomans make too little to qualify for federal health insurance marketplace subsidies but too much to qualify for Medicaid. So far, 31 states and the District of Columbia have accepted federal funds to expand their Medicaid eligibility.
Panelists from stations the debate aired on — KJRH in Tulsa, KOCO in Oklahoma City and KSWO in Lawton — steered the candidates toward their increasingly negative campaigns at one point, specifically bringing up a TV ad countering claims about Cornett with the phrase "bull Stitt."
"The vulgarity, using a cuss word in a play on somebody’s last name is just the lowest of lows, but it’s just typical. When politicians are down, they go to personal attacks," Stitt said.
Cornett said the negative turn came after Stitt said at a Weatherford campaign stop in July Cornett had little to do with Oklahoma City's success.
"In political terms, if somebody comes after you, you better hit them back twice as hard. We defended ourselves vigorously and continue to today," Cornett said.
The winner of Tuesday's runoff election will face Democrat Drew Edmondson in November.
