Kevin Stitt
John Kevin Stitt (born December 28, 1972)[2][3] is an American businessman and politician, who in 2019 was inaugurated as the 28th Governor of his adopted state of Oklahoma. He is a Republican and a member of the Cherokee Nation. He is the first tribally-enrolled Native American to serve as governor of a U.S. state,[4] and Oklahoma's second governor of native descent since the Democrat Johnston Murray (1902-1974), who was the governor from 1951 to 1955.
| John Kevin Stitt | |
 | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 14, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Mary Fallin |
|---|---|
| Born | December 28, 1972 Milton, Florida |
| Nationality | Cherokee-American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Sarah Hazen Stitt (married 1998}[1] |
| Children | Six children |
| Residence | Oklahoma City |
| Alma mater | Oklahoma State University at Stillwater (Bachelor of Science) |
Background
Though born in Milton, Florida, Stitt was reared in Wayne and then Norman, Oklahoma, the home of the University of Oklahoma, where his father was the pastor of the non-denominational Riverside Church. He graduated in 1990 from Norman High School[5] and Oklahoma State University in Stillwater with a degree in accounting. Stitt partially paid his way through college by selling educational products door-to-door for Southwestern Advantage. He was the first person in Southwestern's 115-year history to achieve the top sales as a first-year salesperson.[5]
Stitt and his wife, the former Sarah Hazen, a Tulsa native, have six children.
Career
Stitt worked in the financial services sector in the late 1990s before he launched his own company, Gateway Mortgage Group.,[6] with "$1,000 and a computer." In 2002, Gateway secured its first warehouse line and began to license in other states.
Stitt was elected governor in 2018 without any previous political experience. He narrowly won the Republican nomination over Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornet, 132,806 to 110,479. A a strong third place was Lieutenant Governor Todd Lamb, the choice of Donald Trump, Jr.. Then Stitt with Donald Trumps support defeated Drew Edmondson, 644, 579 (54 percent) to 500,973 (42.2 percent), a former state attorney general, Edmondson was also the unsuccessful Democratic gubernatorial nominee in 2010, having lost to Stitt's predecessor, Mary Fallin.[7]
Though himself a Cherokee, Stitt has quarreled with various Indian reservations across the state. The United States Supreme Court in 2020 issued its McGirt v. Oklahoma opinion on a 5-4 decision, which found that Oklahoma prosecutors lack the legal authority to pursue criminal charges on reservations in which the defendants or the victims are tribal citizens. Stitt's has called for the court to reconsider the ruling. He has also had issues with the tribes over hunting, fishing, and gambling compacts . At the height of the controversy Stitt's Cabinet secretary for Native American Affairs, Lisa Billy, resigned and accused the governor of creating âan unnecessary conflict with the tribes.â Billy is now a legislator of the Chickasaw Nation.[8]
In the primary scheduled for June 28, 2022, Stitt will face opposition from at least one other Republican, former Tulsa Police Sgt. Mark Sherwood. He also faces at least three Democratic rivals, an Independent, and a Libertarian Party opponent.[9]
References
- â Twitter status. Retrieved on December 20, 2021.
- â Randy Krehbiel. Businessman Kevin Stitt trying to close the deal on Republican gubernatorial nomination. Tulsa World. Retrieved on December 6, 2018.
- â Candidate Profile: Kevin Stitt (R-OK). Retrieved on May 8, 2019.
- â Only one state makes history with election of first Native governor. Indianz.com.
- â 5.0 5.1 "Serious kid" sets sights on serving as chief executive of Oklahoma. NewsOK.com (September 30, 2018). Retrieved on October 27, 2018.
- â Patrick Barnard (October 24, 2018). Kevin Stitt: The Proactive Approach to Compliance Always Wins. Zacklin Publications, Inc..
- â 2018 Oklahoma gubernatorial election. Wikipedia. Retrieved on December 20, 2021.
- â Gov. Kevin Stitt, tribal leaders not meeting as McGirt rhetoric hits boiling point. Tulsa World (October 20, 2020). Retrieved on December 20, 2021.
- â Megan Prather and Tres Savage (November i, 2021). One year out:Stitt faces six challengers, AG and superintendent primaries hot. nondoc.com. Retrieved on December 19, 2021.