Kevin Stitt

John Kevin Stitt (born December 28, 1972) is the current Republican Governor of Oklahoma since 2018. Prior to becoming governor he worked exclusively in the private sector, serving as a co-founder and former Chairman and CEO of Gateway Mortgage Group. He won reelection in 2022 after somehow making a governor election in Oklahoma competitive.Oklahoma Governor election results, Politico
If you thought Mary Fallin was a terrible governor, then you ain't seen nothin' yet. What makes Stitt even worse than his predecessor is that, not only did he not have any prior experience holding political office before running for governor, but hadn't even voted in a statewide election since 1999.Political Newcomer in Governor’s Race Has Scarce Voting Record by Paul Monies (June 18, 2018; Updated August 10, 2020) Oklahoma Watch.Gubernatorial hopeful Stitt hasn't voted in races for governor since at least 1999: Analysis shows he hasn’t cast a ballot for governor since registering in 1999 by Barbara Hoberock & Curtis Killman (Jun 19, 2018; Updated Jan 27, 2021) Tulsa World.
Stitt is basically a Donald Trump clone. He's just as dumb, just as racist, and just as corrupt. Poor Oklahoma really can't catch a break.
==Governor of Oklahoma==
===Abortion===
Under Stitt, Oklahoma now has the most restrictive abortion policies in the entire country; performing an abortion in Oklahoma is now punishable by either 10 years in prison and/or a $100,000 fine, with exceptions for medical emergencies but none for rape or incest. would've had less harsh abortion restrictions, since it had exceptions for rape and incest.
In May 2022, Stitt signed into law a less restrictive bill allowing exceptions for rape and incest but adding the Texas-style vigilante provision, House Bill 4327, "banning abortions from the stage of 'fertilization' and allowing private citizens to sue abortion providers who 'knowingly' perform or induce an abortion 'on a pregnant woman.'"The Texas abortion ban created a ‘vigilante’ loophole. Both parties are rushing to take advantage. After the Supreme Court allowed the Texas bill to take effect, at least 35 copycat laws on a variety of hot-button issues have been filed around the country by Kimberly Kindy & Alice Crites (February 22, 2022 at 6:00 a.m. EST) The Washington Post.
===Climate change===
Stitt has been pretty quiet in regards to how he feels about climate change, but in 2022 he came out of the woodwork to call the Biden Administration's stance on climate change as part of a "left-leaning agenda". Conspiracy theory much?
===COVID-19===
Stitt's handling of the COVID pandemic has been bad. Oklahoma's pandemic restrictions have been lax; Stitt refused to issue a face mask mandate and promoted hydroxychloroquine as a vaccine alternative.
Ironically, Stitt became the first U.S. governor to be diagnosed with COVID-19 after testing positive in July 2020.
===Corruption===
In 2022, Stitt became embroiled with a scandal with Swadley's Bar-B-Q. The restaurant and the state Tourism and Recreation Department are currently at the center of allegations of fraud and the misuse of taxpayers' funds for the company to install and operate Foggy Bottom Kitchens in state parks. 
===Culture war===
On May 7, 2021, Stitt signed a bill prohibiting the teaching of critical race theory or its gender equivalent in public schools. Stitt's invocation of Martin Luther King Jr. when signing the bill probably caused King's grave to become a laboratory centrifuge.
In November, Stitt issued an executive order that prohibited transgender individuals from changing the gender on their birth certificates. In 2022, Stitt signed a bill into law that prohibited nonbinary gender markers on birth certificates. Stitt said that "people are created by God to be male or female. There is no such thing as nonbinary sex." God was apparently too embarrassed about the well-documented intersex conditions on farm animals, Northern cardinals, and so many more animals. Transgender people criticized Stitt's actions, saying it was difficult for trans individuals to navigate life when their official documents do not match their gender identity.
On May 25, 2022, Stitt signed a bill into law that will require students at public charter schools and public schools to use locker rooms and bathrooms that match the gender listed on their birth certificate.
===Donald Trump===
Trump endorsed him and Stitt likewise is a vocal Trump supporter, having spoken at several Trump rallies held in Oklahoma.
===Education===
Stitt supports school choice but doesn’t support expanding vouchers beyond those already in place. He has said school consolidation should be left up to local school boards.
===Guns===
To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Stitt is a gun nut. A member of the National Rifle Association, he has stated in the past that he is willing to fight for his Second Amendment rights.
The first law he signed after taking office permitted anyone 21 or older, or 18 if a member or veteran of the United States Armed Forces, to carry a firearm without obtaining a permit or completing training. Stitt also signed HB2010, which expands the places a firearm may be carried to include municipal zoos and parks, regardless of size, as long as it is concealed.Oklahoma Firearms Act of 1971 Amendments Act
===Healthcare===
Stitt opposes Obamacare and expansion of Medicaid.
===Religion===
Unsurprisingly, Stitt is a Christian whose father was a minister. He has claimed that God called on him to run for governor during a worship service at First Moore Baptist Church.Troxtell, Adam (January 15, 2019). "Stitt says God called him to run for governor at prayer service." The Norman Transcript
===Taxes===
Stitt opposes tax increases and said he wouldn’t have signed a House bill which funded teacher pay raises. However, he said he didn’t support the recall petition to rescind the taxes. 
Stitt signed a pledge from Oklahoma Taxpayers Unite! that, among other things, proposes shifting taxes away from sales, income, corporate and gross production taxes toward consumption taxes. He has said rising revenues and greater efficiency in government, rather than tax increases, would be sufficient to meet the state’s budgetary needs.
===Tribal relations===
Stitt has proven that he is not a friend of the Native American tribes in Oklahoma, which is a bit ironic considering that he is a member of the Cherokee Nation and is, in fact, the first tribally enrolled Native American to serve as governor of a U.S. state. He had made moves to erode the tribes' autonomy over their land, going so far as to veto a bill that would have enabled cooperation between Oklahoma and tribal law enforcement agencies in the wake of the US Supreme Court decision recognizing tribal sovereignty over large amounts of tribal land within Oklahoma.McGirt repercussions lead to Stitt veto by Ray Carter (May 12, 2022) Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs.
==See also==
* Mary Fallin, his predecessor
* Jim Inhofe, former Senator from Oklahoma
==References==
Category:Alternative medicine promoters
Category:Anti-abortion activists
Category:Anti-LGBT bigots
Category:Anti-vaccination movement
Category:Atheophobia
Category:Baptists
Category:Business
Category:Conspiracy theorists
Category:Creationists
Category:Culture wars
Category:Fundamentalists
Category:Global warming denialists
Category:Government incompetence
Category:Gun nuts
Category:Homophobes
Category:Internalized discrimination
Category:Living people
Category:Native Americans
Category:Pseudoscience promoters
Category:Racists
Category:Right-wing activists
Category:Shysters
Category:Transphobes
Category:United States Governors
Category:We're on a mission from God