The 2022 Oklahoma Gubernatorial race just got more interesting!
Earlier this week, Oklahoma State School Superintendent Joy Hofmeister informed her pals at The Tulsa World that she's switching allegiances to the Democratic party and will be running for Governor in 2022, which I guess means those rumors we asked her about on The Lost Ogle Show over a year ago were indeed true!
Give it a listen:
Back in August of 2020, we asked @joy4ok on The Lost Ogle Show about rumors she was going to run for Governor in 2022. You can hear her dodge the question here! pic.twitter.com/B85DY0hlrR
— The Lost Ogle (@TheLostOgle) October 7, 2021
Overall, this is some pretty cool news. I honestly don't know much about Hofmeister's political views or ideology, but does that even matter at this point? She seems like a sane, reasonable person who lives in reality, treated the pandemic seriously, and didn't spend her mornings and afternoon pandering to anti-maskers, Trump-lovers and hard-core meat-eaters. In today's tribal day and age, that matters to me way more than someone's uncompromising views on taxation, government policy and other divisive wedge issues.
In fact, that appears to be the main reason she's running:
“We have a global pandemic, and it mattered who was governor in 2020,” said Hofmeister. “We’ve had 10,000 Oklahomans lost. When you understand now how critical it was to have had a leader who contemplated expert advice and opinion and set an example to help protect Oklahomans, we could have avoided thousands of people dying.”
“I wouldn’t have churned through four state epidemiologists in the middle of a pandemic,” Hofmeister said. “The policy was that if you ignore reality, somehow it will go away — when leadership mattered in reducing spread. With that strategy, Oklahomans bore the brunt of COVID in their own lives.”
Despite the tough talk from Joy, she does have some things stacked against her, including the unfortunate fact that a lot of Oklahomans – especially those who live in Derplahoma Territory – approve of the way Governor Stitt has mishandled and basically ignored the pandemic. If anything, they don't think he's done enough to deny its existence, which I guess is why kookie ex-cop Q-ANON "Naturopathic" bodybuilders are trying to primary him.
I have no clue what Joy's chances are to take down Stitt in November of 2022. I'd say about 10% or so. I guess she does have to secure the Democratic nomination first. Since the Oklahoma Democratic Party is a bit of a joke – evidenced by the fact that a lifelong Republican who just entered the Gubernatorial race is the heavy favorite to secure the party's nomination – that should be an easy task.
The general election is a different matter. Republicans in Oklahoma outnumber Democrats and Independents combined, and although Joy can probably count on votes from the remaining 38 moderate Republicans who haven't changed their party affiliation yet, taking down a wealthy incumbent who speaks fluent Derplahoman will be a challenge. The Republican Party is more of an idiocracy than anything else, and I can't think of a more qualified and idiotic candidate for them than a guy like Kevin Stitt.
Of course, a lot can change in a year. Whether he's hitting the slopes during a state of emergency or taking selfies at restaurants during the height of a pandemic panic, Dr. Kevin Stitt Ph.D. is prone to making gaffes and political errors, so anything can happen. Either way, we look forward to covering and lampooning this race over the next year or so. Stay with The Lost Ogle. We'll keep you advised.
