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Joy Hofmeister is running for Governor of Oklahoma. The current superintendent of Oklahoma public education is taking on Governor Kevin Stitt, along with a host of other candidates.
Ms. Hofmeister was a registered Republican before breaking with the party and joining the Democrats to run against Stitt. The former owner of Kumon Math and Reading centers in Tulsa is taking on the fight on behalf of Oklahoma’s students and educators.
In fact, Ms. Hofmeister’s campaign focuses on prioritizing education for young Oklahomans, supporting teachers and pushing for free broadband in rural areas to better serve students and their families. As superintendent of Oklahoma education, Ms. Hofmeister stood on behalf of teachers and school staff during the walkout of 2019, and has pushed for more financial resources for schools and students.
Hofmeister and Connie Johnson will battle for Democratic nomination
Ms. Hofmeister also recognizes the other challenges facing Oklahomans, including infrastructure and access to healthcare. Healthcare in particular is where Ms. Hofmeister takes aim at current Governor Stitt, who supported twice-impeached former President Donald Trump’s managed health care plans for Oklahoma citizens. Ms. Hofmeister, on the other hand, has supported the Medicaid expansion — which saw hundreds of thousands of Oklahoma families receive medical benefits.
Ms. Hofmeister has lived in Oklahoma since the age of 12, and as a child saw her family work hard to support each other. She currently lives in Tulsa, with four grown children across the state.
Meanwhile, Ms. Hofmeister is not the only challenger for the Governor’s office. Democrat and former state Sen. Connie Johnson has also announced her candidacy for Governor, creating a crowded pool of political hopefuls from which Oklahoma citizens will choose to lead the state.
Oklahoma’s gubernatorial candidate field becomes crowded
Ms. Johnson, who grew up in Oklahoma City and ran as the only woman in the Democratic primary in 2018, would be the state’s first Black governor. She is an unapologetic supporter of medical cannabis, and opposes the death penalty.
In an interview with The Black Wall St Times, Ms. Johnson noted that in Oklahoma, “times have changed… in dramatic ways. And coming out of that is a demand for us to change. We‘ve been changed forever by the pandemic, by what happened to George Floyd and the protests and people waking up all over the world. This change requires experience and leadership.”
Ms. Johnson knows she has the experience and leadership qualities to run the state that ranks near the bottom of the country among most quality-of-life metrics for citizens. “I’m submitting to the people of Oklahoma that we have an opportunity to reset and create Oklahoma 2.0. To elect someone like me who’s been there, who’s seen it , who’s helped revive it, who’s experienced and has solutions for the future.”
In response to Hofmeister’s announcement, Johnson’s campaign released a statement on Twitter.
“We welcome Superintendent Joy Hoffmeister to the potential field of Democratic candidates. We invite her and everyone in Democratic Party leadership to join us in committing now to support whoever wins the Democratic primary in an all out effort to get rid of Governor Stitt,” Johnson wrote.
Hofmeister joins Democrat Connie Johnson, Libertarian Natalie Bruno and Republicans Ervin Yen and Mark Sherwood as candidates for governor in 2022 taking on incumbent Governor Kevin Stitt.
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