John Kevin Stitt (born December 28, 1972) is an American businessman and politician serving as the 28th governor of Oklahoma since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected in 2018 and reelected in 2022.
Stitt grew up in Norman, Oklahoma, and in 1996 graduated with a bachelor's degree in accounting from Oklahoma State University, where he was a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. He is the founder and former chairman and CEO of Gateway Mortgage Group. Stitt ran for governor in the 2018 election, defeating Democrat and former state Attorney General Drew Edmondson with 54.3% of the vote. Stitt was reelected to a second term in the 2022 election, defeating Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister, a Republican turned Democrat, with 55.4% of the vote.
Early life John Kevin Stitt was born in Milton, Florida, on December 28, 1972, to Reverend John L. Stitt and Joyce Stitt. His mother is of Cherokee descent and a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. His family moved to Skiatook, Oklahoma, when he was five. He began school in Wayne, Oklahoma, and the family later moved to Norman, Oklahoma, where his father was the pastor of Riverside Church. He grew up alongside cousins who participated in All Indian Rodeo Cowboys Association, and has expressed pride in his heritage. He graduated from Norman High School and from Oklahoma State University with a bachelor's degree in accounting in 1996. Stitt is a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity.
Financial services career Stitt started his career working for the Southwestern Company, a door-to-door educational bookseller. He later moved to Tulsa, where he met his wife Sarah Hazen. The couple founded Gateway Mortgage in 2000. Stitt was president and CEO until January 2014, when he became chairman-CEO. He has said he started Gateway in 2000 with "$1,000 and a computer."
In August 2018, after winning the Republican nomination, Stitt stepped down as Gateway CEO as the company announced a merger with a state-licensed bank and sought its banking license. Legal Counsel Scott Gesell became CEO in 2020 and Stitt remained chairman. Gateway is a midsize company based in Jenks, Oklahoma.
Gateway Mortgage license After a decade of rapid growth, a few Gateway employees were fired for making non-compliant loans. In 2009, Gateway was listed in a Business Insider article as one of the 15 shadiest lenders in the government-backed mortgage industry. The article said Gateway originated nearly twice as many bad mortgages as its competitors. An August 19, 2018, Oklahoman newspaper article highlighted the Business Insider article's inaccuracies, reporting that "in the Illinois case, a consent order states that the Illinois banking agency investigated a Gateway loan originator for an 'alleged real estate, appraisal, and mortgage fraud scheme.' Gateway fired the employee, asked for a hearing and then agreed to what investigators found. Gateway agreed to a $10,000 fine. The Stitt campaign responded with a press release that said, "the license in Illinois was never revoked. The state agreed after the appeal not to revoke the license."
KWTV also said that according to Georgia's Department of Banking and Finance, Stitt was banned for five years and the company was banned for life from origination mortgages in Georgia. According to the Oklahoman, a Gateway corporate attorney said there were misrepresentations and insufficient background checks by employees in the Georgia office but Stitt was not involved. The employees were fired and Gateway paid a $2,000 fine. The state overturned the lifetime ban on Gateway, effective November 2017. Gateway is able to do business in all 50 states.
During Stitt's gubernatorial campaign, Oklahoma Watch reported that Wisconsin regulators fined Gateway for a "clerical error" regarding its history with regulators from other states. Gateway corrected the application and was issued a license in 2009. It remains in good standing in Wisconsin.
Governor of Oklahoma 2018 election
In July 2017, Stitt announced his candidacyKevin Stitt to run for governor, Tulsa Beacon, "Tulsa businessman Kevin Stitt announced his candidacy for governor in 2018. The first-time candidateU.S. News & World Report, Mortgage Company Head Wins GOP Primary for Oklahoma Governor, "Tulsa mortgage company owner and political newcomer Kevin Stitt won the Republican nomination in the race to become Oklahoma's next governor.", August 28, 2018, for the Republican nominationWashington Post, June 27, 2018, by Terri Rupar, "Lieutenant governor concedes in GOP gubernatorial race in Oklahoma; runoff set" for governor in 2018. Facing nine other candidates in the primary election, he ran a statewide campaign with stops in nearly every city and town in all 77 counties. He finished second, defeating, among others, Lieutenant Governor Todd Lamb.KFOR, August 29, 2018, Kevin Stitt, Drew Edmondson, Chris Powell to face off in November as gubernatorial candidates In the August 28 primary runoff, Stitt defeated Mick Cornett, a former mayor of Oklahoma City. In the November general election, Stitt defeated the Democratic nominee, former attorney general Drew Edmondson, and Libertarian Chris Powell.
In the GOP runoff, political newcomer Stitt received crucial support from a trio of conservative leaders: U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and former U.S. senators Rick Santorum and Tom Coburn. In the general election, Stitt was endorsed by former primary rival Mick Cornett, incumbent governor of Oklahoma Mary Fallin, and President Donald Trump.
The Stitt campaign responded to Fallin's endorsement with a press release: "We did not seek [Fallin's endorsement], and Kevin Stitt has run on a campaign message that he will do things a lot differently. He is focused on changing the structure of state government and cleaning up the mess we are currently in at the Capitol."
During his campaign, Stitt called himself "the only job creator with proven business experience" running for governor and emphasized his business background. He called on the state to become "top 10 in job growth, top 10 in education and top 10 in infrastructure."
During the general election, the close race drew increased attention from national media and political figures.The Journal Record, (Mike Simons/Tulsa World via AP), Pence campaigns for Stitt in Tulsa, Vice President Mike Pence speaks at a rally for gubernatorial candidate Kevin Stitt at the Mabee Center in Tulsa on Thursday. With the general election less than three weeks away, Kevin Stitt is trying to get by with a little help from his friends. Vice President Mike Pence campaigned for Stitt.U.S. News & World Report, October 18, 2018, VP Mike Pence Campaigns for GOP's Kevin Stitt for Governor "Vice President Mike Pence headlined a campaign rally for Republican Kevin Stitt as they worked to keep the Oklahoma governor's office in GOP hands."
2022 election
Stitt filed to run for reelection in January 2021. He won the Republican primary in June 2022 and was reelected in November.
Tenure Stitt was inaugurated on January 14, 2019, at the Oklahoma State Capitol. Chief Justice of Oklahoma Noma Gurich swore him and Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell into office. Stitt gave a 15-minute inaugural address.
Administration personnel Cabinet positions + The Cabinet of Governor Kevin Stitt(2019–present) Office Name TermGovernorKevin Stitt2019–presentLieutenant GovernorMatt Pinnell2019–presentChief Operating Officer/Secretary of Agency AccountabilityJohn Budd2019–2021Chief Operating OfficerSteve Harpe2021–2022Secretary of StateMichael Rogers2019–2020Secretary of State and Native American AffairsBrian Bingman2020–presentSecretary of Energy and EnvironmentKenneth Wagner 2019–2022Ken McQueen2022–presentSecretary of AgricultureBlayne Arthur2019–presentSecretary of TransportationTim Gatz2019–presentSecretary of Public SafetyChip Keating2019–2021Tricia Everest2021–presentSecretary of the BudgetMike Mazzei2019–2020John Laws2022–presentSecretary of Commerce and Workforce DevelopmentSean Kouplen2019–2021Scott Mueller2021–2022Chad Mariska2022–presentSecretary of Tourism and BrandingMatt Pinnell2019–presentSecretary of Health and Mental HealthJerome Loughridge2019–2020Kevin Corbett2020–presentSecretary of Human Services and Early Childhood InitiativesSteve Buck2019–2020Justin Brown2020–2023Deborah Shropshire2023–presentSecretary of Science and InnovationKayse Shrum2019–2020Elizabeth Pollard2020–2023Secretary of Native American AffairsLisa Johnson Billy2019–2019Position Consolidated with Secretary of StateSecretary of Digital Transformation and AdministrationDavid Ostrowe2019–2021Secretary of Licensing and RegulationSusan Winchester2021–presentSecretary of Economic AdministrationJennifer Grigsby2021–presentSecretary of Veterans Affairs and the MilitaryBen Robinson2019–2022John Nash2022–presentSecretary of EducationMichael Rogers2019–2020Ryan Walters2020–2023Katherine Curry2023–2023Nellie Tayloe Sanders2024–presentChief of StaffMichael Junk2019–2020Bond Payne2020–2022Brandon Tatum2022–presentGeneral CounselMark Burget 2019–2020Jason Reese2020–2021Trevor Pemberton2021–2024Ben Lepak2024–presentChief Financial OfficerAmanda Rodriguez 2020–2022Adjutant GeneralMichael C. Thompson2019–2021
Before taking office, Stitt nominated former state representative Michael Rogers as his secretary of state and Tulsa deputy mayor Michael Junk (a former advisor to U.S. senators Jim Inhofe and Tom Coburn) as his chief of staff.
On December 23, 2019, citing disagreements with Stitt over his handling of negotiations with the state's various Indian tribes about gambling compacts, Lisa Johnson Billy became the first member of Stitt's cabinet to resign. A member of the Chickasaw Nation and former Republican state representative, Billy viewed Stitt's negotiation position as one of "unnecessary conflict." Stitt tapped his secretary of state Mike Rogers to assume those duties and temporarily combined the two positions.
Cabinet confirmation process