OKLAHOMA CITY – Joy Hofmeister will be Oklahoma’s first gubernatorial candidate to make an ad buy in the general election. She surprised a crowd of supporters in Oklahoma City Monday evening with the announcement and a preview of two new ads (“Faith” and “Family“).

“Tonight is about the thousands of Oklahomans who have joined this campaign and are standing up to protect our schools and communities,” said Hofmeister. “It’s because of your strong commitment that we’re taking a bold step to share our campaign message on television starting tomorrow.”

Hofmeister has raised over $1.6 million without self-funding and has seen significant tightening in the polls. Recent publicly released polling shows a single-digit difference between her and opponent Governor Kevin Stitt among likely voters. In addition, her grassroots field efforts are showing strong volunteer engagement statewide.

Stitt’s cronyism and self-dealing have undermined the public’s trust and made him uniquely vulnerable for an incumbent Republican governor. Public surveys and Hofeister’s campaign polling have shown Stitt to hold one of the weakest popularity ratings of any Republican figure in Oklahoma. In addition to the scandals that have plagued Stitt’s first term as governor – like squandered COVID relief dollars and the continued misuse of taxpayer funds – Oklahomans see Stitt’s policies as out-of-touch. His school voucher scheme would dismantle public education and his extreme attacks on SoonerCare and women’s healthcare hurt families.

“As I’ve visited communities this summer on our Hometown Tour, I’ve heard consistent feedback from our neighbors. Governor Stitt’s self-dealing and lack of attention to real problems are hurting Oklahomans. They tell me they value our public schools, want the freedom to make healthcare decisions with a trusted doctor, and are ready for a governor who can close a deal on good-paying jobs,” Hofmeister said.

In the final 90 days of the campaign and with over 510,000 miles on her SUV, Hofmeister will continue traveling to communities throughout the state listening to Oklahomans and sharing her vision for a state with world-class schools and an economy that better supports families. To close out August, her Hometown Tour will stop in Shattuck, Perry and Hochatown.