Special Interests Line Up to Support Stitt

Edmondson Says $5 Million Loan Repayment Should Worry Voters

 

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oct. 30, 2018 – Gubernatorial candidate Drew Edmondson issued a warning to voters today after Kevin Stitt’s most recent ethics filing shows he has poured $5 million of his own money into the governor’s race.

“Candidates are allowed, by law, to loan their own campaigns money,” Edmondson said. “It is also legal for campaigns to solicit contributions at the end of the campaign to retire debt, but $5 million is an excessive amount of debt.

“If Mr. Stitt is elected, there is no doubt that the special interest groups will pay him back every penny, and he will start day one in office beholden to the same billionaires that got our schools into the mess they’re in. We need change, and that won’t come if the same special interests that brought us Gov. Fallin are playing piggybank and puppeteer for Kevin Stitt.”

Corporate dark money organizations and out-of-state special interest groups are fueling a barrage of attacks against Edmondson. They want four more years of politics as usual and are fearful Edmondson will change the status quo.

Edmondson said Stitt is already beholden to the special interests and it will only be more apparent if he is elected governor.

“The governor’s office shouldn’t be bought and sold like a subprime mortgage,” Edmondson said. “Oklahomans deserve better.”

Edmondson’s campaign has seen a surge in donations in recent weeks. Edmondson’s ethics report for this quarter shows $1.9 million in donations from more than 7,000 individual contributions. Almost 900 of those individual contributions come from teachers.

“I am grateful to Oklahomans from across our state who have stepped up to volunteer, knock doors, make phone calls and donate their hard-earned dollars to support our campaign,” Edmondson said. “The excitement and energy are real. Oklahomans want a governor who will put people ahead of the special interests. That’s the type of governor I’ll be. Oklahoma will come first, for a change.”

Edmondson has loaned his campaign a total of $60,000.

A Navy veteran who served our country in Vietnam, Edmondson received his teaching degree from Northeastern State College and law degree from the University of Tulsa School of Law. He is a former public school teacher, Oklahoma attorney general and Muskogee County district attorney. Learn more at www.drewforoklahoma.com.

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