Coburn, Cruz endorse Kevin Stitt

Two conservative stalwarts, former Oklahoma U. S. Senator Tom Coburn and Texas Senator Ted Cruz, have both endorsed Kevin Stitt in the runoff for the 2018 Republican nomination for Oklahoma governor.

Coburn's Tuesday statement endorsing Stitt also included some sharp criticism for Mick Cornett's campaign tactics, refuting Cornett's attacks on Stitt's business.

Former U.S. Senator Tom Coburn today announced his endorsement of Kevin Stitt for Governor of Oklahoma.

"The negative political ads by Mick Cornett and his base are distasteful and a misrepresentation of Kevin Stitt and his business," said Sen. Tom Coburn. "As a U.S. Senator during the subprime mortgage crisis, I can attest first hand that if these fees and fines from many years ago were truly egregious, Kevin Stitt would not be in business today. Furthermore, the accusations that Kevin Stitt took bailout money is a gross misrepresentation of the TARP program. Kevin's company is not a financial institution that could have accepted the bailout money meant to support failing banks. By law, the federal government required mortgage companies to participate in an underlying program to prevent foreclosures, and Gateway followed the letter of the law."

Coburn continued, "While Kevin and I have not always seen eye-to-eye on policy decisions during this election season, I have appreciated his eagerness to listen and apply conservative principles in his decision-making process. Kevin is committed to delivering accountability and transparency to state government, and he is the fresh, new leadership our state Republican party needs. Kevin Stitt is driven by his faith and I applaud his willingness to leave the private sector for a season to serve our state. I urge Oklahomans to join me in electing the only conservative outsider in this race, Kevin Stitt."

"I appreciate Senator Tom Coburn's support for our campaign," Stitt said. "Sen. Coburn and I agree that Oklahoma needs to be delivering core public services effectively and efficiently, and this starts by demanding accountability and transparency in state government. We have a bright future on our horizon with Oklahoma's economy recovering and growth in state revenue. Now is the time to take the bull by the horns to diversify our job market, root out waste in government, and ensure stability in funding core services for the next generation."

Ted Cruz's endorsement was announced on Wednesday:

U.S. Senator and 2016 Oklahoma Republican presidential primary winner Ted Cruz today announced his endorsement of Kevin Stitt for Governor of Oklahoma.

"Our republic requires an active participation from all of us, and it's encouraging when solid conservatives step forward to run for office. I'm asking Oklahoma voters to carefully consider the choices before them this election cycle, and to stand with those who have proven themselves to be conservatives of conviction. In the race for Governor in Oklahoma, I am proud to endorse Kevin Stitt, and I urge the voters in Oklahoma to join me by supporting him," said Ted Cruz.

"It is an honor to earn the support of Ted Cruz, a conservative, principled leader in the Republican party," Stitt said. "Oklahomans rallied around Sen. Cruz when he courageously led the fight in Washington to repeal and replace ObamaCare. I have admired Cruz's stalwart stance for free-market principles, for individual liberty, and for the Constitution, and I will lead with these conservative values as governor of Oklahoma."

On Super Tuesday in 2016, Oklahomans chose Ted Cruz as their Republican nominee for president.

I'm also voting for Stitt. I've explained at length why Mick Cornett is not a leader, much less the leader we need at this point in Oklahoma history. Kevin Stitt built his business on hard work and tough decisions. If we're going to break the special interest stranglehold on the State Capitol, to break out of the "concentrated benefit, diffuse cost" battle that pulls us further and further from fiscal sanity, we're going to need leaders like Kevin Stitt.