Mary Lou Masters
Oklahoma’s Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt thinks that governors “absolutely” make better presidents, he told the Daily Caller News Foundation Monday.
Stitt – the freshly reelected, two-term governor – believes that state executives are better candidates for president because they are the CEOs of their states, and know how to oversee an organization’s employees and finances, he told the DCNF. The governor also opined that former governors are better presidents than former senators, as governors preside over and work with the Legislature instead of merely being a part of it.
“We’re the CEO of our state, and we get the chance to work with our Legislature on a different scale … and we have to learn how to negotiate with them and how to set the policies and how to hire people and how to run an organization,” said Stitt. “The president is the Chief Executive Officer of the Executive Branch, and I think being an executive is different than being a part of the legislative team.”
While Stitt ruled out the possibility of running for president in 2024, he was open to a cabinet position, and said “we’ll cross that bridge when it comes,” he told the DCNF. The governor mentioned that he would be interested in being the Secretary of Energy or the Interior, but said Energy would be “the most natural” fit for him.
“When your president asks you to do something, it’s hard to say no,” Stitt told the DCNF. “If I could be helpful and the president wanted me to do something, I’m sure I would very, very strongly consider it.”
“It’s too early to come out and endorse someone right now,” Stitt said of the 2024 Republican field. “I’m going to kind of wait and see how the field develops and who all gets in.”
The governor said there is a great field of candidates to choose from, mentioning former President Donald Trump, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and the as-yet undeclared Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who he said “we all are waiting” for to throw his hat in the race.
“It’s important, I believe, that we get a conservative and someone with our pro-business, traditional family values, back in the White House,” he said.
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