Cornett Says He And Stitt Have Mutual Respect But Are Highly Competitive

The race for the Republican nomination for Oklahoma governor is heating up between Mick Cornett and Kevin Stitt.

Both candidates met face-to-face Wednesday as they addressed business leaders in Oklahoma City for a forum at the State Chamber. It’s the first time they’ve met since campaign ads took a nasty turn.

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Cornett's camp ran an ad called “Bull Stitt.” Wednesday he said there were no hard feelings.

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"I think there's a mutual respect for each other. We don't dislike each other but we are both highly competitive," Cornett said.

Cornett said he wanted to focus on drawing more business to Oklahoma.

The state has come under fire for giving away excessive tax incentives. Cornett said he’s okay with incentives, but only if they're proven.

"I think the kind of incentive programs that I appreciate the most are performance based,” he said. “In other words, they're tied to higher paying jobs and the company doesn't qualify for anything until they have hired people, paid taxes on those employee salaries and then they can apply for some kind of rebate."

News On 6 and News 9 will feature stories on the Stitt and Cornett campaigns leading up to the runoff election on August 28, 2018.

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