Republican Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt suggested he does not think Democrats are supporting lax border security policies for the goal of getting illegal immigrants to vote for the party.
The governor, who is known to have a tenuous relationship with President Donald Trump, said that in his view, Democrats’ intentions are not to make foreign nationals part of the country’s voter rolls, in an interview with NPR that aired Thursday. The Oklahoma Republican’s colleagues come as the Senate is considering the Trump-backed SAVE America Act, which would, in part, require proof of citizenship for voter registration, amid fierce opposition from Democratic lawmakers.
“Even my Democrat governor colleagues, they’re not trying to get illegals here to turn them into voters. I don’t believe that’s what Democrat politicians are trying to do,” Stitt told NPR.
WATCH:
OK Gov Kevin Stitt (R) tells NPR he doesn’t believe Democrat politicians are “trying to get illegals here to turn them into voters.”
WHAT? pic.twitter.com/jSbxZDZh7F
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) February 26, 2026
Do you agree with Gov. Stitt that Democrats aren't trying to turn illegal immigrants into voters?
“And just like Republicans get a bad rap that people think Republicans don’t like immigrants. That’s not true. There’s some common ground that if we sit down together, we can figure this out,” the governor added.
“Oklahoma is a leader in voter integrity to ensure secure elections. This includes requiring all voters to provide a state-issued ID to do so and ensuring only citizens register to vote,” a spokesperson for Stitt told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a statement. “Governor Stitt remains committed to strong systems and encourages other states to follow suit.”
Trump on Feb. 11 made two Truth Social posts criticizing Stitt in which he called him a “RINO,” a common abbreviation that means “Republican in name only.”
“When Kevin Stitt, the very mediocre (at best!) RINO Governor of Oklahoma, was losing his Election to a Democrat, primarily because he did a bad job, he called for my help,” Trump wrote in the second of his two posts. “I Endorsed him, and he won — Sorry, my cherished Oklahoma, to have done that to you!”
The president carried Oklahoma by 34 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election, sweeping all of the state’s 77 counties. Stitt is term-limited and cannot seek reelection in November.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].
