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Oklahoma's New CEO Governor Must Pivot From Campaign

Kevin Stitt campaign photo

Oklahoma's new CEO-turned-governor Kevin Stitt rocketed from virtually unknown in politics a year ago to the state's highest office, largely on his reputation as a businessman outsider.

Stitt now must pivot from campaigning to governing, a delicate balancing act that requires working with an ideologically diverse Legislature.

That has proven difficult for some business leaders in other states, such as Illinois, who shifted into politics. Unlike the CEO of a company that can hire and fire top executives at will, Stitt faces the reality of being leader in a weak-governor state where it can take years to put his own appointees on various agency governing boards.

Leaders in the GOP-led Legislature say they're enthusiastic about working with Stitt, who is still assembling his transition team and creating a policy agenda.