Dr. Ervin Yen, an Oklahoma City anaesthesiologist and former Republican state senator, spoke with KWGS about why Gov. Kevin Stitt's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic was the primary motivator for launching a primary challenge.
On motivations: "The number one reason I'm doing this is the state's lack of response to this COVID virus. In my opinion, the state is not doing anything about it. They did back in the spring when everything was shut down, and that made sense, but now we are not doing anything. Every day I see these deaths and it just ticks me off more. This is horrible. We have to do something.
"As a physician, I just can't sit by and let this happen. I have to try and do something. Will what I'm doing help? I don't know."
On a statewide mask mandate: "This is a bit similar to a seatbelt law, right? You have to wear your seatbelt. That's the law. If you don't, you can be cited. But there's a huge difference: If you don't wear a seatbelt, which, again, is against the law, you really only put yourself at risk. So it only affects you. However, it affects everybody else in that, what if you're in an accident, get thrown out, and you're in the ICU for six months? It affects other people's insurance rates.
"But this mask mandate affects everyone, because if you don't wear a mask it puts other people around you at risk of getting a highly contagious disease that can kill you. That's the difference. People ask me, you know, 'You're a Republican. Why are you running against a Republican?' Well I'm sorry, just because a leader is a Republican doesn't mean I have to support that person and be 100% onboard with everything that person's doing."
On possible causes for why, in his opinion, Gov. Stitt is doing a bad job: "It could be that he's being given great advice but not listening to it. That could be. But it could also be he's getting bad advice -- bad in my opinion.
"Now, he was a businessman, and I guess he had a successful mortgage business. I'm a businessman, too. I've had a successful medical practice for almost 37 years, although not nearly as successful this year because I was unemployed for about a month and a half because of the shutdown. But from my time in the state senate, as the chairman of the health and human services committee, I know that you can't run the state government like a business. You just can't. That doesn't work.
"And when advisors go to the governor, when constituents go to the governor, when lobbyists go to the governor and talk about health care issues and medical issues, I don't think the governor has the background and the education to fully comprehend what these people are telling him. I do. My point is, it could very well be that our governor just doesn't comprehend the ramifications of some of the advice that he's given."
