As the country inches closer to Election Day, voters are homing in on issues that may decide the fate of Congress and several state governments in November.
The Washington Examiner is tracking which issues are on the top of voters’ minds as they prepare to head to the polls, particularly in key battleground states that could bring a shift in power to the federal government. Specifically, we’re tracking how voters are researching our top five issues — abortion, crime, education, inflation, and taxes — and how these interests fluctuate as we get closer to Election Day.
MIDTERMS 2022: TRACKING THE ISSUES THAT MATTER TO VOTERS AHEAD OF ELECTION DAY
Below, you can track the interest in Oklahoma in each of our key issues on a rolling 30-day basis. The Washington Examiner will be updating this page as interests and voting concerns change.
Key races we’re watching in the state:
Oklahoma residents will be voting in the Senate, House, and gubernatorial elections. All races are projected to lean Republican, and this November, voters will be casting ballots for two senators to represent them.
Current Sen. James Lankford (R) is facing Madison Horn to keep a hold on his seat. A special Senate election is also being held after Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe (R) announced on Feb. 25 that he would be retiring early. His term was originally set to end in 2024. U.S. Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R) will face former Rep. Kendra Horn (D) in the November midterm elections. If elected, Mullin will be the first Native American enrolled tribal member to serve in Congress since former Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell left the Senate in 2005.
In the race for the governor’s mansion, incumbent Gov. Kevin Stitt and Joy Hofmeister held a debate on Oct. 19. Stitt has been vocal in addressing the “failures” of the “Biden Party,” particularly when it comes to high gas prices and increased taxes. Hofmeister has repeatedly referred to herself as “aggressively moderate,” despite switching from Republican to Democrat last year.
Education
Education emerged as the top-researched issue among Oklahoma voters in mid-September and remained the No. 1 priority into October, according to internet searches recorded and analyzed by Google Trends.
There was a steady bump in interest in late September after the Oklahoma State Board of Education voted to send a $5,000 pay raise for teachers to the state legislature to vote on in 2023.
Interest spiked significantly on Oct. 11 after the leaders of Oklahoma’s five largest Native American tribes endorsed Hofmeister for her support of tribal sovereignty and dedication to education in the state.
Taxes
Taxes emerged as another top issue among voters, staying steady from mid-September into mid-October. The issue came in at No. 2 as of Oct. 16.
Single Oklahoma taxpayers received a $500 rebate, and married people filing jointly received $1,000 in August as part of the state’s tax rebate program. Individuals and households that were affected by severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding and who reside in Adair, Cherokee, Muskogee, Okmulgee, Pottawatomie, Seminole, and Tulsa counties also qualified for tax relief. Taxpayers had from May to Sept. 1 to file their tax returns to receive a rebate, the amount determined by the amount of storm damage.
Crime
Crime also emerged as a top issue, ending as the No. 3 concern as of Oct. 16 after receiving a few significant spikes in interest throughout mid-September and into October.
Interest spiked on Oct. 10 and stayed high until Oct. 14 after four men from Oklahoma were reported missing and later found dead on Oct. 14. Their dismembered bodies were recovered from a river, and they were found to have been fatally shot. Police determined that their bodies could have been in the river since the night of Oct. 9 or the morning of Oct. 10.
Inflation
Inflation remained among the least-searched topics in Oklahoma throughout September and into October, receiving a significant spike in interest on Oct. 13 before falling back to a tie for No. 4 as of Oct. 16.
The large spike on Oct. 13 coincides with the release of September’s inflation numbers in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’s October consumer price index report. September inflation was recorded at 8.2% in the report.
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Abortion
Abortion is the No. 5 most-researched issue among Oklahoma residents. Interest spiked slightly on Oct. 10, remaining relatively steady until Oct. 16.
Oklahoma is one of the nation’s strictest states when it comes to abortion — so much so that Stitt calls himself the “most pro-life governor.” He celebrated both the overturning of Roe v. Wade and his state’s trigger ban, which prohibits most abortions beginning at conception, with exceptions for saving the “life of a pregnant woman in a medical emergency” but not including exceptions for rape, sexual assault, or incest.
However, in the debate on Oct. 19, he stated that he would soften his stance on abortion, allowing exceptions for rape, sexual assault, or incest.
