Depending on how the next 16 months go, Kevin Stitt could go from running Gateway Mortgage Group to running the state of Oklahoma.
Stitt, the founder and CEO of Gateway Mortgage, recently filed paperwork with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission and officially declared his intention to run for governor of Oklahoma in 2018.
Stitt, a Republican, joins a crowded field in the gubernatorial race. A search of the Oklahoma Ethics Commission website shows that there are currently 13 candidates registered to run for the state’s governorship in 2018.
A recent article from Tulsa World notes that Stitt is the sixth Republican to register with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission. The article also notes that candidates actually file to run for state office in April 2018.
Stitt founded Gateway Mortgage in 2000, and the company has grown significantly since then.
According to the company’s website, Gateway Mortgage is currently licensed to lend in 40 states and has approximately 1,100 employees in more than 145 locations in the U.S.
The company estimates that it will originate more than $6 billion in mortgages in 2017, while it expects its servicing portfolio to surpass $16 billion.
As for why Stitt wants to be Oklahoma’s next governor, he told Tulsa World that he wants to grow the state as he previously did his mortgage business.
“This campaign is about growth,” Stitt said. “I built my business; now I want to grow our economy and give teachers the tools they need to make our schools and children successful. Our state’s problems are too large to ignore. I’m running for governor because I believe we need new leadership to turn our state around.”
Stitt apparently believes in his candidacy so strongly that he’s prepared to put his money where his mouth is to fund the campaign.
HousingWire obtained a copy of a fundraising email from Stitt’s campaign, which states that Stitt is the “best person to serve as the head recruiter for Oklahoma.”
In the email, Stitt’s campaign asks for donations and states that Stitt will match all campaign donations received by Sept. 30, 2017.
“The main goal of this communication is to let you know we have officially launched and we are in the middle of our very first filing period (ending Sept. 30). At the end of that time frame, we will post our number and Kevin will personally match each contribution, dollar for dollar,” the email states.
The fundraising email notes that legal maximum donation is $5,400 per couple and $2,700 per person, which means that Stitt could be writing a big check to his own campaign in a few months.
So far, Stitt’s campaign has a bare bones website that provides little information about Stitt. The website does not provide any details on Stitt’s positions on various issues, simply stating that Stitt is a “driven conservative leader with a strong faith and traditional American values.”
