Democratic challenger Joy Hofmeister was mocked by the audience and Oklahoma’s governor Kevin Stitt when she stated that violent crime rates are higher in the state than in New York and California.
The two candidates faced off during their only scheduled debate on Wednesday evening at the Will Rogers Theatre in Oklahoma City as the race heated up just ahead of mid-term elections in less than a month.
“The fact is the rate of violent crime is higher in Oklahoma under your watch than in New York and California, that’s a fact,” Ms Hofmeister said.
The audience at the venue burst into laughter and clapped when Mr Stitt dismissed her rival’s claim and asked the audience if they believed her.
In reality, however, the crime rate in Oklahoma increased to 458 per 100,000 people in 2022 and was among the top ten US states to record the highest crime at the sixth spot, according to World Population Review’s state-wise crime record data.
In New York and California the crime rate was 363 and 442 per 100,000 people respectively.
According to the FBI’s 2021 Crime in the Nation Report, Oklahoma recorded 15,681 violent crimes reported in 2021 or 393 for every 100,000 people. The state had the 10th highest violent crime rate in the US’ 41 states with available data.
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Article URL : https://news.yahoo.com/oklahoma-democrat-mocked-rightly-claiming-061415697.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall