More: His comments, in an interview with The New York Times, marked the first time a Republican governor has questioned the interstate deployment of National Guard troops over a governor's objections. Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois and other Democratic elected officials have been strongly critical of the move and have implored Republican governors to join the opposition.

Mr. Stitt on Thursday said, "We believe in the federalist system " that's states' rights," adding, "Oklahomans would lose their mind if Pritzker in Illinois sent troops down to Oklahoma during the Biden administration."