Ryan Walters Is Trying to Out-MAGA His Peers and It’s Making Things Awkward in Oklahoma
by Em Luetkemeyer, Oklahoma Watch February 19, 2025
Ryan Walters, Oklahoma’s superintendent of public instruction, has taken pains to boost his national profile and get in President Donald Trump’s good graces. It’s made Oklahoma politics awkward in the process.
Intraparty tension had been building throughout Walters’ tenure but finally came to a head when Gov. Kevin Stitt replaced members of the Oklahoma State Board of Education, including Walters’ allies, arguing the committee was too political.
Walters responded by forming a Trump Advisory Committee, which he described in a news release as a “DOGE-style education oversight group,” to which he appointed two of the former board members. Stitt later turned up the temperature in a press conference where he accused Walters of “running for another office and trying to get headlines” and criticized his proposal to collect information about students’ immigration status.
Republicans in the state’s congressional delegation have been left watching with interest.
“I’m praying for peace,” Rep. Josh Brecheen told NOTUS after Stitt criticized Walters. “From what little I know about their relationship, I know that they have respect for each other.”
Stitt is term limited, and the vacancy he’s leaving behind is sure to draw several Republicans looking to rise in the political ranks. Walters has not announced a gubernatorial campaign and did not answer questions from NOTUS about his future plans.
But he’s not missed an opportunity to cast himself as an ally to Trump, arguing last week that Stitt had “joined the swampy political establishment that President Trump is fighting against.” In a statement to NOTUS, Walters pivoted to the cost of educating undocumented immigrants, arguing that “not only is the Governor ignoring a mandate from … President Trump, he’s going against the will of Oklahomans.”
Stitt’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
“Clearly, the governor and the secretary of education in Oklahoma were closely aligned, and now they seem to have some substantial and major differences of opinion,” Rep. Frank Lucas told NOTUS. “It’s fascinating to watch.”
Not all of Oklahoma’s lawmakers wanted to weigh in.
“I’m not going to get involved in that,” Rep. Tom Cole told NOTUS. “It’s obviously not something we work with. That’s between the governor and the superintendent.”
Meanwhile, Walters’ political reputation may be taking a hit. At least one poll showed his favorability underwater in the state as of this month.
The number of Republicans who described Walters as “unfavorable” went up about 20 percentage points among registered Republican voters since September 2022, and about twice as many Republicans said they had a “strongly unfavorable” impression of him rather than a “strongly favorable” one, according to CHS & Associates, a Republican polling firm that released the poll Tuesday.
Walters may use this situation to his advantage in order to make a run for governor and try to message himself as “the most Republican Republican,” Tyler Powell, an Oklahoma-based political adviser, told NOTUS.
“[Walters] wants to be viewed as a martyr, he wants to be viewed as someone who is right on this,” Powell said.
The superintendent was elected in 2022, and his tenure has been filled with far-right proposals, many of which have been aimed at blurring the line between church and state. They also rarely fail to mention President Donald Trump.
He made national headlines for mandating that public schools teach the Bible to fifth through 12th graders, and that one be kept in every classroom. He sought bids for thousands of copies fitting the description of the “Trump Bible.” He required schools to play a video of him praying for Trump and another video announcing a Department of Religious Freedom and Patriotism.
Much of Oklahoma is also playing a parlor game around what all this tension could mean for Walters’ future.
“It’s political season, right?” Rep. Kevin Hern told NOTUS. “It’s about who’s going to run for governor, who’s been the governor and who is going to be the next OSU president. All those things really matter.”
Hern added that he knows both Stitt and Walters well, and while he’ll leave it to the pair to settle their differences, “scrimmages from time to time, it sharpens the sword.”
This article first appeared on Oklahoma Watch and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Sources consistently place two members of Oklahoma’s congressional delegation, Kevin Hern and Markwayne Mullin, in the top 10% of all 535 members of Congress based on net worth.
Using personal financial disclosure reports from 2018, OpenSecrets ranked members of Congress by approximate net worth by adding each disclosed asset value range and subtracting the liability value range, placing Hern and Mullin at No. 12 and No. 45, respectively.
Quiver Quantitative, which uses live data on politicians’ stock portfolios made available through the STOCK Act, currently ranks Hern and Mullin at No.10 and No. 16, respectively.
Though OpenSecrets also includes data filed under the STOCK Act, which requires members of Congress to report all financial transactions after they occur, only Quiver Quantitative is regularly updated.
OpenSecrets estimated the 2018 net worths of Hern and Mullin to have been about $61 million and $11 million, respectively, while Quiver Quantitative has current estimates of $106.76 million and $65.04 million, respectively.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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SUMMARY: Severe storms are expected Friday evening into the overnight, with a level 2 risk for hail (up to 2 inches) and damaging winds (60-70 mph), though the tornado risk is low. Storms will begin with drizzle in eastern Oklahoma, followed by active thunderstorms, and watches will likely be issued for Oklahoma City by evening. Ongoing showers and thunderstorms will persist into Saturday morning, particularly in southern Oklahoma. Saturday’s risk includes larger hail and more storms in southeastern Oklahoma. Chief Meteorologist Damon Lane will provide updates on the timeline and weekend weather threats.
KOCO meteorologist Jonathan Conder says storms return Friday, he has the latest timeline.
SUMMARY: Severe storms are expected in two waves: one late Wednesday night and another Friday. Wednesday’s storms, with a low risk of isolated hail and 60 mph winds, will affect northern Oklahoma from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. Friday’s storms are more widespread, with a level two risk, primarily for wind and hail, and a low tornado risk. The storms are expected to intensify by 10 p.m., with heavy rain and thunderstorms continuing into early Saturday. A break in storms may occur before redevelopment in southern Oklahoma. By Sunday afternoon, drier air will bring clear conditions for Easter plans.
KOCO 5 Meteorologist Jonathan Conder says after a warm and windy day, storms are possible tonight.
