Walters Wins GOP Nomination In State Superintendent Race

Ryan Walters will be on the ballot for State Superintendent this November, facing off against Democratic challenger Jena Nelson. 

Walters ran away with the GOP runoff race on Tuesday, garnering 53.4% of the total vote against challenger April Grace. 

Grace kept the race tight early but was unable to make up ground on Walters late. 

Walters has served as the Oklahoma Secretary of Education since September of 2020 when he was nominated by Governor Kevin Stitt. 

In May of 2022, Democrats in the Oklahoma House of Representatives called for Walters to resign following a report from the United States Department of Education that found the ‘Bridge the Gap’ program he oversaw was implemented with few safeguards to prevent fraud or abuse and that federal auditors were investigating the distribution of COVID-19 relief money through the program. 

Gov. Stitt defended Walters, saying, “Secretary Walters is doing a great job fighting for parents’ right to be in charge of their child’s education and advocating for funding students, not government-controlled systems.” 

Walters's opponent, Jena Nelson did not run a primary campaign as the only candidate in the Democratic primary. 

The election is set November 8.