Walters still considering run for governor, said there's no true MAGA representative running
Walters said the question about his possible candidacy comes up a lot when he's visiting with Oklahomans.
'We haven't made a decision on that yet,' Walters said. 'I get (the question) wherever I go, and it's very humbling. It's an honor to have Oklahomans (ask).'
Walters pointed out that Oklahoma is a Republican state, and all 77 counties in the state voted for President Donald Trump.
'People are frustrated. They see that there's no candidate out there that's backing President Trump, and backing the Make America Great Again agenda. ... They want to see that candidate,' Walters said.
On Tuesday, Walters announced a partnership with conservative nonprofit PragerU to vet teachers moving into Oklahoma from states with 'progressive education policies.' PragerU will supply the Oklahoma State Department of Education with an America First Assessment that evaluates teachers on 'their knowledge of the U.S. Constitution, their understanding of American exceptionalism, and their grasp of fundamental biological differences between boys and girls.'
'We're sending a clear message: Oklahoma's schools will not be a haven for woke agendas pushed in places like California and New York,' Walters said in the release. 'If you want to teach here, you'd better know the Constitution, respect what makes America great, and understand basic biology. We're raising a generation of patriots, not activists, and I'll fight tooth and nail to keep leftist propaganda out of our classrooms.'
The Oklahoma gubernatorial election is more than a year away, and six candidates have already announced their intention to run for governor.
Those candidates include former Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives Charles McCall, Democrat House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, former Oklahoma State Senator Mike Mazzei, business owner Leisa Mitchell Haynes (originally from Stillwater) and former Republican senator Jake Merrick of 'The Jake Merrick Show.'
Drummond and McCall, considered two of the frontrunners, would likely disagree with Walters' assessment they are not MAGA candidates, as both have sought to align themselves with Trump in campaign material.
McCall's campaign has called him an 'America First' candidate. Drummond's main campaign website includes a photo with Trump on the front page and gives about 20 seconds of his three-minute pop-up ad to images of Trump.
Oklahoma congressman Kevin Hern, who represents Oklahoma's first congressional district, pulled out of the gubernatorial race in December 2024. In a letter to constituents that News 9 obtained, he wrote that President Trump's agenda in the next year would be intense and he was concerned about the 217-215 slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
'Put simply, one member of the House could obstruct President Trump's agenda, and I will not let that be me,' Hern wrote.
News Press Editor Beau Simmons contributed to this report.
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