Linda McMahon Didn’t Want Oklahoma’s MAGA Superintendent At Her State Visit

Three sources familiar with the matter said McMahon and her team asked that Superintendent Ryan Walters not be included at a charter school event where multiple other state officials were present.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon
Education Secretary Linda McMahon. Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

During Secretary of Education Linda McMahon’s stop in Oklahoma this week for her “Returning Education to the States Tour,” she attended a bill signing and toured a local public charter school with Gov. Kevin Stitt and other state officials. One person was noticeably missing: State Superintendent Ryan Walters — the conservative firebrand in charge of the public education system there.

McMahon toured Dove Science Academy, a public charter school that Republicans in the state have touted as a success story for their school choice legislation. Walters in particular has been a big advocate for school choice, specifically for giving families more access to religious and conservative schools.

But he was nowhere to be found on Tuesday — and that was by design.