TULSA, Okla. — Ryan Walters defeated Jena Nelson on Tuesday night to become the next State Superintendent of Public Instruction in Oklahoma.
Walters declared victory at the Republican watch party in Oklahoma City, marking a sweep of the state's key races for the GOP.
Who is Jena Nelson?
Jena Nelson is running for State Superintendent, looking to flip the seat to the Democratic party.
Nelson has served as an educator for more than a decade and earned Oklahoma Teacher of the Year in 2020. She's a middle school teacher in the Oklahoma City Public Schools system.
She ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, gaining an automatic bid for the November ballot.
Who is Ryan Walters?
Ryan Walters is running for State Superintendent representing the Republican party.
Walters served the last two years as the State Sec. of Public Education. Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed him to the position in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Walters and Stitt pushed back against schools and school boards consistently to make children go back to class and to keep mask mandates out of public schools.
Walters spent several years as a high school history teacher.
He reached the November ballot after winning the Republican primary runoff election in August by a narrow margin against April Grace.
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