Ryan Walters didn’t report all campaign donations, made mistakes on others, review shows

Ryan Walters failed to report three donations from political action committees in his run for the state’s top education post last year, including one from an organization that says it is committed to abolishing critical race theory in public schools, a review of campaign filings shows.

The 1776 Project PAC made a $5,000 donation Oct. 31.

“We are a political action committee dedicated to electing school board members nationwide who want to reform our public education system by promoting patriotism and pride in American history,” the federal super PAC says on its website.

The state schools superintendent also did not disclose to the Ethics Commission all his donations from other candidates’ campaigns. And he listed more than a dozen donors in one key report with an “x” before the last names, a mistake that prevents accurate searches of his contributions.

His campaign said Thursday that attempts are ongoing to clarify any possible reporting issues. It did not provide any explanations, though, for how they happened.

“There are ongoing attempts from detractors and the liberal media to misrepresent and lie about the campaign finances,” the campaign also said.

“The Walters Campaign takes all compliance and reporting of its contributions seriously and with detailed scrutiny. It is an ongoing process to maintain ALL records. Any discrepancies from not receiving the contributions or notifications from its supporters are updated as it is received.” 

What is the penalty for failing to report campaign contributions?

Not reporting donations can have consequences for a candidate, if the Ethics Commission decides to act.

“Campaign contributions are required to be timely and accurately reported to the Commission to ensure the information is available to the public,” its executive director, Ashley Kemp, said. “Minor discrepancies occur occasionally and should be rectified as quickly as possible.”

She said a significant and/or repeated failure to report contributions may result in forfeiture of the funds and penalties ranging from $5,000 to $100,000.

A former state representative in 2018 forfeited $19,674 in campaign funds to the state to settle an ethics case over unreported donations.

The Oklahoman discovered the donation issues by comparing what Walters reported getting with what PACs and others reported giving his campaign.

The 1776 Project PAC reported its Walters’ donation in a filing with the Federal Election Commission.

Walters is the treasurer and chairperson of his campaign. The Oklahoma Ethics Commission already is seeking $7,800 from the Republican for filing campaign reports late 14 times.

Only one of the 14 late fee assessments has become final. He is contesting the others.

Walters has focused on culture war issues since taking office in January. His far-right stances have made him one of the most polarizing politicians in years in a state known for colorful characters.

Oklahoma Democrats call to impeach Ryan Walters

House Democrats have accused him of weaponizing his office and are calling for his impeachment.

A scathing state audit in June blamed him for failures while at a nonprofit that resulted in the misspending of federal funds meant to help Oklahoma children learn at home during the pandemic. The FBI is now investigating.

The 1776 Project PAC supported dozens of school board candidates across the country last year, including in Florida, Virginia, Georgia, Ohio, Michigan, Texas and Arkansas. It reported spending more than $2.3 million last year on its election efforts.

More:These PACS are funding ‘parents’ rights advocates’ running for local school board positions

A recurring popup on its website asks visitors to report schools promoting critical race theory. It sells hats and T-shirts that say, “I survived public school INDOCTRINATION.”

Critical race theory has become a hot topic over the last two years even though it is decades old. The college-level academic concept examines race as interwoven in societal structures. The New York Times once described it as “often used to describe a range of activities that don’t really fit the academic definition, like acknowledging historical racism in school lessons or attending diversity training at work.”

The 1776 Project PAC calls it Marxist.

In a podcast posted on YouTube on Aug. 9, PAC founder Ryan Girdusky said the 2022 Oklahoma superintendent’s election was “one of my proudest races we got involved in.”

On the podcast, Walters praised the PAC, saying it is “the spearhead of what we’re trying to do to bring common sense and excellence back to education.”

“The attacks on me have been absurd,” he also said. “The kicking and screaming from the radical left is just … it’s something to see.”

Walters reported receiving almost $740,000 in cash and in-kind donations to his campaign.

The review of his campaign filings found:

• He did not report a January 2022 in-kind donation of $594.67 from The State Chamber PAC for food, beverage and room rental for a meet and greet reception.
• He did not report a $500 donation made by the Oklahoma Society of Certified Public Accountants PAC on Aug. 5, 2022.
• He reported getting $5,000 total from political parties. Political parties reported donating $6,000 to him.
• He only reported one of two $1,000 donations made by state Rep. Mark Lepak’s campaign last October.
• He did not report a $631.71 donation from Rep. Chad Caldwell’s campaign in January 2022 for posting, printing and beverage for a fundraiser.
• He never corrected his pre-general report even though his campaign asked the Ethics Commission for help fixing it. “There were concerns the report was wrong because it listed 10-15 individuals as XSmith or XDoe rather than John Smith or Jane Doe,” a consultant wrote the Ethics Commission in an email. “I’d really like to avoid having the press pick this up.”

Were there independent expenditures in the race?

The state schools superintendent’s race saw unprecedented involvement by outside groups that made so-called independent expenditures to try to sway voters. More than $2 million was spent in support of Walters or against him.

A newly created federal PAC called Parents and Students First Oklahoma alone spent more than $600,000 in support of Walters or against his opponents.

Parents and Students First Oklahoma funded direct mail backing Walters in the primary, then funded radio and television ads supporting him and attacking his rivals.

More:Ryan Walters ordered to pay Oklahoma Ethics Commission over campaign report violations

The PAC was funded primarily by large donations, including $222,000 from a PAC committee funded by the State Chamber of Oklahoma; $175,000 from a dark money group called People for Opportunity that was started by leaders of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, a conservative advocacy organization; $25,000 from Oklahoma Temporary Services Inc., headed by Bob Funk; $50,000 from Jim Walton, an Arkansas banker who backs school choice efforts; and $65,000 from the political arm of Club for Growth, a conservative advocacy organization.

Turnaround Team, one of the federal PACs that donated to Walters, also made a $15,000 donation to Parents and Students First Oklahoma.

Contributing: Staff writer Chris Casteel