State superintendents, outside organizers and even former rivals of President-elect Trump have all been floated as potential picks to lead his Department of Education.
Trump's Cabinet picks are coming fast and furious one week after his election, and the next Education secretary could also be the last, as Trump and his allies have regularly discussed eliminating the entire department.
The 45th and 47th president has floated some potential names for the position on the campaign trail, and experts are pointing to others who have positioned themselves favorably for the role.
Trump's pick could send a strong signal about his plans for the future of the department, which will also include rolling back Biden administration efforts on student loans and protections for transgender students.
“I'd probably be looking for a strong, capable, demonstrated state leader, somebody who had been the state chief school officer,” said Robert Pondiscio, a senior fellow at the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute (AEI).
Recently, Oklahoma's Ryan Walters has made big waves for his culture war battles, including mandating Bibles in every public school classroom and backing the nation's first openly religious charter school, whose creation has been blocked by the courts.
“The first name that comes to mind ... for who, at least, I feel like has been resonant with Trump, and what he emphasizes in education is Ryan Walters, the........