Is Dr. James Taylor the Next Ryan Walters?

Have you ever wondered what would happen if Ryan Walters woke up one day as an older Black man?

Thanks to “Dr.” James Taylor, we may finally have our answer!

Over the weekend, an Ogle Mole sent me this glowing, not-at-all-biased Tulsa Today write-up about a recent appearance Taylor – a longtime minister and public school teacher who is now locked in a Republican runoff for State School Superintendent – made at the Tulsa County Republican Men’s Club.

At the event, he preached to the conservative choir about improving literacy and math scores, boosting parental involvement, and, naturally, protecting students from imaginary furries lurking in public school bathrooms.

“We have school districts that are telling parents, don’t come into my classroom and see what’s being taught in this class. We have school districts that say, kids can call themselves by whatever pronoun they want, and we’re not going to tell parents what’s going on. That stuff must stop. I was told and I still can’t believe this true, but in our great state that there are furries [children identifying as animals] in schools that have set up litter boxes for kids to use on campus, that’s a mental illness. Those kids need to be in proper treatment, and their parents need some help too. Because if the parents are assisting in that, that’s a little bit of concern,” he said.

Holy Harbor Mountain Coffee Shop, Batman! He’s going with the old kids dressing up like animals and using kitty litter routine? I wonder where we’ve heard that one before?

Come on, man! If you’re going to terrify the conservative base with made-up school scandals, at least be original and come up with some new material. Even the Mathis brothers hamster thinks that urban legend is old news! 

Spreading conspiracy theories isn't the only way that Taylor mimics Walters. Just check out his resume:

“Dr. Taylor has taught history and government in public high school for the last eighteen years and has served as Senior Pastor of First Christ’s Church of Norman, Oklahoma since 1977. He authored the book, ‘It’s Biblical, Not Political’ and produced a DVD, ‘Critical Race Theory vs. The Bible,’ which exposes the lies of CRT being taught in the political public education system.”

Really? The guy is still touting a DVD about critical race theory and the Bible in 2026? What’s next? An audio cassette warning about DEI? A CD-ROM exposing the dangers of teachers’ unions?

I actually found Taylor’s presentation online.

Naturally, it’s little more than an amateurish right-wing PowerPoint slideshow that he takes around to churches:

Boy, you know who would absolutely love that presentation? Ryan Walters!

Just don’t tell that to “Dr.” Taylor. Even though he comes across as Ryan Walters reincarnated, he wants everyone to know they’re totally different people.

For example:

“The other thing the other side is saying is that I am ‘Ryan Walters 2.0.’ To attack me they associate me with Ryan Walters. I am not trying to distance myself from him. I am not trying to embrace him because I am not Ryan Walters. I am James Taylor. The reality is, we are not the same. He has hair; I do not. My tan is better than his,” Dr. Taylor said.

Yep, they may share many of the same views, beliefs and fearmongering devices, but James Taylor is definitely funnier than Ryan Walters!

I guess that’s something.

Anyway, back to the headline of this article you’re reading – is James Taylor the next Ryan Walters?

I’m not sure.

He definitely shares the same beliefs as Ryan, the same enemies as Ryan and the same enthusiasm for recycling batshit culture-war conspiracies as Ryan, but until he's elected and starts showing nudie scenes in board meetings, it’s probably too early to make the comparison official.

For now, let’s just call him Ryan Walters 1.5 – older, funnier and equipped with a better tan – and hope he loses in the primary.

Stay with The Lost Ogle. We’ll keep you advised.