In the weeks leading up to the 2022 midterm elections, parents were grappling with the news that more than two decades of learning had been erased in the wake of the pandemic.
While many candidates were focused on issues like crime and inflation, it is clear as the dust settles from Nov. 8 that education is still a top-tier issue. Voters, especially independent and swing voters, want candidates who will stand with parents and primarily those who support parental freedom in education and school choice.
The American Federation for Children Action Fund and its affiliated state political committees invested nearly $10 million across 18 states, targeting these swing voters and amplifying the message of candidates who were committed to furthering school choice and educational freedom. We were excited to partner with a number of other allies in this fight, but none were more important than the parents themselves, who, yet again, showed up when it came time to make their voices heard.
In Oklahoma, Gov. Kevin Stitt faced a barrage of attacks from his Republican-turned-Democratic opponent Joy Hofmeister. As the outgoing state superintendent, Hofmeister epitomized the status quo mentality, even ridiculously warning rural Oklahomans that school choice would shut down rural schools. Despite tens of millions being spent to attack Stitt on this issue, voters overwhelmingly reelected him, perhaps because of, not in spite of, his staunch support for school choice.
In Iowa, Gov. Kim Reynolds cruised to victory and a second term despite being attacked directly for pushing for more educational options. Reynolds proved herself an unwavering champion for parental choice earlier this year when she endorsed and campaigned for several challengers instead of incumbent Republicans who previously fought against school choice in the state legislature. As Iowa heads into 2023 with Reynolds and even more school choice supporters in office, hope for education freedom abounds.
Unlike in prior years, the issue of school choice did not remain a Republican one. Even Democrats capitalized on education freedom to win. In Pennsylvania, Attorney General Josh Shapiro was elected governor after publicly coming out in support of school choice and standing by that position even when challenged by school choice opponents on the campaign trail, saying simply, “It’s what I believe.”
In Illinois, incumbent Gov. J.B. Pritzker won reelection after expressing measured support for the state’s scholarship tax credit. The way these two state leaders acknowledged school choice proves Democrats are recognizing it’s a potent issue among independent and swing voters. Other Democratic candidates should take notice.
School choice’s success this cycle also extended further down the ballot, with two prominent school choice supporters winning the top education post, state superintendent, in their respective states: Ellen Weaver in South Carolina and Ryan Walters in Oklahoma. Both Weaver and Walters were attacked for wanting to give parents more educational options, and voters responded by handing them overwhelming victories in both states.
Perhaps one of the most meaningful victories came in Nebraska, one of two remaining states in the country without any form of school choice. Jim Pillen won the gubernatorial race handily against one of the legislature’s biggest school choice hypocrites and staunchest opponents, Carol Blood. For years, Blood helped lead opposition to school choice legislation, despite admitting that she sent one of her own children to a private school. Gov.-elect Pillen, an outspoken supporter of school choice, will have a friendly legislature to work with in the Cornhusker State, where it takes two-thirds of the unicameral to pass hotly contested legislation.
Education voters are here to stay. Parents have been through the wringer over the last few years and many more before that, and they are stepping up and realizing their power more than ever before. Even beyond parents, this is clearly an issue that is important to the most important segment of voters in any election: independent and swing voters. Politicians who want to seek or keep office would be wise to listen to them. It’s not only politically expedient; it’s also the right thing to do for children and families.
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Ryan Cantrell is the national director of government affairs for the American Federation for Children.
