An Overlooked Election Surprise: Three New House Democrats Who Back School Choice
Advocates for education choice were pleasantly surprised last week when school choice supporters were elected to positions at various levels of government, including statehouses, governors’ mansions, and even the White House.
Most of these supportive politicians belong to the Republican party. However, what caught many people off guard was the emergence of a new group of Democrats in the House of Representatives who also support private school choice programs. At an event on Thursday that focused on the recent election and school choice, Greg Brock, the executive director of the American Federation for Children, highlighted this development. He pointed out that Democrats Al Lawson and Darren Soto from Florida, as well as Dwight Evans from Philadelphia, have all shown support for charter schools and private school choice programs in the past when they served as state legislators.
Brock emphasized the significance of this shift in the Democratic caucus in the House. He noted that there were only previously two members supporting private school choice, but now there are five. While this might not seem like a large number, symbolically it holds great importance. Additionally, it should be noted that Representatives John Delaney of Maryland and John Lipinski of Illinois voted in favor of reauthorizing the federally funded school voucher program for Washington, D.C.
Moving forward, Congress will need to reauthorize the D.C. program and approve any of the school choice ideas put forth by President-elect Donald Trump. Brock mentioned that some Senate Democrats, including Dianne Feinstein of California, Mark Warner of Virginia, Bill Nelson of Florida, and Cory Booker of New Jersey, have shown support for the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program as well. Brock believes that private school choice is slowly gaining traction within national Democratic circles. While it may not become a majority anytime soon, there is hope that the Democratic congressional leadership will recognize the changing politics surrounding this issue.
The surprises continued in state elections as well. In Indiana, Republican Jennifer McCormick defeated Democratic incumbent State Superintendent Glenda Ritz, who was against expanding the state’s voucher program. Lieutenant Gov. Eric Holcomb, who played a role in passing broad school choice programs, won the governor’s seat, succeeding Vice President-elect Mike Pence.
In Kentucky, the Republican party will control the House for the first time in 95 years, creating an opportunity for the implementation of a charter school law after years of failed attempts, according to Nina Rees, president of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. The governor’s race in North Carolina is still undecided, with Democrat Roy Cooper leading by a small margin. However, even if Cooper wins, Republicans have a strong enough majority in the Legislature to override any potential vetoes. In addition, Democratic State Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson, who did not support certain choice proposals, lost to Republican challenger Mark Johnson.
Unfortunately, there was one setback as the control of both houses of the Nevada Legislature shifted from Republican to Democratic. State lawmakers will now have to devise a new funding mechanism for the state’s almost universal education savings account program after the Supreme Court upheld its constitutionality but not its original funding source.
The event was moderated by Campbell Brown, Editor in Chief of , who also serves on the board of directors for the American Federation for Children. Betsy DeVos is the chair of the AFC board of directors, and The Dick & Betsy DeVos Foundation provides funding to . 2015 education election summit was also sponsored by AFC.
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