While Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is working to dismantle the department she is charged with leading and Republican governors are ignoring educators’ pleas for better funding, voters are making their voices very clear – they want better pay for teachers and better schools for every child. Education is on the ballot in November, and Democrats are running and winning by making education central to their campaigns.
In Arizona, Democrats nominated education activist David Garcia for governor and 2016 Arizona Teacher of the Year Christine Marsh is running for state Senate. It’s no wonder; in April, teachers in Arizona took to the streets in support of better pay and school funding as part of the Red for Ed movement.
Arizona Capitol Times: “Garcia jumped into the governor’s race last year after Ducey signed legislation to create universal vouchers. Garcia was so incensed by the action that he characterized as a major blow to public education in Arizona that he set his sights on ousting Ducey.”
Teachers in Oklahoma, Arizona, and across the country are running for office and winning Democratic primaries in historic numbers.
Associated Press: “Hundreds of teachers are running for office in November elections, campaigning primarily on promises to address public education spending cuts and meager pay hikes that provoked walkouts in states including Arizona, Oklahoma and Kentucky.”
In Alaska, Alyse Galvin is running for Congress against the longest serving member of the House after taking on Betsy DeVos’ nomination.
Huffington Post: “Galvin, a 52-year-old education advocate in Anchorage, Alaska, was horrified by DeVos’ lack of experience. So she spearheaded a campaign to pressure the state’s two senators to vote no. She and other educators launched a ‘Betsy DeVos Tie-Breaker Telethon’ on Facebook Live, urging Alaskans to call in and share their thoughts on DeVos.”
In Connecticut, former National Teacher of the Year Jahana Hayes won the Democratic primary for Congress.
ABC News: “Hayes, 45, is one of a growing number of teachers now running for office, including some in states where drops in teacher funding prompted frustrated teachers into political action.”