Why Democrats Who Want to Win Should Defend Public Education
Evidence from actual elections shows support for public schools is a winner
Democrats have spent a lot of time lately wondering how we got here. Why did Democrats not only lose the 2024 race for the White House but also lose control of Congress? Why is the party losing out to the GOP in voter registration?
And, while it is important to understand why the party is losing ground - it is even more important to have a strategy for gaining it back.
One answer: back to basics.
Yes, the economy - have a plan and deliver.
But also: Connect with voters in their communities about an issue that impacts ALL of us. Public schools.
Jennifer Berkshire has a great piece out about how some Democratic consultants and political pundits are suggesting that Democrats can convince voters they are not beholden to “special interests” by attacking public schools - teachers and their unions are an easy target, they suggest and “school choice” is gaining ground.
Except, as Berkshire (and other evidence) suggests: That’s just plain wrong.
People generally have a favorable view of their public schools - the ones they and/or their children attend.
The piece ends with an update on an Iowa state Senate race - where a Democrat flipped a seat and ended the GOP supermajority in that body.
The winner, Catelin Drey, ran her campaign focused on defending public schools - increasing funding for them - and also on scaling back Iowa’s school voucher scheme.
The race wasn’t close - Drey won the formerly solid GOP district by 11 points.
Of course, elections in 2024 also showed strong support for public schools - and opposition to voucher schemes.
In states both red and blue, school vouchers lost on the ballot - Kentucky and Nebraska, both solid Trump states, also rejected school vouchers handily.
And in 2023, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, won a second term in large part due to his fierce defense of public schools.
Ballot measures in Colorado, Kentucky, and Nebraska all asked voters to weigh-in on using public funds to support private schools.
In all three cases, voters resoundingly rejected that idea.
Nationally, Colorado went blue, while Nebraska split its electoral votes between the two candidates, and Kentucky was among the first states to be called for Trump.
In each case, however, voters resoundingly rejected school vouchers.
In Kentucky, the margin was 2-1. A solid majority of voters in all 120 Kentucky counties voted NO on vouchers.
I 100% agree we need to be defending public education and McKinsey is watching this very very closely "The U.S. reshoring boom has brought over $1 trillion in advanced-manufacturing investments, 63% of which are within reach of rural communities. But while capital is flowing, talent is not guaranteed." Basically they are pointing out our education system will not be able to meet future work force demands if we continue to defund public education!
https://www.mckinsey.com/institute-for-economic-mobility/our-insights/small-towns-massive-opportunity-unlocking-rural-americas-potential?stcr=2AB3980783634B789FA34B60C01966D0&cid=mgp_opr-eml-alt-mem-mgp-glb--&hlkid=9b55ccceab6c44fd9bd850d3223681f4&hctky=16501453&hdpid=459c9245-51a0-4f11-8502-b6f5ee1b8bda