Idaho votes for school choice, ousting 15 incumbent legislators in primary for candidates supporting school choice.
By Eileen Griffin
The Idaho primary resulted in 15 incumbent legislators losing their seats to candidates supporting school choice.
Several high ranking GOP legislators lost their seats in the May primary, the Idaho Capital Sun reports. A total of 15 Republican incumbents including Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Winder (R-Boise) have been unseated by Republican challengers.
This election will establish the kind of Republican party that Idaho residents want working for them, KTVB reports. The battle over the direction of the party became intense.
“They were absolutely horrible,” Republican Party Chairwoman Dorothy Moon said about the campaign advertisements. “I just tell people to throw them in the trash.”
Moon told KTVB that an unusually large number of mailers have been sent out this year.
“I can’t believe the amount of money that people are spending. It is unbelievable that for a $17,000 per year position as a legislator they are spending almost a quarter of a million dollars. It’s obscene to me.
One of the key issues in races across the country is school choice. Republicans who are not strongly in support of educational freedom are losing to candidates who are pro school choice.
Several candidates supported by the American Federation for Children, an educational choice advocacy group, and the Idaho Federation for Children PAC were successful in unseating incumbents, the organization reports in a press release.
Idaho Federation for Children PAC supported incumbent Representative Wendy Horman (R-Idaho Falls), who has been a strong supporter for school choice. Horman easily won re-election.
A Republican group working against school choice, and backed by the Idaho teacher’s union, attempted to replace Horman with a more union-friendly candidate, Idaho Ed News reports.
The Idaho teachers union (IEA) partnered with the Right to Learn PAC to target Harmon because she supports vouchers and other programs that would allow parents to use the taxpayer funds allocated to public schools and choose to send their children to a private school.
“Right 2 Learn has also received additional support from the IEA as the union doubles down against Horman, who has for years played a lead role in writing and sponsoring K-12 budget bills,” writes Kevin Richert for Idaho Ed News.
Right 2 Learn heavily supported Ammon Mayor Sean Coletti using nearly two-thirds of their campaign funds for this particular race. Coletti is firmly against using any taxpayer funds for school choice.
The PAC selected candidates in support of government-run schools in races where the other candidate was an education choice supporter.
The largest donor to Right 2 Learn is the Idaho Education Association’s Political Action Committee for Education, Idaho Ed News reports. IEA spokesman, Mike Journee, told the outlet he was pleased with the number of Republicans committed to retaining the government-run school system.
The Idaho Federation for Children PAC made it very clear what they were interested in achieving in this primary election. Targets identified were incumbents or candidates who stand in the way of school choice.
“We intend to ensure their constituents know where they stand on education freedom,” Nathaniel Cunneen, the American Federation for Children’s director of strategic analysis told Idaho Ed News in an email.
“We will continue to fight alongside parents to deliver opportunities for Idaho’s kids, Cunneen said. “If you’re a champion for parents—we’ll be your shield.”
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