Teachers Union-Backed GOP Reps. Fall in Primaries

Republican state lawmakers in several states who opposed school choice initiatives with teachers union support are consistently losing their primary elections.

In Iowa, Kentucky, and Texas, a slew of Republican state lawmakers who bucked their party’s long-standing support of school choice and in some cases received endorsements and donations from teachers unions all lost their respective primaries in recent weeks.

GOP LAWMAKERS INTRODUCE $10 BILLION SCHOOL CHOICE BILL AHEAD OF MIDTERM ELECTIONS

The results have raised questions about whether opposition to school choice and support from teachers unions is becoming a kiss of death for the careers of Republican state lawmakers.

“School choice is emerging as a litmus-test issue for Republican primary voters,” Corey DeAngelis, the director of research at the school choice advocacy group American Federation for Children, told the Washington Examiner. “At this point, any Republican opposing school choice and parental rights in education is essentially begging to end their political careers.”

In Texas, several Republican candidates endorsed by the Texas affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, including Justin Berry and Barron Casteel, lost their primary races.

Meanwhile, a familiar story unfolded in several other states.

After the Republican-controlled Iowa state legislature killed a bill expanding school choice, Gov. Kim Reynolds endorsed the primary opponents of several of the lawmakers responsible for the bill’s demise.

The result? State Rep. Dustin Hite, who served as the chairman of the Iowa House Education Committee and had received the support of local teachers unions, garnered a measly 42% of votes cast and was soundly defeated by challenger Helena Hayes, who raked in 57%.

Hite was joined in early retirement by state Reps. Dennis Bush, Jon Thorup, David Maxwell, Lee Hein, and Joe Mitchell, who also lost their respective primary races.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Likewise, Kentucky state Rep. Ed Massey, who was opposing school choice efforts in the state’s legislature, also lost his primary election last month, despite vastly outspending his opponent.

DeAngelis’s organization, the American Federation for Children, has endorsed numerous pro-school choice candidates in their respective primary races. In a National Review op-ed with the Heritage Foundation’s Jason Bedrick, DeAngelis touted the federation’s successes in endorsements, noting that 38 out of 48 of the organization’s endorsed candidates had either won their primary races or advanced to runoffs.

“Opposing parental rights in education after the past two years is becoming a form of political suicide,” DeAngelis told the Washington Examiner. “School choice is on the Republican Party platform, [and] 82% of Republican voters support school choice nationwide.”