School Choice Looms as Electoral Stealth Issue

Conservatives gathered at the pro-Trump America First Policy Summit in Washington this week talked about numerous issues like soaring crime, the ailing economy, and tensions abroad.

One topic, though, emerged as a stealth issue and potentially significant factor in the upcoming elections: school choice. The policy seeks to give parents who want to take their children out of failing public school systems more access to charter or private schools.

“School choice is the single most important domestic issue in this country. It’s the civil rights issue of the 21st century,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said.

Cruz made the comments during a panel discussion on the subject on Tuesday with former Trump campaign manager and senior advisor Kellyanne Conway and Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) The three have nine children between them in public schools.

According to polling estimates, 70 percent of Americans support school choice, with an even higher number of black and Hispanic parents included in that average. Their view on the issue stands consistently at 70 to 80 percent support, Cruz said.

Donalds, who represents southwest Florida in Congress, said the issue decided Ron DeSantis’ narrow victory over Andrew Gillum in the 2018 Florida governor race, which went to a recount.

As the election approached, Gillum’s staff thought they had the race won, Donalds said. But Republicans sent out targeted messages to black and Hispanics saying that Gillum would take away school choice. “Parents will side with their kids each and every time.”

“Sixty years after Democrat governors stood in schoolhouse doors refusing to let in children of color,” Conway said, “now we have bigoted people all over the country refusing to let kids out of those schoolhouse doors to access educational opportunities.”

Former Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway believes the school choice issue is drawing minority parents to the Republican

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases