A Blow for Republicans — and a ‘Warning Light’ for Education Reformers — in the 2017 Elections Results
Tuesday marked the initial round of state and local elections during the Trump era, and Democrats demonstrated their eagerness to move on from their 2016 hardships. The party’s candidates, especially the mayors, gained control over city halls, statehouses, and governors’ mansions across the country. With the exception of a special congressional election in Utah, Democrats were victorious in almost every high-profile race.
Although many campaigns appeared to revolve around national politics, including the performance of President Donald Trump, local races for school board and mayor were often fueled by debates concerning school choice and education funding. Teachers unions were not hesitant to contribute significant amounts of money to both the winning and losing candidates. Some education observers are already analyzing the results to predict what might happen in 2018.
"For education reformers, the important thing to consider is: What will happen if there is a surge in Democratic support in the upcoming elections, as is highly likely?" stated Michael Petrilli, the president of the right-leaning Fordham Institute. "Certainly, this will have an impact in Washington, but it will also influence the kind of governors who are elected."
However, before looking towards the future, let’s examine the outcomes of this year’s significant Democratic successes.
The governors
The race that received the most media attention by far was the victory of Democrat Ralph Northam over Republican Ed Gillespie in the Virginia gubernatorial contest. Although the campaign was largely viewed as a referendum on Trump’s aggressive politics, public schools were also a key issue. Teachers unions contributed nearly $500,000 to Northam’s campaign, while Gillespie received over $100,000 in donations from family members of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. On his path to victory, Northam earned praise from critics of education reform, such as Diane Ravitch, for his reservations about expanding charter schools.
Elsewhere, Democratic ambassador and banker Phil Murphy easily defeated Republican Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno to succeed Chris Christie as governor of New Jersey. Although the outcome of the election was not truly in doubt, Murphy now faces challenging questions regarding labor and school funding in one of the most poorly governed states in the country. Despite exorbitant property taxes, public pension funds remain significantly underfunded, and Murphy may find governing to be less enjoyable than campaigning.
"As a practical matter, in order to provide any kind of property tax relief through education, a revision of the funding formula will be necessary," stated a prominent Republican to Politico. "I just don’t think he will be willing to do that."
In addition, Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney, recognized as one of the most powerful Democrats in New Jersey, easily defeated an attempt by the state’s largest teachers union to unseat him. Reportedly, the New Jersey Education Association, displeased with Sweeney’s support for pension reform, donated $5 million to his Republican opponent in an effort to intimidate wayward Democrats. However, their strategy failed, and now the union must be concerned about potential repercussions from a powerful player in Trenton. Education commentator Patrick Riccards alluded to the street warfare portrayed in HBO’s The Wire when he wrote, "NJEA came after the king, but it missed. As a result, the union — and its members — may have to face the consequences."
Finally, two school board candidates who were targeted with racist flyers in Edison, New Jersey, were both successfully elected. These Asian-American candidates received the most votes among the three contested seats in the city.
Inclusion prevails
If Democrats were the clear winners on Tuesday, so were gender inclusiveness and racial diversity. Throughout the country, female, LGBT, and minority candidates triumphed in positions that had previously only been held by white and/or male candidates. Particularly notable were the victories of transgender candidates. Tyler Titus won a school board race in Erie, Pennsylvania, becoming the first openly transgender individual to be elected to office in the state’s history. Democrat Danica Roem achieved the same feat in Virginia, defeating an incumbent Republican assemblyman who had made opposing transgender rights a centerpiece of his campaign. Additionally, Andrea Jenkins, upon winning her race for Minneapolis City Council, became the first openly transgender black woman to hold office in the United States.
The mayors
In other parts of the country, the mayor of Cleveland, Frank Jackson, who has been a strong advocate for improving the quality of charter schools, won his fourth mayoral term. Mayor Marty Walsh of Boston easily defeated his opponent, who criticized him from the left on issues of teacher pay and charter schools. Despite being a former charter school founder himself, Walsh opposed a measure to lift the statewide cap on charter schools. Now, in his second term, Walsh will need to negotiate a new contract with the city’s teachers.
Walsh’s renewed mandate from voters gives him the opportunity to push forward with his plans for high school redesign, universal pre-K, and a universal application system for parents, according to The Boston Globe. While these goals may be challenging, Walsh’s convincing victory margin gives him the political support he needs.
In Colorado, union-backed candidates won seats on the Douglas County school board, which will likely result in the discontinuation of a program that authorized private school vouchers. In Denver, where four seats on the school board were up for election, both reformers and pro-union candidates each won two seats. In Seattle, an attorney supported by the group Democrats for Education Reform was unsuccessful in his campaign for an open seat on the city’s board.
Overall, these elections will have a significant impact on millions of voters across the country and may be a foreshadowing of future races. "This should serve as a warning for education reformers," said Petrilli. "We have 12 months to prepare and convince Democratic candidates running for governor to take a more neutral stance on education reform, and potentially even embrace reforms."
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