Education issues are considered hot-button issues that Republican presidential candidates believe will resonate with base voters, according to a Daily Caller report.
The report noted that several expected challengers for the GOP nomination include Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and former governors Nikki Haley and Chris Sununu. State-level executives can point to proven track records on education under their administration. That may be a pivotal platform issue during the next election because childhood education has become a political flashpoint that has led to culture wars in some elections.
Parental rights in education is believed to be the key ingredient that propelled Glen Youngkin to flip Virginia red by winning the 2021 race for governor. His Democratic opponent probably lost the election when he said during a campaign rally that parents have no say in their children’s education.
“To win the GOP primary, this is a smart strategy,” University of Oklahoma professor Dr. Keith Gaddie acknowledged that a candidate’s record of enacting education policy would “no doubt” be a valuable asset to their campaigns, according to the report.
DeSantis expanded Florida’s school choice program in 2021 and signed the Parental Rights in Education Act the following March. The 2022 legislation that critics dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill forbade educators of K-3rd grade students from instructing about sexuality or gender identity issues.
The Florida Republican recently forced the College Board to revise its Advanced Placement course in African-American Studies after DeSantis objected to inclusion of Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ issues.
DeSantis would be a formidable challenger for Trump, who is the only nationally-recognized Republican to declare his candidacy. So far, Florida’s governor has not said he is interested in challenging Trump for the GOP presidential nomination.
Haley and Sununu, on the other hand, have already broadly hinted they plan to enter the 2024 contest and give Trump a run for his money.
“Education is going to be a big issue in the Republican primaries mostly because it has (finally) dawned on folks on the right that the interests of State schools might not always align with the interests of the parents. That has probably been true for 100 years; not sure why it has taken so long for folks to figure that out,” Michael McKenna, president of MWR Strategies, told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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