Texas Scorecard by Daniel Greer | March 6, 2024
Texas Teachers’ unions face a bleak future.The 2024 primary election was a major success for school choice advocates in Texas. Several opponents of education reform lost outright, others went to runoffs, and still more were electorally weakened.
Corey DeAngelis, a school choice advocate and head of the American Federation for Children Victory Fund, released a statement touting six wins and four forced runoffs in the 13 races where his PAC was engaged.
Throughout multiple called special sessions in 2023, the Republican-led House alternatively delayed and killed Gov. Greg Abbott’s efforts to create school choice in Texas. Ultimately, these efforts culminated with 21 Republicans voting for an amendment by John Raney (R-College Station) to strip school choice from an omnibus education measure.
Accounting for retirements and with the runoffs still to be decided, only a handful of incumbent Republicans who sided with the teachers’ unions to kill school choice during the legislative session will be returning to Austin in 2025.
DefeatsHalf of the losses handed out last night to anti-school choice incumbents were repeat challenges of incumbents challenged in 2022.
Reggie Smith (R-Van Alystne) lost a rematch to Shelley Luther, who gained notoriety in 2020 when she was briefly jailed after re-opening her Dallas hair salon during the 2020 pandemic. Though Smith voted against school choice, Abbott did not engage the race. For her part, Luther has said she looks forward to working with the governor to pass school choice this next session.
Attorney Travis Clardy (R-Nacogdoches) lost to Joanne Shofner. In this race, Clardy enjoyed the support of Ken Paxton for his vote against the latter’s impeachment, while Shofner had Abbott’s endorsement.
More:
https://texasscorecard.com/state/school-choice-wins-big-on-super-tuesday/
