Tennessee Democrats quick to support Kamala Harris' presidential bid. A popular VP pick has history with school vouchers.
Democratic Party leaders across the state were quick to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for President after President Joe Biden announced his exit from the 2024 presidential race on Sunday.
The Tennessee Democratic Party was the first in the country to announce its full delegate support for Harris in the 2024 Democratic National Convention and multiple party leaders, including Senate minority leader Raumesh Akbari, R-Memphis, posted enthusiastic messages on social media.
“Vice President Harris has proven herself time and again as a leader who embodies the values and aspirations of the American people. It is imperative that we come together and recognize the critical stakes of this election. Our freedom and democracy depend on our unity and resolve,” wrote Akbari on X. “Let us rally together and remember the urgency of this moment. Together, we will move forward with determination and hope.”
Harris' ascension has led to nationwide speculation about who she might choose as a running mate if the Democratic Party does ultimately rally around her at the convention. One leading contender is Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and he has a history with an issue Tennessee Democrats have spent the last year opposing.
Democratic lawmakers were united in opposition to Gov. Bill Lee’s Education Freedom Scholarship Act, which would have expanded the concept of the Education Savings Account (ESA) program statewide to allow families to use taxpayer dollars to send their children to private school. The plan, sometimes referred to as vouchers, received no votes from a single Democrat as it failed to reach either the House or Senate floor. Debate over vouchers continues to be a hot button topic during this election cycle with Democratic candidates largely speaking against it.
By contrast, Governor Shapiro has pushed for private school voucher programs in Pennsylvania similar to the ones opposed by Tennessee Democrats. The Pennsylvania Award for Student Success (PASS) program would’ve allowed most students in the Pennsylvania's lowest-performing school districts to apply for up to $15,000 in scholarships for private schools. The $100 million plan failed following opposition from Democrats during last year’s budget debates, when Shapiro cut a deal to veto the voucher provision.
Shapiro said the PASS proposal remains “unfinished business” according to media reports.
“The people of Pennsylvania have entrusted me with the responsibility to bring people together in a divided legislature and to get things done for them – and with this commonsense budget, that’s exactly what we’ve done,” said Shapiro in a statement announcing the signing. “This budget is a first step towards a comprehensive solution that makes progress for our children over the long term, and I look forward to continuing this work with both chambers as we discuss additional programs to help our children including PASS."
A recent report from Chalkbeat indicates Shapiro continues to support a voucher plan for his state.
Following the Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee's passage of legislation reviving PASS in May, Chalkbeat quoted Governor Shapiro's spokesperson as acknowledging the governor's continued support of some form of voucher funding for students in underperforming school districts to spend towards "extra tutoring, books and computers, or going to another school."
The PASS legislation ultimately did not make it into the final Pennsylvania budget lawmakers approved this year.
