Tennessee held its primary elections last Thursday, giving voters the opportunity to select their party's nominees. Though the outcomes of several races may have been surprising to some, these were no accident – demand for innovative, high-quality public education was a defining issue, and voters sent a clear message.¶
Tennesseans Turned Out for Clear, Supportive Positions on Public School Choice
By every measure, public school choice is extremely popular with voters. Families want expansive and accessible options for their kids and do not want the prospect of getting into the best school to feel like winning the lottery.¶
In eight races, including the gubernatorial contest, public school-choice messaging took center stage for campaigns, with every candidate indicating strong support for the measure ultimately prevailing. Senator Marsha Blackburn, for example, frequently expressed her support for public charter schools as being the “labs of innovation.”¶
By contrast, candidates opposing public school choice or attempting to evade taking a position on the issue underperformed, often by a wide margin.¶
Student-Centered Education Policy Wins
Maintaining a high-quality public education system is among the state’s greatest financial and legal obligations – a requirement baked into our state Constitution. As with any public institution, Tennesseans expect an education system that is accountable, transparent, and always places the interests of students first.¶
Voters brought these expectations with them to the ballot box, rejecting candidates who touted a bureaucratic approach to education that conceals student outcomes from families and avoids accountability for missing the mark.¶
People vote with their feet, and they are leaving states that have allowed public education standards to slip. As more families and businesses continue to make Tennessee home, supporting a high-quality, transparent, and accountable public education system will become all the more central to future electoral cycles.¶
Voters Overwhelmingly Rejected Union Messaging and Ideologically Vague Groups
With ten open seats due to legislator retirements, teachers’ unions and other outside spending groups tried to capitalize on the opportunity to help elect candidates with weak or hostile positions on student-centered policies.¶
These groups spent substantially on direct mail and other engagement efforts attempting to convince voters that their preferred candidates were the best option to support public schools.¶
The arguments proved unpersuasive. Tennesseans delivered a clear mandate in declining to nominate nearly all union-backed Republican candidates vying for open legislative seats.¶
Tennessee’s First Modern Election
Tennessee is growing quickly, and voter preferences are now showing it.¶
This may have been the first electoral contest that truly reflected a desire for the state to become a national driver for innovation and economic development. We can get there by building on the last decade of historic progress and becoming the top state for education.¶
We are excited to work with leaders who not only share this vision but also hold a true commitment to policies that give every student a chance at success.¶
The Tennessee Firefly is a project of and funded by Tennesseans for Student Success.¶
