Dennis Beavers served as the Alabama state director of President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and helped implement the first Trump administration’s farm policies following an appointment to the USDA.¶
He’s now challenging State Senator Adam Lowe, R-Calhoun, in the GOP Senate District 1 race, and the Trump connection is something Beavers has touted.¶
“I’m the Trump guy in this race that’s coming up,” said Beavers on a recent episode of the video podcast The Discussion.¶
Opposition to Key Trump Policy
Despite his claims of supporting the president, Beavers expressed open opposition to one of Trump’s key education policies on the same podcast.¶
Allowing families to use taxpayer dollars for private school expenses was part of the 2024 GOP platform that Trump ran on, and he has since passed legislation to advance that goal.¶
Last year, Tennessee Republicans passed the Education Freedom Scholarship program, sometimes called vouchers, to allow 20,000 families to access state dollars for private school costs.¶
Lawmakers expanded the program to 35,000 scholarships this year, but Beavers made it clear on The Discussion podcast that he’s not a supporter.¶
Aligning with Union Opposition
Beavers questioned the program's cost and repeated several arguments that teacher unions have made against it, saying it lacks accountability and largely benefits families whose children are already in private school.¶
“Some of these that have started getting the voucher or the scholarship have always been going to a private school, so all we’ve done is just help families out with the tuition,” Beavers said. “And we don’t know what standard they have. They’re not SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools) accredited. There’s not a standard there.”¶
Lowe Backs Trump’s Policy
Senator Lowe’s campaign website also touts his support for the “Trump agenda” in Tennessee, but unlike Beavers, he has supported the Education Freedom Scholarship program.¶
Lowe voted for the program last year and the expansion this year, including making the case for additional scholarships in the Senate Education Committee.¶
“As parents have increasingly applied for this program, 50,000-plus applications, the desire is there,” said Lowe in a March committee meeting. “Parents are seeking fit, educational fit to where their students can feel belonging, can feel capable, can feel successful, aspiring...I’ll tell you, to the parent who has a child right now trying to find educational fit, educational diversity is the answer.”¶
Third Challenger also Opposes Education Freedom Scholarships
Lowe and Beavers will also face realtor Teresa Congioloso in the August GOP primary. She doesn’t list a position on the Education Freedom Scholarship program on her campaign website, but the Chattanooga Times Free Press has published a quote from her opposing it.¶
No Democrat qualified to run for Senate District 1.¶
