Arizona Republicans want to seize the state’s school superintendent office this fall — and they’ve put race, sexuality and parents’ academic anxiety at the center of their campaigns
“It can be disheartening for me to see the divisive language that really puts a wedge between our schools and families,” Superintendent Kathy Hoffman. | Pool photo by Matt York.
They have courted endorsements from far-right figures including former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Rep.. And each of the aspiring school chiefs have portrayed classrooms as being overrun with hypersexualized lessons and critical race theory that harm children still regrouping after months of mask mandates and school closures.
Hoffman, a speech pathologist who first took office as a political novice in a surprise 2018 victory, believes she can win with a message that appeals to independent voters — who made up roughly one-third of the Arizona electorate last year — and moderate Republicans willing to cross party lines. She’s trying to build the kind of message being urged by national liberal education groups scrambling to help Democrats gain ground on education policy.
While the Republicans hoping to challenge Hoffman in November have groused about classroom lessons, conservatives control Arizona education policy. Ducey and the state’s GOP-controlled legislature have enacted a rush of education laws during the pandemic despite Hoffman’s opposition, including a universal school voucher program, and bans on sports participation and gender-affirming surgical procedures for LGBTQ youth.
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