Tennessee election leaves uncertain path for school voucher expansion
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
There were mixed signals for school voucher supporters during last week's election.
Why it matters: The primaries set the parameters for the next legislative session, when Gov. Bill Lee and his allies want to revive a universal voucher proposal. The governor endorsed in multiple Republican primary races, hoping to grow support for the measure.
- But results were uneven, and they came along with a jab from former President Trump.
Flashback: Lee's push for statewide vouchers, which allow families to pay private school tuition with taxpayer dollars, imploded earlier this year after the House and Senate couldn't agree on an approach.
State of play: Pro-voucher groups poured money into statehouse primaries, hoping to change that dynamic. Two of the three pro-voucher House candidates Lee endorsed won their primaries.
- Pro-voucher candidates beat incumbent Sen. Frank Niceley (R-Strawberry Plains) as well as Rep. Bryan Richey (R-Maryville), who ran for an open Senate seat.
Yes, but: The Trump-backed anti-voucher candidate Bobby Harshbarger, whose mother is in Congress, toppled state Senate education chair Jon Lundberg (R-Bristol), the powerful senator who sponsored Lee's voucher legislation.
- In a social media post, Trump celebrated Harshbarger's victory "against a strong, long-term incumbent supported by RINO Governor Bill Lee," referring to Lee as a Republican in name only.
Between the lines: As the Tennessean noted, the margins for many pro-voucher candidates were far from decisive.
- But Lee and advocacy groups touted the victories.
What they're saying: "As Gov. Lee has said before, President Trump certainly has a right to weigh in on races," Lee spokesperson Elizabeth Johnson said in a statement.
- "The Governor is proud that candidates who believe in school choice won primaries across the state."
- "Together, we will empower Tennessee parents to choose the best education for their child, and that's what he is focused on."