Go deeper: Teachers running for office to unseat funding opponents
Teachers striking at the Oklahoma State Capitol. Photo: J Pat Carter/Getty Images
After a half dozen teacher protests throughout the spring, teachers are taking their actions in their fight for equal pay from the street to the ballot box.
The big picture: Teachers in both Kentucky and Oklahoma — who participated in walkouts and strikes to advocate for higher teacher pay and better quality classrooms for their students during the winter and spring — have already unseated traditional candidates in battles for seats in the state legislature.
By the numbers:
- 40 former educators ran for office in Kentucky primaries with a dozen of them moving on.
- More than 100 educators in Oklahoma ran for office in the state's primaries.
- Nearly four dozen of them won or advanced to runoffs.
Notable winners:
- Travis Brenda unseated House Majority Floor Leader Jonathan Shell for the 71st house district seat in May despite him having Mitch McConnell's backing.
- Jacobi Crowley was a football coach and an assistant counselor before winning the democratic primary for Oklahoma's 32nd senate district.
- Carri Hicks, a fourth grade teacher, eked out a two point victory over incumbent Danielle Ezell in Oklahoma's 40th Senate District Democratic primary.
Why it matters: These victories by educators are evidence to incumbent politicians in other states that their protests have worked and people are in favor of raising teacher pay across the country.
What to watch: Arizona's primary election is on August 28. Teachers will look to make a similar impact.