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SCOOP: DEPARTURE LOUNGE Quentin Palfrey is planning to end his campaign for attorney general as soon as today, according to three people familiar with his thinking.

Chatter about Palfrey potentially exiting the Democratic primary and endorsing one of his competitors has grown in recent days as new polls showed the former assistant attorney struggling to keep pace with Andrea Campbell and Shannon Liss-Riordan, and with key endorsements breaking for his rivals. He also cut $140,000 of his $231,000 in pre-primary ad buys, according to ad tracker AdImpact. Palfrey did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Palfrey began telegraphing his attorney general campaign over a year ago, when the 2018 Democratic lieutenant governor nominee told the Boston Globe he would run for the states top law enforcement job if Attorney General Maura Healey ran for governor.

He racked up endorsements from Democratic Party activists and progressive groups after formally launching his campaign in February and went on to secure the state partys endorsement at its June convention.

But Palfrey has struggled to grow his campaign beyond party insiders. Hes been outpaced in fundraising by Campbell and trounced by Liss-Riordan, whos now poured at least $4.8 million of her own money into her campaign. And he's trailed in polling while Liss-Riordan is closing the gap with Campbell after blanketing the airwaves since early July.

The path to victory got even narrower this past weekend, when Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and former Boston Acting Mayor Kim Janey endorsed Liss-Riordan. Their late-breaking support effectively recast the primary as a two-woman race between the Brookline labor attorney and Campbell, the former Boston city councilor whos backed by Healey, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Sen. Ed Markey and other prominent politicians.

Palfrey may endorse one of his rivals to blunt the others rise. Most political watchers would assume Palfrey would endorse Liss-Riordan, who he often teamed up with earlier in the campaign to attack Campbell over super PAC spending and certain policy stances. But theres a chance Palfrey, off-put by the millions of dollars Liss-Riordan has given her campaign to fuel her more than $5 million in advertising, could set aside his differences with Campbell and back her instead.

GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Primary day is a week away! What races are you watching? What mailers are you getting? Share your thoughts: [emailprotected].

TODAY Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito attend the Greylock Glen ceremonial groundbreaking at 10 a.m. in Adams, announce Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness grant awards at noon in Williamsburg and visit Valley Venture Mentors at 2 p.m. in Springfield. The GOP governor/LG team of Geoff Diehl and Leah Cole Allen hold a media availability at 1 p.m. at UMass Lowell. LG hopeful and state Rep. Tami Gouveia casts her ballot at 6 p.m. at Acton Town Hall.

Many Dems will breeze through election amid shortage of GOP challengers, by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: Dozens of democratic lawmakers are getting a free pass to another two-year term with the Republican Party fielding few challengers in the upcoming elections. Every seat in the 200-member state Legislature is up for grabs in the fall elections, but the majority of incumbents will cruise to another term with few contenders vying to unseat them. Among 18 House races in the North of Boston region, only two Republicans were nominated to run against incumbent Democratic lawmakers. In three wide-open races to fill House seats the newly created 4th Essex in the Merrimack Valley, and 7th and 8th Essex Districts on the North Shore Democrats dominate the field of candidates. There are no Republicans aiming for the seats.

ENDORSEMENT ALERT: State Rep. Chynah Tyler is endorsing Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden at 1:30 p.m. at the Malcolm X mural in Roxbury.

It sounds like I dont want to vote for either of them: Controversy defines Suffolk DAs race, by Danny McDonald and Tiana Woodard, Boston Globe: With little more than a week to go before primary day, voters find themselves contemplating two Suffolk district attorney candidates buffeted by controversy. Thats left many local residents changing their minds about the race; still others greeted the whole firestorm with indifference. Revelations that Boston City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo, a former public defender, was twice investigated though never charged for possible sexual assault as a teenager have rocked city politics. Meanwhile, District Attorney Kevin Hayden continues to face questions and criticism after a Boston Globe investigation exposed a coverup by Transit Police officers that raised questions about how prosecutors handled the case.

Chaos on Boston City Council: Flynn moves to strip Arroyos leadership assignments; Baker and Lara file dueling records requests, by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: The Boston City Council is tearing itself apart as President Ed Flynn moves to strip embattled councilor Ricardo Arroyos committee leadership assignments a move Arroyo slams as undemocratic and city councilors pursue each other with pointed records requests: Frank Baker against the DA candidate Arroyo and Kendra Lara in turn against Baker.

FROM THE OPINION PAGES: A year after endorsing Andrea Campbell for Boston mayor, the Boston Globe editorial board has endorsed the former city councilor for state attorney general.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: The Boston Teachers Union, which represents about 10,000 educators, and the Greater Boston Labor Council, which represents about 100,000 workers, have endorsed state Sen. Diana DiZoglio for auditor, adding to her broad union support.

Teamsters Local 25 has endorsed Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll for lieutenant governor.

Sen. Ed Markey has endorsed Sydney Levin-Epstein for Hampden, Hampshire and Worcester state senator, saying in a statement that shell fight to make sure the region gets its fair share of resources and to create good jobs.

State Treasurer Deb Goldberg has endorsed Worcester Mayor Joe Petty for First Worcester state senator, saying in a statement that Petty is a consensus builder who will bring that same work ethic to the State House.

State Rep. Russell Holmes has been endorsed for reelection in the 6th Suffolk District by 1199 SEIU, SEIU Local 509, the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and the Massachusetts & Northern New England Laborers' District Council.

A right-wing agitator who attended Jan. 6 riot is running for the Mass. House, testing state GOPs appetite for extremism, by Emma Platoff, Boston Globe: A little-watched legislative contest on the northeast coast of Massachusetts could be a bellwether for the bitterly divided state GOP, as party leaders consider throwing their support behind Samson Racioppi, a right-wing agitator who led a 2019 Straight Pride Parade in Boston and organized buses to Washington, D.C., for the protest that became the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Massachusetts district attorney races and the progressive prosecutor, by Deborah Becker, WBUR: San Francisco residents recalled progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin after he was blamed for a rash of brazen thefts across the city. Pennsylvania Republicans are trying to impeach the liberal DA in Philadelphia. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis removed a progressive prosecutor in his state this month. And Suffolk DA Rachael Rollins faced a bitter confirmation fight before she became U.S. Attorney in Massachusetts early this year. Now the conflict has shifted to Massachusetts, where the battle is playing out very differently from one county to the next.

Coppinger touts reforms as he seeks another term, by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: When former Lynn Police Chief Kevin Coppinger took over as Essex County's sheriff nearly six years ago, he never expected to play the role of a reformer. But a few years after taking over the helm, the veteran law enforcement officer found himself at the center of a national debate over whether to allow medication assisted treatment in jails and correctional facilities to help blunt the impact of a wave of opioid addiction that had claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. In the Sept. 6 primary Coppinger faces a challenge from Virginia Leigh, a Lynn social worker who argues he hasn't done enough to improve access to substance-abuse treatment and mental health services for inmates.

More: Leigh vows close 'revolving door' at Middleton jail, by Christian M. Wade, Salem News: As a clinical social worker, Virginia Leigh has spent years working with individuals struggling with mental health and substance abuse issues whose lives often become tangled up in the state's complex criminal justice system. Her work has taken her into county jails and state prisons and convinced her that the best way to reduce crime and the number of people serving time is to deal with the root causes of incarceration.

Have a mail ballot sitting at home? Do not trust it to the mail at this point, top Mass. elections official says, by Samantha J. Gross, Boston Globe: Have a mail-in ballot sitting on your kitchen table or tacked up on your refrigerator? Massachusetts Secretary of State William F. Galvin advises that you fill it out and take it to a secure drop box, early voting site, or your local city or town hall before 8 p.m. on Sept. 6 if you want it to be counted for the state primary election.

Report finds regionalization may only be partial solution to challenges posed by low enrollment, less rural school aid, by Chris Larabee, Daily Hampshire Gazette: In Franklin and Hampshire counties, regional school districts including Pioneer, Mohawk Trail and Gateway already draw from a wide pool of towns across a large geographic range. If those schools were to join up with their neighbors, school officials and state Rep. Natalie Blais, D-Sunderland, who co-chaired the Special Commission on Rural School Districts, say serious consideration needs to be taken into whether the pros of regionalization outweigh the cons.

Grid operator, utilities call for energy reserve, by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: The operator of the New England power grid and six of the regions major utilities are calling on state and federal policymakers to develop an energy reserve that can be tapped when energy supply chains are disrupted.

Worcester to begin construction on micro-units for chronically homeless, by Sam Turken, GBH News: Amid a rise in homelessness across Worcester, the citys housing authority will start constructing what officials called the first-in-the-state building of micro-units to house people who have been chronically homeless.

New Hampshire governor denounces tweets by state Libertarian party as horribly insulting, by Emily Sweeney, Boston Globe: The Libertarian Party of New Hampshire has drawn outrage for mocking the Holocaust and the death of Senator John McCain on social media, with New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu calling the Twitter posts horribly insulting. In a recent interview on CNN, Sununu said that should pretty much be the end of the Libertarian Party in New Hampshire.'"

WEEKEND WEDDING Megan Corrigan, an Eric Lesser and Lydia Edwards campaign alum, and Kevin Lownds, deputy chief of the Medicaid Fraud Division at the attorney generals office, were married on Friday at the Gardens at Elm Bank in Wellesley. Garrett Casey, policy director and counsel for state Sen. Cynthia Creem, and Nelson Tamayo, a foreign service officer at the State Department, officiated. SPOTTED: Edwards, former state transportation secretary Fred Salvucci, John Sasso, Nick Mitropoulos, Dewey Square COO John Giesser, former U.S. Ambassador to Portugal Gerry McGowan; Will Poff Webster, Matt Shapanka, Elizabeth Keyes, former Rhode Island state Rep. Aaron Regunberg, Tim Flaherty and Mary-Jo Adams.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the Washington Posts Martine Powers, a Boston Globe/POLITICO alum, and Julia Hoffman.

Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause youre promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: [emailprotected].

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Palfrey eyes the exits- POLITICO - POLITICO

The Division of Elections is a busy place these days, with workers burning the midnight oil. Getting answers is not always easy. Here are some housekeeping dates to keep in mind:

On Friday the Division will be at the deadline to receive receive absentee ballots for the primary election mailed from within the U.S., U.S. territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and from overseas.

Sept. 2 is when the regular primary election results will be certified.

Sept. 5 is the deadline for candidates to withdraw from the general election ballot. Tara Sweeney has already withdrawn from the regular congressional race. Most state House and Senate races only have two or three candidates in them; few will drop.

For the special general election conducted Aug. 16 for the congressional vacancy, Aug. 31 is the final count for the first-choice votes on the ranked choice ballot.

Aug. 31 is also when the Division of Elections will run the tabulation on the second choice, meaning that the third-place finisher will be dropped and his supporters, if they made a second choice, will have their votes reassigned to that second choice.

About Chris Bye: Its a great gift for the Libertarians, who managed to get someone into the final four for the general election for Congress with candidate Chris Bye.

In the primary, Bye got 1,087 votes, or 0.61% of the vote on a crowded ballot. But then Tara Sweeney dropped out, and she did so in time for Bye to be able to move up onto the ballot.

Heres his bio from his campaign website:

Chris Bye is an Alaskan, a husband, a father of 4, a combat veteran, an Alaskan fishing guide, a youth soccer coach, former youth shooting coach and an avid outdoorsman. He is not a politician. His family is not connected to politics nor big money. He is not a DC insider. Chris is just a regular Fairbanks guy who firmly believes in Liberty and Freedom for all.

Chris dedicated half his life serving this great nation, as both an enlisted soldier in the U.S. Army and later as a commissioned officer. And retirement did not dull the desire to continue that service. He has also witnessed first-hand the devastating effects of policies made in Washington D.C., so far removed from the realities Alaskans face. It is this first-hand evidence that draws him into serving beyond the Fairbanks and Fort Wainwright community by running for Congress.

He will not pretend to have all of the answers. He will look to all Alaskans, especially those directly affected, to help solve the problems facing us. While we may not always agree, constructive dialogue including diverse perspectives is essential to creating the best Alaska, not just for certain groups but for everyone. We can do better. We owe it to our children to do better. And it starts by electing representatives who work for us, not just a party. Its time Alaska.

About Mary Peltola: She has a shot at winning the temporary congressional seat for Alaska, which we wrote about earlier. Some fun facts from Washington Post reporter Dan Zak: Her first role model in life was musher DeeDee Jonrowe, (who happens to be a Republican), who holds the fastest Iditarod time for a woman and is a three-time runner-up in the race. Peltola grew up dog-mushing.

Peltolas first piece of legislation as an Alaska legislator was a gun ban, which was reaction to a school shooting in Bethel pre-Columbine, in 1997. Peltola doesnt believe citizens need what she calls weapons of war.

Peltola won 45 percent of the latest batch of ballots counted, about 21,000 ballot, which boosted her total vote to 39%. If the rest of the ballots break the same way, shell be close to 40% and may become the overall winner of the special election with the secondary votes of Palin and Begich. Remember, Peltola started with just 7% of the vote in the primary.

Ranked choice polling:

As of July 7, 2022, the major polling and analysts ranked this seat either solid or likely Republican:

Things to do Thursday:

Endorsements: Congressional candidate Nick Begich received the endorsement this week of the Ketchikan District 1 Republicans.

District 34 Republicans (Fairbanks) endorsed Frank Tomaszewski running for State House, Sen. Robb Meyers for re-election to Senate seat Q, and Kelly Tshibaka running for U.S. Senator. They voted in favor of censuring Sen. Click Bishop, a Republican who is running for reelection.

District 9 Republicans (Anchorage Hillside) endorsed Roger Holland for Senate Seat E (new).

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Notes from the trail: 75 days until Nov. 8 election, and who is Chris Bye, Libertarian for Congress? - Must Read Alaska

Just a couple of days after another federal probe made another dent in the record of former U.S. Navy Seal Ryan Zinke, the national prognosticators still had him pegged as the easy victor in Montanas U.S. House of Representatives race.

Political analysts say scandals, which have clouded Zinkes public persona even before Outside Magazine published a photo that showed he rigged a fly rod backwards, might not stick in this day and age.

So one more report concluding Zinke lied might not register with voters.

The GOPs man has won before, of course.

Zinke trounced a Democrat in 2014 with 55.4 percent of the vote, and then again in 2016, with a push on the ballot from then-presidential candidate Donald Trump and an even greater win, 56.2 percent.

This week, federal investigators said he knowingly misled them as former Secretary of the Interior about his interactions with corporate casino lobbyists pushing him to disapprove a rival project.

His opponent in this years election, Monica Tranel, is the natural underdog. The Missoula lawyer has never held national office, shes campaigning as a Democrat in a state that runs red, and shes got an uphill slog.

Friday, the forecast from Sabatos Crystal Ball said GOP victory is likely in Montanas western district. FiveThirtyEight marks Zinke the winner 98 times out of 100.

Asked about the prediction at a recent campaign event, Tranel said the analysts need to take a closer look at the district. She also points to the other side of the coin projecting shell likely lose.

We win two times out of 100, Tranel said.

Twice as many times as she needs.

***

This year, new and different currents are pushing at the race, and political analysts say a hint of unpredictability is tracing through the waters.

The national landscape is politically shifty, with inflation in a peppy climb. Fallout is still unfolding from the Jan. 6 hearings and Roe v. Wade reversal. And in Montana, the western district itself is new.

So the bright red predictions arent necessarily well grounded, said Jeremy Johnson, political scientist with Carroll College in Helena.

Theres just very little polling in the western district where hes running so far, Johnson said. So theres very little for them (national forecasters) to go on right now.

To push out the presumed favorite, Johnson said Democrats will have to fight against national headwinds and break through tribalization and political polarization, an arduous but not impossible task.

I think theres at least potential vulnerabilities, Johnson said. Whether they actually manifest themselves in the election? Obviously, the national prognosticators dont think its that likely.

Inside Elections also counts the new district as likely Republican.

If the Democrats are to win, theyll need to make sure the electorate is aware of the questionable conduct associated with Zinke and make the case that its discrediting, Johnson said.

The recent report is the second this year from the Inspector Generals Office of the Department of the Interior that said the former Secretary knowingly provided investigators inaccurate and incomplete information. A February report found Zinke wasnt truthful about his involvement in a Whitefish development.

Zinkes campaign has called the findings politically motivated, a smear.

These days, though, voters have shorter attention spans, and impropriety that might have sunk a political candidate just a couple of years ago might flutter off the radar.

For Dems to flip the script?

Can you focus on voters who are willing to be persuaded? Johnson said.

***

Montanans sometimes pride themselves on not voting straight tickets.

Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabatos Crystal Ball, noted just six U.S. Senators out of 100 represent states that their party did not support for president.

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester of Montana, a Democrat, is one.

So Montana actually does have a little bit of that tradition of crossing over a bit, Kondik said. But its an exception at this point.

Tester has won in nail biters.

However, in 2018 in counties that now make up the western district, he did so by 10 points against Republican Matt Rosendale. In those counties, Tester earned 53.8 percent of the vote to Rosendales 43.6 percent. A Libertarian took 2.6 percent.

In the 2020 race for the U.S. Senate, Democrat Steve Bullock lost to incumbent Sen. Steve Daines, a Republican, by a margin of 10 points in Montana.

In the western district, that margin shrunk to 1.44 points without a third-party candidate on the ballot.

In other words, had a Libertarian earned just 1.5 percent of the vote going to Daines one point less than the 2.6 percent the third-party candidate took in 2016 Bullock would have won that district.

At a recent campaign event, Tranel pointed out that Zinke came out of the primary with nearly 60 percent of Republican voters selecting another candidate, and she came out of it with 65 percent of the vote from her party and more total votes than any other candidate.

Kondik agreed Zinke had problems in the primary: Hes certainly the bigger named candidate, but he only barely won.

On the other hand, hes a Republican. That counts in Montana, it counts in an increasingly nationalized political scene, and it counts against the Democrat.

Youre working against that polarization, and people with strongly partisan identities who often dont want to hear negative things about their own candidate and who will often dismiss their relevance, Johnson said.

***

In the Zinke campaigns response this week to the report from the Inspector Generals Office, white collar criminal defense lawyer Danny Onorato touted his clients integrity and record of service.

Zinke has described previous investigations into ethical misconduct as harassment. His lawyer also points to his resume.

Zinke counts 23 years of military service. He served as a state senator for two terms, as a congressman elected in 2014 and 2016, and as U.S. Secretary of the Interior from March 2017 to January 2019.

Christina Barsky, political analyst with the University of Montana, said the military service on Zinkes resume resonates with Montanans because they are civically engaged and count a higher rate of public service compared to people in many other states.

Also a factor, and in any race, is the short attention span of the American public. Its an age where everyone is watching at all times, and Barsky said anyone in the public eye is vulnerable, although not always for long.

Its impossible in this day and age, ultimately, for politicians to come out unscathed, even the people that are acting in good faith and are fulfilling their ethical obligations, said Barsky, faculty with the Department of Public Administration and Policy at UM.

On the other hand, Montanans dont like to be embarrassed.

And Zinkes actions have raised questions about his Montana identity, Barsky said. She pointed to the times he wore a cowboy hat the wrong way and rigged a fly rod backwards, or the persistent question of his residency.

Zinkes wife lists a property in California as her primary residence, according to Politico, and Zinke, who claims Whitefish as home, has listed the Santa Barbara address in a consultant agreement filed with the SEC.

***

Barsky too points to Tester as an example of politics in the Treasure State.

For a long time, she said Montana has seen itself as a state where a person who was a high school band teacher can go to Congress, and in 2006, Tester, a farmer and music teacher, won his first U.S. Senate race against incumbent and Republican Sen. Conrad Burns.

A third-party candidate was on the ballot, but Tester didnt even get 50 percent of the vote.

Now, Barsky said money in politics is creating another level of elites, and the story Montanans have been telling themselves might be skirting closer to mythology.

It seems like were moving more into the nationalized politics that were seeing in other states, Barsky said. Montana had been a long-time holdout, and Im not sure its true anymore.

Word of the new report that said Zinke wasnt truthful might get swept aside with other national news about student loan forgiveness and, more locally, fires, Barsky said. And the election isnt until November.

Political analyst Lee Banville, also a UM faculty member, said the IGs report wont change the way most people vote, but he said it may affect one important element in a campaign enthusiasm for the candidate.

They may be inclined to vote his way, but are they fired up enough to go out and cast a ballot? Banville said.

He doesnt see signs of a lot of motivation: If theres one weak spot to Ryan Zinke, there seems to be some enthusiasm problems.

He said the close primary doesnt indicate Zinke is in danger of losing, but it is evidence that Republicans arent excited to rally around him as a candidate.

The race is tilted toward him pretty strongly, but there are weaknesses that are kind of persistent, Banville said. Hes kind of coasting right now, and that could be dangerous.

***

The Tranel campaign hasnt earned high marks from the organizations crunching numbers at the national level, and Republicans have celebrated the predictions Zinke eats his opponents lunch.

Monica Tranel has even fewer original ideas than chances of winning in November, posted the Montana Republican Party on Facebook earlier this summer in reaction to FiveThirtyEight. Montanans are fired up to elect Ryan Zinke!

Zinke has raised more money, nearly $3.8 million, according to the most recent information filed with the Federal Election Commission. Tranel has raised $1.3 million, but this month, she was on the third set of tires on her minivan in a state where facetime matters.

This month, Silas Teasdale started his first day of work as a field organizer in Missoula for the Tranel campaign. It was First Friday, when downtown art galleries stay open a little later and crowds are out and about, and after his shift, Teasdale went to a taco truck.

He struck up a conversation with three other diners at the next table, he said, three men who were clearly friends despite differing political views.

One of them told Teasdale he had voted for Trump, but he wasnt sure he liked Zinke, and he wanted to hear about Tranel.

Certainly, a voter who crosses party lines on a ballot isnt a surprise in the Treasure State. Nonetheless, with the campaign in full swing and a Trump voter curious about his underdog candidate, Teasdale took note.

Thats a positive shot to the system, Teasdale said.

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Zinke still pegged as winner, but analysts see 'vulnerabilities' Daily Montanan - Daily Montanan

The first major victory of the modern school choice movement came from a bipartisan effort, when Minnesota Democratic state Rep. Annette Polly Williams introduced legislation in 1990 to create the Milwaukee Parental Choice voucher program. Her bill was eventually signed into law by Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson and found support among civil rights leaders, as well as conservative and libertarian groups.

Unfortunately, three decades later, legislative support for school choice is much less bipartisaneven though its more popular among voters today than its ever been.

A recent Morning Consult poll found that 71% of Americans and 77% of parents of school-aged children support K-12 education savings accounts that allow families to use state education funding to customize their childs education.

Many state leaders have been listening to these voters. Last year, 19 states enacted 32 new or expanded education choice policies, and this year, Arizona expanded its ESA policy to all students. Notably, all of these policies were implemented by Republicans.

>>>Who Will Raise Children? Their Parents or the Bureaucratic Experts?

One might expect the popular support for school choice to have spurred increased political support among both parties, especially since 70% of Republican voters and 76% of Democratic voters express support for ESAs. Yet, with some notable exceptions, elected Democrats overwhelmingly oppose school choice.

Meanwhile, the GOP has firmly embraced the concept to bolster its claim to be the parents party. A recent analysis found that, in the 70 votes taken from 1990 to 2021 on stand-alone school choice legislation, 85% of state House Republicans and 88% of state Senate Republicans voted in favor of the bills. Only 17% of state House Democrats and 24% of state Senate Democrats supported the measures. On 28 occasions, the legislation passed a chamber without a single Democratic vote.

This shouldnt come as a surprise. Although most rank-and-file Democratic voters, especially minorities, support school choice, the teachers unions have outsize sway in Democratic Party politics due to their formidable fundraising and grassroots capabilities. Those who cross the unions by supporting school choice risk facing a well-funded primary opponent.

Thats not to say the GOP has been uniformly supportive. Numerous red states, including Idaho, North Dakota, and Texas, lack any private school choice policies; several others have only small programs. In the last two years, promising ESA bills were defeated in Georgia, Idaho, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, and several other red states.

In these red states, where Democrats rarely control the state legislatures, the teachers unions and other anti-school choice groups spend considerable resources to elect anti-school choice Republicans. Thus far, theyve stalled the advance of school choice in several states.

But that appears to be changing. In the Tennessee GOP primaries earlier this month, a Tennessee teachers union threw its support behind 10 Republican candidates. Nine of them lost. In Arizona, all three GOP legislators who had voted against expanding the states ESAs earlier this year lost their primaries. In Iowa , after her signature ESA bill passed the state Senate but failed in the House, Gov. Kim Reynolds backed nine pro-school choice candidates in GOP primaries, including several challengers to anti-school choice incumbents. Eight of the nine won.

Likewise, in GOP primaries in Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, and Texas, school choice has emerged as a litmus test issue. In the next legislative session, Republican caucuses are poised to be even more supportive of school choice than before.

>>>Now or Never: We Must Seize the School Choice Moment

At the same time, Democrats long-standing political advantage on education is rapidly eroding. Just five years ago, a Gallup survey found that Democrats enjoyed a 19-point advantage. But a recent poll commissioned by the American Federation of Teachers found that voters in seven key battleground states were slightly more likely to say they had greater confidence in Republicans (38%) than Democrats (37%) on education issues. As the GOP burnishes its pro-parent credentials, voters are undergoing a tectonic transformation as to which party they trust on education.

The AFTs own poll provides proof that its preferred policies are political poison. As school choice advocate Corey DeAngelis observed in the Wall Street Journal, respondents were 5 percentage points more likely to blame Democrats than Republicans for politicizing education (and making education too much a part of the culture war); were more dissatisfied than satisfied with the amount of say that parents have in what their children are taught; and expressed significantly more confidence in parent organizations (56%) than teachers unions (44%).

It is a time for choosing. Republicans are choosing to be the parents party, while Democrats are still embracing the unions that have lost the confidence of parents as they become increasingly radical and disconnected from parental concerns.

As voter preferences shift, so can political alliances. If voters reward parent empowerment and punish politicized classrooms, Democrats may find it in their long-term political interest to court parents as well. If so, we could see a new era of bipartisan support for parental choice in education.

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School Choice Reform Ought To Be a Bipartisan Effort - Heritage.org

Editors Note: Click the link below for results from the Aug. 23 primary runoff election.

The runoff election on Tuesday, Aug. 23 will narrow the candidate pool for several federal and state offices such as, superintendent, treasurer, U.S. Senate and U.S. House races.

The latest data from the Oklahoma State Election Board shows that as of the end of July, there was a gain of nearly 30,000 registered voters since the end of April, for a total of 2,267,047. Of that total, Republicans accounted for nearly 51% of voters registered, while Democrats made up nearly 31%, Independents made up 17% and Libertarians made up nearly 1%.

Below, we highlight some of the races.

The Race to Replace Inhofe

Congressman Markwayne Mullin racked up a large portion of the early and absentee vote in the Republican primary in June, but did not clear the 50-percent mark. He is facing former state House speaker T.W. Shannon in this runoff.

The two candidates outlasted a field of 13 in the primary, as they hope to fill the remainder of longtime Senator Jim Inhofe's term. Inhofe, who has been in office since 1994, announced in February he was retiring from Congress.

Both candidates are enrolled citizens of tribal nations Mullin is Cherokee and Shannon is Chickasaw. If either is elected in November, they will become the only current Indigenous U.S. Senator, and just the fifth in the history of the Senate.

The eventual Republican nominee will face former Democratic Congresswoman Kendra Horn, Libertarian candidate Robert Murphy and Independent candidate Ray Woods in the November general election.

The Other Senate Race

In Oklahomas other Senate race, incumbent Senator James Lankford won his primary race in June.

Still needing to be decided is the Democratic challenger between Stilwell-native cybersecurity professional Madison Horn and Oklahoma City lawyer Jason Bollinger. The winner of that runoff will appear on the ballot against Lankford, Libertarian Kenneth Blevins and Independent Michael Delaney in the November general election.

Congressional District 2

State representative Avery Frix and former state senator Josh Brecheen are facing each other in the Republican runoff race for Congressional District 2.

The seat, which is currently held by Senate candidate Markwayne Mullin, represents much of the eastern part of Oklahoma, with more than 791,000 residents according to the U.S. Census. The congressional district also covers a good portion of Native land.

Frix and Brecheen were the top two vote getters out of a field of 14 Republican candidates in the primary, which included the former chairman of the Oklahoma GOP, law enforcement officers and other current and former state lawmakers.

A News On 6 / News 9 poll shows a tight race between the two, with Frix holding a six-point lead and a large portion of Republicans polled still self-identifying as undecided.

The winner advances to the November general election to face Democrat Naomi Andrews and Independent Ben Robinson.

Superintendent of Public Instruction

State Secretary of Education Ryan Walters will face Shawnee Public Schools Superintendent April Grace in the Republican runoff for State Superintendent of Public Instruction. The winner squares off against Democrat Jena Nelson in November.

In the June primary, Walters won among four GOP candidates with 41 percent of the vote to second place finisher Graces 30 percent.

Walters is a Stitt cabinet appointee, but hes also the executive director of Every Kid Counts Oklahoma, a nonprofit that pays him at least $120,000 a year, according to a recent investigation from The Frontier and Oklahoma Watch. Much of the nonprofits funds come from school privatization efforts.

The Frontier also found Walters failed to report campaign expenditures in his bid for State Superintendent a violation of state ethics laws.

Grace is a longtime Oklahoma educator. According to her campaign website, her vision for education opposes the teaching of what she calls critical race theory. She also wants less regulation on federal education dollars coming to Oklahoma and touts how many in-person days Shawnee Public Schools had during the height of the pandemic.

An Amber Integrated poll released earlier this month shows Walters holds a 14-point lead among likely Republican voters.

State Treasurer

Term-limited state representative Todd Russ will face former State Tax Commission Chairman Clark Jolley in the Republican runoff.

Russ is currently serving his sixth term in the state House, representing Cordell in southwest Oklahoma. He said his 35 years of banking experience have prepared him to take on the position. If elected, he said he plans to look into the states Unclaimed Property Program, according to NonDoc.

Jolley served 12 years as a state senator and as the States Secretary of Finance. If elected, he plans to advance the Treasurer offices use of technology.

In recent news, Russ has been defending his banking record when he managed a small bank in western Oklahoma. Russ told The Oklahoman he wasnt responsible for what was called unsafe and unsound banking practices by the Federal Deposit Insurance corporation in 2009.

At a debate between the candidates hosted by News 9 and NonDoc, the candidates took digs at one another Russ accused Jolley of raising taxes on fossil fuels, and with prompt from moderators, they talked about remarks made by Russ in 2016 where he said Native Americans are predisposed to alcoholism. Russ apologized for the comment soon after.

The winning candidate will face Democrat Charles De Coune and Libertarian Gregory Sadler in November.

Current State Treasurer Randy McDaniel announced in 2021 that he would not be seeking reelection in order to prioritize his family. The candidate who takes over his seat will oversee about $22 billion of state money each year.

Labor Commissioner

During primary elections in June, Republicans narrowed their candidate field for a new Labor Commissioner, a position that oversees workplace rights and safety issues within Oklahoma.

Incumbent Leslie Osborn will try to defend her seat in the runoff against term-limited representative Sean Roberts. In the June primary, Osborn secured a vote of 48% to Roberts 38%.

Osborn is wrapping up her first term as labor commissioner and previously served a decade in the state legislature as a representative. In an interview with NonDoc, Osborn said she was proud to have helped develop the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Consultation Service Program.

Roberts is currently serving his sixth term in the state House. He sponsored a bill this legislative session that would have required Oklahoma voters to re-register to vote.

Earlier this month, five Republican lawmakers also cited decades-old court documents that detail alleged domestic abuse in Roberts previous marriage and called for him to drop out of the race. Roberts called the abuse allegations a political hit job by Osborn. A press release from Roberts campaign managers says his ex-wife has nothing bad to say about him.

The winner will face Democrat Jack Henderson and Libertarian Will Daugherty in November.

Oklahoma County District Attorney

Oklahoma County voters selected Vicki Behenna as the Democratic candidate for District Attorney in June. On the Republican side, Oklahoma County Commissioner and former state lawmaker Kevin Calvey fell just barely short of the 50 percent, and is headed to a runoff against Assistant District Attorney Gayland Gieger.

In recent news, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is looking into Calveys campaign related to investigate campaign-related expenditures from his campaign.

Calvey accused Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater of having him investigated as part of a political agenda, according to The Oklahoman. Prater said the information referred to other agencies and entities is being looked at in an independent manner.

Oklahoma Corporation Commission

Senator Kim David and former Rep. Todd Thomsen face off in the runoff to fill a seat on the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. The seat is currently held by Dana Murphy, who is term-limited and cannot run for a third six-year term.

The OCC is the regulatory agency for the state, particularly for oil and gas, public utilities and transportation.

David, who received 45 percent of the vote in June, is at the end of a 12-year run as a state Senator out of Porter in eastern Oklahoma. Thomsen served in the state House from 2006 to 2018, including a stint as the chair of the Utilities Committee and on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. He received nearly 27 percent of the vote in June.

Oklahoma County Commissioner

Oklahoma County Commissioner of District 1 incumbent Carrie Blumert faces a runoff election against former state lawmaker Anastasia Pittman in the Democratic race. Pittman received nearly 600 votes more than Blumert in the June election, but did not secure 50 percent of the vote required to win. The winner will face Republican Willard Linzy in November.

Myles Davidson and Amy Alexander will face off in the Republican race for Oklahoma County Commissioner of District 3. The winner will face Democrat Cathy Cummings, a former city council member of The Village, in November.

Tulsa City Council

All nine seats on the Tulsa City Council are up for a vote on Tuesday. The Tulsa World recently asked the same set of questions of all candidates. You can find their answers, broken down by each race, here.

Propositions

Newcastle Public Schools - Voters in Newcastle will decide on two propositions, totaling $79.7 million. The school bonds would fund updated school security, new storm shelters and additional classrooms to alleviate overcrowding and prepare for future growth. New school buses, textbooks and playground equipment are also included in the bonds. This bond would replace an expiring bond, so there is no projected tax increase for residents.

Bridge Creek Public Schools - Voters in Bridge Creek will cast ballots on a school bond proposition to the tune of $10.8 million. The bond will fund new classrooms at each school site and a science lab at the high school. There is no proposed tax increase for residents.

The City of Bethany - Voters in Bethany will decide on four bond propositions, totaling $15 million. The GO Bond would fund improvements to roadways, five city parks and stormwater drainage. There would also be maintenance and upgrades done at the citys police station, fire station and animal welfare facility. Passage of all four bonds would increase property taxes by $3.83 per month for homes valued at $100,000.

Garfield County - Garfield County residents will vote on a sales tax increase to expand and renovate the countys jail. The nearly $8.5 million bond would help with overcrowding by adding 82 beds and 16,000 square feet, in addition to renovations to the current building. The county sales tax would increase by 0.3 percent to 9.65 percent, which would still keep it in the lower third of county sales taxes in the state.

City Charter amendments for Tulsa and Norman - Tulsa voters will see three propositions on their ballot and Norman voters will see nine propositions. These are amendments to their city charters, regarding powers, functions and procedures of its government. More information can be found here: Tulsa | Norman.

There are many more races and issues being decided by voters on Tuesday. You can view a full list here.

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Who and what's on the ballot for the August 23rd runoff election in Oklahoma - KOSU