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Rey Martinez, a candidate for Georgia's House of Representatives, kicks off the opening of the Republican National Committee's new Hispanic Community Center in Suwanee, Ga., on June 29. Ben Gray/AP hide caption

Rey Martinez, a candidate for Georgia's House of Representatives, kicks off the opening of the Republican National Committee's new Hispanic Community Center in Suwanee, Ga., on June 29.

In the heart of Atlanta's rapidly diversifying suburbs, Democrats have become a dominant force in local politics. But earlier this summer, Republicans gathered to stake their own claim in the community.

Dozens of people packed a strip mall in Gwinnett County to celebrate the grand opening of the Republican National Committee's Hispanic Community Center, including Rey Martinez, who was the first Latino mayor in the state of Georgia when he took office in nearby Loganville in 2018.

"I'm a candidate for Georgia House District 111," he told the crowd. "Now I'm back on the campaign trail again, and I know firsthand the benefit of grassroots efforts like what we are kicking off here with the grand opening of the RNC Hispanic Community Center."

Though the GOP is largely supported by white voters, the party has recently made inroads with voters of color. In the 2020 presidential race, former President Donald Trump made gains with Black and Latino voters in part through community outreach centers opened in key areas across the country.

Ahead of this year's midterm elections, Republicans have invested millions of dollars into expanding these centers into other minority communities in states like Georgia, Pennsylvania and Texas.

There are more than three dozen centers now open that reflect the diversity of the communities around them, from heavily Jewish Boca Raton, Fla., to a Native American community in North Carolina to a majority-Black neighborhood in northwest Philadelphia a city where Trump improved on his margins from 2016 to 2020.

RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel told the crowd at Georgia's newest outreach center that her party was committed to putting in the work and walking the walk when it comes to reaching voters of color.

"This is not us saying, 'We expect your vote, you owe us your vote,' " she said. "This is us saying, 'We want to earn your vote. We want to learn how we can better represent your community, how we can be here long-term.' "

Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel gives remarks to a packed room at the opening of the RNC's new Hispanic Community Center in Suwanee, Ga., on June 29. Ben Gray/AP hide caption

Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel gives remarks to a packed room at the opening of the RNC's new Hispanic Community Center in Suwanee, Ga., on June 29.

The RNC Hispanic center is one of three in Georgia, joining an Asian Pacific American outreach location in another pocket of Gwinnett County and a Black American outreach center just south of Atlanta.

Paris Dennard, a former national spokesperson for the RNC, says these outreach spaces are not a new development, but rather continued investments that reflect the party's commitment in meeting voters where they are.

"What we understand is that all politics is local, but also politics is about relationships," Dennard said. "Politics is about establishing a connection with the voters. The more the voters are connected to you be it a political party or a campaign or a candidate the more likely they are to support you, to vote for you, and also to advocate for you among their friends and family members."

In the 2020 presidential cycle, Trump launched his "Black Voices" coalition in Atlanta and delivered a major policy speech for Black voters in suburban Cobb County weeks before the election. The campaign opened numerous Black Voices for Trump and Latino Voices for Trump centers across the country.

And now, the RNC has been expanding the reach of those centers and other minority outreach initiatives like helping prepare immigrants for their naturalization tests to prepare for the midterms and beyond.

Dennard also said another important aspect of the community centers is that they are staffed by locals who know the community and not out-of-state operatives coming in at the last minute.

"It's because we understand that this is a two-way street, meaning the RNC is listening and learning from the community about what their specific needs are, what their concerns are and how we can better address them as our candidates," he said.

Someone who understands the importance of open communication is John King, Georgia's Republican insurance commissioner and the first Latino statewide officer in the state's history.

"It's incredibly important because we know not only are we creating a bridge for the Latino voice to be heard at the highest levels of our state, but also for established communities," he said.

King says conservative policies are resonating with more nonwhite voters, especially Latinos and especially with the current state of the national economy.

"We're having a permanent presence and having a permanent conversation in Spanish, in English, about the values that the Republican Party brings, which are very much in line to the values that generally you hear from Hispanics," he said. "They're interested in having conversations about opportunities to succeed, to improve the quality of their life for their families, and I think Republicans have a good case to make for creating opportunities for people to thrive."

King also says the community centers show meaningful community connections and don't come across as pandering for votes by offering free stuff in exchange for votes.

"There's a common saying in Spanish that when you take free stuff from the government, you're giving up something in return either a little bit of your freedom, or a little bit of your soul," he said. "At the end of the day, that's not genuine, so people can see through that."

"They can continue to waste money in our communities trying to reach out to us, but we understand that they're not here to help us and they're just trying to use us in order to expand their power," said Nabilah Islam, a Georgia state Senate candidate of Bangladeshi descent who's running in a district that includes two of the RNC outreach centers. "And we're not going to let that happen."

That said, Democrats have also been accused of not investing consistently in voters of color who the party often depends on, especially in the South.

"We must invest in our communities by doing ethnic media outreach, by reaching out to Black voters, Latino voters and AAPI voters and meeting them where they are," Islam said. "So you have to always compete in order to win, and we can't take anyone for granted."

Dennard, the former RNC spokesman, says the party is already seeing an uptick in voters of color supporting Republicans, including Georgia, where voter data showed the number of Black voters double in this spring's primary.

"It is by no surprise that when you saw the recent primary election, there was an uptick in voter participation across the board," he said. "But also, we saw an uptick in support for minorities crossing over to vote Republican. That is a good thing."

And while many of these outreach centers are located in areas that have seen Republican growth, they also overlap with places where Trump sought to invalidate votes following his 2020 defeat.

Georgia will see two Black Senate candidates square off for a pivotal seat that once again could decide control of the chamber: Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker. Dennard said Walker is a prime example of a candidate who is "changing the narrative of what it is to be conservative, what it looks like to be a Republican."

"And that's what you see across the country," he added. "Because our party is more diverse, our party is an open tent and our party is more inclusive."

Polling shows Walker's campaign is not resonating with Black voters in a significant way, and in this fall's elections, voters of color will still likely overwhelmingly vote for Democrats. But in a closely divided Congress, even a small shift in preference in battleground races could make the difference in who wins and who loses.

Republican leadership says this investment into voters of color is not a onetime deal. Once all the votes are counted, you can expect these RNC community centers to keep their lights on and doors open with an eye towards 2024 and beyond.

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Republicans have invested millions in nonwhite voter outreach ahead of the midterms - NPR

Rep. Liz Cheney lost the Republican primary in Wyoming but that hasnt stopped her from planning ahead.

She even told NBCs Today showthat a White House campaign in 2024 is something she is thinking about.

Republicans havent exactly warmed up to the idea of her next move. Deseret News Dennis Romboy reported that Utah Sen. Mitt Romney isnt encouraging Cheney to run.

Im not going to encourage anyone to run for president. Ive done that myself, and thats something Im not doing again. I dont know if she really wants to do that. She would not become the nominee if she were to run. I cant imagine that would occur, Romney told the Deseret News.

Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro recently discussed Cheney and why he believes that she hasnt been able to fully get Republican support.

In a series of tweets, Shapiro said that the representative fundamentally misunderstands why people are so passionately angry at her inside the GOP base. Which is why she actually lost.

Cheney, in her concession speech, said that winning the primaries would have required her to go along with President Trumps lie about the 2020 election and enable his ongoing efforts to unravel our democratic system and attack the foundations of our republic.

Referencing her remarks, Shapiro said Cheneys statements were not true.

Shapiro wrote on Twitter that he believes the representative could have won in Wyoming if she hadnt acted as a front person for a Democratic committee dedicated to lumping together all Republicans and conservatives with January 6 rioters, and suggesting that anyone who would consider voting Trump 2024 is an incipient fascist.

The political commentator stated that politicians like Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw didnt go along with Trumps ideas, but neither were they enthusiastic participants in a broader Democratic and media agenda.

Meanwhile, Arizona Republic columnist Elvia Diaz disagreed about Shaprios perspective on Cheney.

She knows the Republican base has turned into diehard Trumpers willing and ready to carry out the unthinkable to destabilize the country, wrote Diaz.

Cheney represents the conservatives who still believe in the idea of America where people freely elect their leaders and everyone respects their vote.

Liz Cheney isnt the only Republican to lose steam in this year's elections. In another recent series of tweets, Shapiro said that constantly involving Trump in conversation only hurts the party.

When Trump is attacked, Republicans immediately return to making him the centerpiece of the conversation and this harms them electorally, as every poll is now showing, the commentator tweeted.

Americans vote against things, not for them. If Republicans want Americans to vote against Biden, they have to campaign against him, not against the FBI or the deep state or on whether Trump had the right to have boxes of classified documents in his closet, he said.

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The problem with Liz Cheney and the Republican Party, according to Ben Shapiro - Deseret News

September 1, 2022

In this issue: Boston Globe backs Doughty in GOP gubernatorial primary and a look at turnout in Ohios split primaries

The Boston Globe editorial board wrote that reasonable conservatives need to mobilize for Chris Doughty in the GOP gubernatorial primary and reset the Massachusetts state Republican Party by pulling it from the grip of Donald Trump.

Doughty faces former state Rep. Geoff Diehl (R), who Trump endorsed before Republican Gov. Charlie Baker announced he wouldnt seek re-election. Trump and Baker have criticized one another. Baker hasnt endorsed in the primary.

Before the Globe published its endorsement, Diehl said he refused to meet for an endorsement interview and called the papers editorial page essentially just a bulletin board for left-wing progressive talking points and utopian daydreams.

Doughty said at a July debate, Geoff cannot win running as an Alabama Republican in the state of Massachusetts. Doughty has emphasized his business background and says he is equipped to address the high cost of living in the state.

Diehl highlighted that he won 71% of the state party convention endorsement vote and criticized Doughty for voting for Hillary Clinton (D) for president in 2016. Diehl says his record includes keeping gas taxes low and has emphasized his opposition to mask mandates.

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) has campaigned for Doughty, while South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) has campaigned for Diehl.

As of 2021, 10% of the states registered voters were Republican, compared to 57% unenrolled and 32% Democratic (unenrolled voters can vote in party primaries in Massachusetts).

The primary is Sept. 6.

On Aug. 16, Alaska held top-four primaries and a special U.S. House election, the latter of which used ranked-choice voting. Certification is expected by tomorrow, and most battleground races have been called.

U.S House special general: Mary Peltola (D) won the election. On the final round of unofficial ranked-choice voting tabulation, Peltola had 51.5% of the vote to Sarah Palins (R) 48.5%. This election fills the term ending Jan. 3, 2023.

Before tabulation began, Peltola had 40% of first-choice votes, followed by Palin with 31% and Nick Begich III (R) with 28%. Write-in candidates received a combined 1.6% of the vote.

Write-in candidates were eliminated first as a batch. Then Begich was eliminated. The votes of those who chose eliminated candidates as first choices were redistributed to the voters second-choice candidates if they chose such. Watch a livestream of the tabulation from the Alaska Division of Elections here.

Peltola will be Alaskas first Democratic U.S. representative since Nick Begich Sr.Nick Begich IIIs grandfather. Begich Sr.s plane went missing while he was in office in 1972. Don Young (R) won a special election to succeed Begich. Young served until his death in March of this year.

Peltola, Palin, and Begich will meet again in the regularly scheduled general election for U.S. House in November. General elections for all offices below will be held Nov. 8 and will use ranked-choice voting as well.

U.S. House regular primary: As of Wednesday, The New York Times had called three of the four general election spots for Peltola, Palin, and Begich III. Peltola led with 37% of the vote, followed by Palin with 30%, Begich with 26%, and Tara Sweeney (R) with 4%.

Sweeney said shell withdraw from the race, meaning the fourth spot would go to the fifth-place finisher. As of Wednesday, that was Libertarian Chris Bye, who had 0.6% of the vote. Sept. 2 is the target election certification date, and Sept. 6 is the ballot certification date.

Alaska governor: Incumbent Mike Dunleavy (R), Bill Walker (Independent), Les Gara (D), and Charlie Pierce (R) advanced to the general election. Dunleavy had 41% of the vote, followed by Walker and Gara with 23% each and Pierce with 7%.

Dunleavy was elected governor in 2018. He succeeded Walker, who initially ran for re-election that year and withdrew weeks ahead of the general election. Gara served in the state House of Representatives from 2003 to 2019. Pierce worked as a manager at ENSTAR Natural Gas Company.

U.S. Senate: Incumbent Lisa Murkowski (R), Kelly Tshibaka (R), Patricia Chesbro (D), and Buzz Kelley (R) advanced to the general election. Murkowski had 45% of the vote, followed by Tshibaka with 39%, Chesbro with 7%, and Kelley with 2%.

Murkowski first took office in 2002. Tshibaka is a former commissioner at the Alaska Department of Administration. Chesbro is a retired teacher. Kelley is a retired mechanic.

Murkowski is the only Republican senator seeking re-election this year who voted guilty during former President Donald Trumps 2021 impeachment trial. Murkowskis endorsers include U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) and Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.). Trump and the Alaska Republican Party endorsed Tshibaka.

Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser (R) said that he plans to run for governor of Louisiana in 2023. The Associated Press also listed U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, state Treasurer John Schroder, and Attorney General Jeff Landry as possible Republican contenders.

AP wrote, Louisiana is the rare conservative state to have a Democratic governor. The moderate [Gov. John Bel] Edwards won hard-fought races in 2015 and 2019, but he is unable to seek a third consecutive term due to term limits. That means 2023 is a huge opportunity for Republicans to take control of the state that voted for Donald Trump by wide margins in the past two presidential contests.

According to the Louisiana Secretary of State office, 40% of registered voters are Democrats, 33% are Republicans, and 27% have a different affiliation. FiveThirtyEight gives the state a partisan leana measure of how the state votes compared to the country as a wholeof R+20.5.

Louisiana uses a majority-vote system in which all candidates, regardless of party, run in a preliminary election. If a candidate wins a majority of the vote, they win the election outright. Otherwise, the top two finishers advance to a second election.

Nungesser defeated Willie Jones (D) outright in 2019s preliminary election for lieutenant governor.

Edwards and Eddie Rispone (R) advanced from the preliminary gubernatorial election that year with 47% and 27%, respectively. Edwards won the final election 51.3%-48.7%.

Of the 17 states that elect governors and lieutenant governors separately, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Vermont have governors and lieutenant governors of different parties.

Due to redistricting-related court challenges, Ohio held two primaries this year. The first, its regularly scheduled primary, took place on May 3 for all except state legislative offices. State legislative primaries occurred on Aug. 2. Turnout in the May 2022 primary was comparable to 2018 and 2020 primary turnout, while state legislative primary turnout specifically was lower this year than in 2018 and 2020.

The chart below compares unofficial voter turnout numbers in the Aug. 2 primary with official turnout numbers in the May primary, along with the official turnout numbers in the states previous primary elections through 2012.

Ohios Aug. 2 primary had the lowest voter turnout in a statewide primary election in at least a decade, with 661,101 votes cast. A look at votes cast in General Assembly elections in previous years shows that fewer people voted in these primaries in 2022. Votes cast in state Senate elections were 38% of the 2020 figure and 46% of the 2018 figure. In state House elections, 2022 primary votes were 41% of the 2020 figure and 45% of the 2018 figure. The chart below shows the total votes cast in state House and state Senate elections in 2022, 2020, and 2018.

Note: Ohio holds elections for all state House districts and half its state Senate districts in even-numbered years.

The Ohio Redistricting Commissions state legislative maps underwent a lengthy legal challenge process involving several map submissions to the Ohio Supreme Court. A federal court order went into effect on May 28, selecting one of the submitted maps for use in the 2022 elections. The legal challenge to the legislative maps is ongoing before the state supreme court.

Ohio is one of two states that split its primaries this year due to redistricting legal challenges. Statewide turnout data is not yet available in New York, which held primaries on June 28 and Aug. 23.

Weve crunched some numbers to see how competitive Massachusetts Sept. 6 primaries are compared to recent cycles.

Notes on how these figures were calculated:

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Heart of the Primaries 2022, Republicans-Issue 37 Ballotpedia News - Ballotpedia News

An archived version of Kirkmeyers campaign site from July 5 lists defending the sanctity of life, as a priority.

THORNTON, Colo. Republican State Senator Barbara Kirkmeyer is adamantly anti-abortion, but you wouldnt be to tell if you looked at her congressional campaign website these days.

Politico first reported this week that many national Republicans have scrubbed information about their anti-abortion positions from their campaign sites, following public opposition to the Supreme Courts ruling eliminating a constitutional right to abortion.

An archived version of Kirkmeyers campaign site from July 5 lists defending the sanctity of life, as a priority.

Im pro-life and I always have been, Kirkmeyer told 9News Wednesday, saying her only exception is to protect the life of the mother.

If you go back and look at everyones websites, not just mine, but you look at my opponents and other folks who are campaigning, theres a campaign that happens in the primary," she said. "And then things shift and everybody goes back and revises their webpages and they focus in on the things that they are going to focus in on.

On Wednesday, an abortion stance was also missing from Republican gubernatorial candidate Heidi Ganahls website. A former webpage listed Ganahls position as pro-life with exceptions for victims of rape, incest and to preserve the life of the mother. But as of Wednesday morning, that position wasnt listed on her page.

A campaign spokeswoman said she was in the process of updating Ganahls website anyway and updated it to include the pro-life stance Wednesday afternoon.

Kristi Burton Brown, chairwoman of the Colorado Republican Party, told 9News all Republican candidates are firmly pro-life.

Our Republican candidates are very clear were the pro-life party, she said. And Hispanic voters share that value with us. They are family values voters, and we stand for the whole family.

A recent poll from Unidos Mi Familia Vota found 74% of Colorado Latinx voters believe abortion should remain legal, despite their personal beliefs about abortion.

In Kirkmeyers race in Colorados new eighth congressional district, 38% of eligible voters are Latinx, the most in any congressional district in Colorado.

Ive probably hit at least 10,000 doors myself in talking to folks, and I can probably count on one hand the number of people whove asked me about abortion, Kirkmeyer said. Its usually the media who asks me the most.

Everyone makes changes [to their website]. My opponent made changes to her website I didnt notice anyone making comments about that, she said.

A search of the Wayback Machine internet archive of Kirkmeyers opponent Yadira Caraveos website congressional website didnt show any significant changes in policy positions.

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Republican candidate in CD-8 scrubbed abortion stance from her website - 9News.com KUSA

SMITHFIELD Five Republican candidates in the Sept. 13 primary are running for a chance at three seats in Smithfield.

The five-member School Committee has four-year staggered terms, with two members not up for election again until 2024. Members Anthony Torregrossa and Benjamin Caisse, both Democrats, are not up for election.

Chairperson Virginia Harnois, a Democrat, is not seeking re-election this year after 40 years on the School Committee, and School Committee Secretary Rose Marie Cipriano, a Republican, is also not seeking re-election after eight years serving the district.

The three top vote-earners from the Republican primary will face off against three endorsed Democrat candidates in the Nov. 8 election. Democrats include Aaron Bishop, Elizabeth Worthley and Kristina Fox. An independent, Edward Quattrini, is also running for School Committee.

Three of the five Republicans running for School Committee are endorsed, including incumbent Richard Iannitelli, Amanda Fafard and Jessica Sala. Unendorsed candidates are John Fabiano and Gary Alix.

Alix did not respond to calls for an interview.

Iannitelli, 65, previously served on the School Committee from 1994 to 2014, and returned to serve on the committee in 2018 wanting to contribute to the elementary school renovation project. He said he feels he still has something to contribute to the district, and hopes to serve another term.

With the bond project completed on time and within budget, Iannitelli said he is proud of the new learning capabilities at the fingertips of teachers and students.

50, 60 years takes a toll on structures. We cleaned up a lot of stuff while looking to the future, he said. Theres better lighting, better technology, new libraries, maker spaces and other rooms where teachers can bring kids to try out ideas.

All while in a pandemic, he added.

Iannitelli highlighted updated art rooms at the middle and high school, and said work will continue in those buildings, including the high school auditorium, with the same results.

It is another area where my experience will come in handy, he said.

Iannitelli said the elementary project beat back all the problems of a labor shortage and supply chain issues with very few snags. He said he does not anticipate many difficulties with the Boyle Athletic Complex project.

On education, Iannitelli said he wants to get back to the basics. He said he is concerned about COVID loss, after students have lost time in school over the past three years.

That has me concerned. Weve taken steps over the summer to make sure we continue to get kids back up to where they should be, he said.

He said education gaps are seen in all fields of study, though compared to the state, Smithfield is doing well on test scores. He said he wants to ensure no student is left behind, particularly those who are continually missing the mark.

I want to keep pressing on and moving forward for all the kids, he said.

Iannitelli, who is the president of Iannitelli Insurance Agency, said he brings experience and a reputation for listening to people no matter who they are or their position. He said he would like to restore the relationship and trust between the district and parents after a few difficult years.

Now is a really important time to set things straight again after a few crazy years. A lot of parents feel they have not been listened to, and a lot of parents are upset with the state of education, he said.

Iannitelli said he brings institutional knowledge to the school board after two incumbents retired . He said he knows how to run meetings, how the rules work, and has shared his knowledge with committee members and the public many times over the years.

When you know the ropes, you can get better at it, he said.

Fafard, 35, is a lifelong Smithfield resident and 2005 SHS graduate. She has three children who attend three schools in the district, including LaPerche and Pleasant View Elementary Schools and Gallagher Middle School. She is the co-chairperson of Smithfields Special Education Advisory Committee, Pleasant View PTO president, and also coached Smithfield girls basketball and softball.

Ive been around the town for a while. I take pride in saying Im from Smithfield, Fafard said.

She said as a School Committee member, she would like to improve relationships between faculty, staff and teachers while trying to give families back a voice. She said she would advocate for every child and parent and help to boost morale in town.

Parents feel they go to the School Committee and theyre not being heard, she said.

Fafard said she has a passion for special education, and in 2020, she gave up her career to go back to school to pursue a degree in special education to help implement programs and support services in Smithfield. She said it is important to work with children who have a range of learning abilities, much like her children, knowing that not every child fits into a square box.

Its important that, as a district, we expand that box, she said.

After working with administrators in the district, Fafard said Smithfields phenomenal teachers have not always felt their worth.

Its time to get our scores up, get children and staff mental health up, and improve buildings and programs, she said.

While the elementary schools look incredible, Fafard noted, she would also like to see the secondary education buildings in the district improved. She said the middle and high school remain pretty much the same since her father graduated from high school, and are outdated.

Its time to bring the other schools up to match, she said.

Updating schools will keep students and faculty in the district, she added. For those who do not have children in the schools and feel that investing in the school does not apply to them, she said a good district keeps house values high.

Everyone in town benefits from it, she said.

Sala, 41, has lived in Smithfield for 35 years and works at Fidelity Investments. Her three sons all attend Smithfield schools, and she said she became interested in serving on the school board after attending meetings the last couple of years.

She said there is room for improvement, and she would continue to bring transparency, and oversight to the curriculum, and get parents more involved than in the past.

Sala said she is excited for upcoming projects, such as the Boyle Athletic Complex, to be completed. She said the district did great work on the elementary schools, but the high and middle schools are also in need of repair. After graduating from Smithfield High School in 1998, she said much looks the same in the high school.

A big amount of money comes from the town budget and taxpayer dollars to our schools. I want to ensure the best use for our taxpayers, Sala said.

Sala said she wants to ensure the district focuses on the fundamentals of education, and does not remove any critical programming. She also wants Smithfield schools to focus on career opportunities in addition to college planning.

I want to put confidence in kids that there is nothing wrong in taking that path after high school. We need a focused effort in career planning as well. It is equally needed and valued as when you graduate to go off into a trade, she said.

Sala said she loves Smithfield, and has a vested interest in seeing the schools do well.

I think people really value and have pride in the town. I think thats really important, she said.

Fabiano, 39, is a recent graduate of the Police Academy, working at the Warren Police Department. A lifelong Smithfield resident and SHS graduate, he said he and his wife want to see the education in Smithfield improve.

Over the past few years, he said, the district has stumbled on education, and needs to get back to the basics. All three of his children are in the Smithfield school system.

Its best to stick to reading, writing and arithmetic, Fabiano said.

He said hes looking for students to have more freedom in school, and said students are getting pushed toward an agenda that the country was not founded on.

I think we should be a free society, and special interest groups are getting ahold of things and pushing their agenda, forcing their role on things and I dont think that is right, he said.

Fabiano said parents are not happy with the state of education, and said he is disappointed in how the $45 million elementary school project was done. Particularly, he said, he wanted to see air conditioning added in schools.

Supt. Dawn Bartz said each elementary school has air conditioning in the libraries, maker spaces, learning labs and main offices, while some classrooms, like rooms without windows, have units. She said central air throughout the buildings is not part of the project.

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Meet the candidates of the Republican primary for School Committee - Valley Breeze