Education-related themes including Critical Race Theory (CRT) and gender ideology are anticipated to play a significant role in candidates’ campaigns as the 2024 Republican presidential primaries get near. Political analysts expect that candidates will make an effort to appeal to the core of their party by addressing these issues.
The battle for 2024 has started to heat up with former President Donald Trump and governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley anticipated to announce their candidacy soon! Ron DeSantis, a former governor of Florida, is one of a number of Republican governors and ex-governors who have hinted at a possible candidacy. All of them have strong educational backgrounds, which may be crucial given the present political debate on this urgent issue.
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“To win the GOP primary, this is a smart strategy,”
Dr. Keith Gaddie, a distinguished Oklahoma University professor and political scientist, emphasized the benefit of having state-level education policy experience for presidential hopefuls in an interview with the DCNF – an asset that could “no doubt” provide persuasive momentum to their campaigns.
DeSantis expanded Florida’s school choice program in 2021, and in March 2022 he signed the Parental Rights in Education Act into law, prohibiting teachers from teaching K–3 kids about things like gender ideology and sexual orientation. Most recently, he exerted pressure on the College Board to modify its AP African American Studies course and made legislation announcements calling for the provision of core curricula “rooted in Western tradition” and the removal of the emphasis on CRT and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in Florida universities.
“Education is going to be a big issue in the Republican primaries mostly because it has (finally) dawned on folks on the right that the interests of State schools might not always align with the interests of the parents. That has probably been true for 100 years; not sure why it has taken so long for folks to figure that out,” Michael McKenna, president of MWR Strategies, provided the DCNF with new viewpoints and ideas.
Glenn Youngkin, the governor of Virginia and a Republican, has been the subject of a lot of speculation about whether he may run for president, but he has not yet made an official statement on the matter. His emphasis on “parents’ rights” and strong advocacy for parents to participate and be engaged in their child’s educational process helped him win in a more liberal state in 2021.
Since his election, Governor Youngkin has been a steadfast supporter of student education. He inspired action to combat the questionable merit award withholding practices used by some Virginia schools by launching an investigation and enthusiastically endorsing their proposed “merit protection bill.” This bill was just enacted by the House Education Committee in a very short amount of time in order to safeguard students’ acknowledgement of accomplishments made thus far.
Youngkin is a fervent supporter of choice-based educational reforms to advance school autonomy and broaden the reach of charter schools in Virginia, which are backed by significant funding.
“It is pretty safe to say that the next Republican presidential nominee is going to be in favor of funding students not systems,” McKenna said.
Dr. Charles Bullock, a political science professor and Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute at the University of Georgia, projected that if elected president, candidates will likely highlight their education improvements in their home states as well as put forward national plans.
“It would make sense, particularly for these individuals who have had terms in the governor’s desk, to talk about education and what they would do about it, and they would do it with some degree of expertise,” Bullock said.
It is essential to stress this advantage going forward since prior state-level experience gives future candidates an advantage against President Trump.
“President Trump has not emphasized the issue, so it allows for some asymmetrical attacks from challengers, especially those who have been governors and been in the middle of the brawl,” McKenna said.
In an effort to exclude Critical Race Theory and gender ideology from the nation’s schools, Trump revealed his ambitious education plan in January, calling for “restore power to American parents.” The educational system in America may undergo significant changes if this innovative plan is put into practice.
“Our public schools have been taken over by the radical left maniacs,” Trump said in the video. “At the end of the day, if we have pink-haired communists teaching our kids, we have a major problem.”
“Education will resonate well with the electorate, particularly those folks who have children, they’re desperately concerned about having their children prepared to succeed,” Bullock said. “It’s a good issue to run on.”
Nikki Haley, a former governor of South Carolina, has promoted educational changes, especially those that go against the ideas of race theory while promoting improvement in the educational system.
“[M]ore school choice, more pathways to college degrees, more college alternatives, and more workforce training for people of all ages. Education can’t be allowed to hold anyone back. Every child deserves a world-class education that helps them get ahead – regardless of where they are born and raised,” In 2021, the then-governor spoke movingly before the Heritage Foundation, imploring attendees to welcome change and look forward to a better future.
After a week of anticipation, Haley finally entered the race on Wednesday with an electrifying video. Stay tuned for her formal announcement on February 15!
The fact that Governor DeSantis’ team has been actively planning a prospective bid for the president of the United States in 2024 indicates that he intends to compete in the Republican primary in order to realize more ambitious political goals.
“Schools have become a hot plate for activism, at the expense of core academics. This will make a lot of parents single-issue voters in 2024; that issue will be the current state of public education in America,” In a statement sent to the DCNF, Mailyn Salabarria, Director of Community Engagement for Parents Defending Education, stated.
Although traditionally a Democratic bastion, Republicans have made substantial gains in the area of education. According to a recent RNC document, people now virtually equally favor either party to handle things relating to educational policy.
“Voters are most concerned with kids not learning enough basic life skills AND the long-term effects of COVID on emotional and educational development. While masks on seven-year-olds and CRT is a concern, it is not the driving force. If Republicans solely focus there, they are missing a wide swath of voters open to the Republican message on education,” the memo read.
