A lot of the oxygen in the 2022 midterm elections was taken up by races at the top of the ballot and issues that seemed to overshadow everything else like election integrity and denialism. And in a lot of those races, Democrats came out on top in Arizona, even if by very slim margins.
But one statewide race that went in favor of the Republican on the ballot was that of superintendent of public instruction, which oversees our state’s schools and works with the state Board of Education.
In that race, Democratic incumbent Kathy Hoffman, a former educator who was championed by the Red for Ed movement, was ousted by someone who has held the office before: Tom Horne.
Hear Tom Horne discuss the race, his plans for the office with host Lauren Gilger on The Show
Horne was superintendent beginning in 2003, where he worked to dismantle the ethnic studies program in the Tucson Unified School District and limited the way English language learners here are taught. After that, he served as Arizona’s attorney general where he defended Gov. Jan Brewer against the federal government’s challenge of SB 1070. Current attorney general Mark Brnovich beat him in his last primary for that office as he faced a series of scandals related to his campaign.
Now as education politics has shifted in recent years from state funding and teacher pay to debates over critical race theory and parental rights, Horne came out on top.
The Show spoke with him more about why.
Hear Tom Horne discuss his stance on critical race theory, working with policymakers with host Lauren Gilger on The Show
