The Republican candidates for Arizona superintendent of public instruction faced off in a primary election debate Thursday night.
In stark contrast to Wednesday’s debate between Democrats, the candidates spent much of their time taking shots at each other.
Current Superintendent Tom Horne introduced himself as the “only one in statewide elective office who's fighting for the normal against left-wing craziness.” Kimberly Yee, who is currently the state treasurer, defended herself against Horne’s accusations that she served on a DEI committee.
“He knows that he is lying because he was sent this letter from the National Association of State Treasurers, naming every single committee for which I have served on,” Yee said. “It's dated May 4, and this does not list any DEI committee.”
That prompted Horne to pull out his own papers, and the debate moderator reminded them they were not allowed to have props. Both candidates are advocates for school choice, but do not believe private schools should be held to the same standards as public ones.
Horne brushed off Yee’s accusations that he overstepped his authority by denying some ESA purchases.
“If you're going to deny a Rolex watch, you have to do it right away. You can't wait a year for the Legislature to act,” Horne said. “I think that would subject the whole system to not be able to survive because people won't stand for her allowing a Rolex watch to be paid while waiting for the Legislature to act in one or two years.”
Yee suggested a technology solution that would better detect inappropriate spending and automatically deny purchases.
