Early results show Kimberly Yee is leading incumbent Tom Horne in the Republican superintendent of public instruction primary with 56% of the vote.
Yee, the state Treasurer since 2019, entered the superintendent’s race with backing from the state legislature’s far-right Freedom Caucus on the platform that Horne has been too aggressive in his regulation of Arizona’s school voucher program.
Horne, a longtime voucher supporter, has defended his office’s handling of the program, arguing he is only ferreting out unallowable purchases that aren’t related to education.
The debate comes amidst reporting by 12 News that found some families used voucher money for extravagant non-education items like jewelry, lingerie and home appliances.
On the Democratic side, Teresa Leyba Ruiz won the nomination over Brett Newby, according to the Associated Press.
Early results showed Leyba Ruiz, a former Glendale Community College president, leading the race with 80% of the vote.
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Find everything you need to know about elections in Arizona and Maricopa County from KJZZ's politics team. -
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